BBNBA: Pelicans HC credits Jodie Meeks with Antonio Reeves' 34-point night

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Antonio Reeves - Ken Blaze, Imagn Images

The NBA is about opportunity, and Antonio Reeves was presented with a perfect opportunity to earn some extra minutes last night. He couldn’t have asked for a better 24th birthday gift than the 34 points he dropped on Wednesday for the New Orleans Pelicans.

Due to a series of injuries throughout the roster, Pelicans’ head coach Willie Green is being forced to use his bench and even dip into the G League franchise. We’ve already seen Brandon Boston Jr. benefit from that several times this season (he posted 14 points, five assists, and three rebounds on 5-18 shooting last night), but it was Reeves’ turn against the NBA-leading Cleveland Cavaliers.

The former Wildcat shot 14-25 from the field (4-12 from deep) to reach his 34 points, also chipping in five rebounds and three assists during a season-high 39 minutes. It came in a 128-100 loss, but Reeves took full advantage of the moment. Afterward, Green gave some of the credit to another former ‘Cat, Jodie Meeks, who joined the staff as an assistant before the season.

“It’s pretty awesome to see him step on the floor and go out and play hard and play with confidence,” Green said of Reeves postgame. “And it’s a credit to Jodie Meeks and our Birmingham Squadron (G League) team. He was there working a bit with TJ Saint and those guys. I really give the credit to them, just staying with it, working hard, ‘Tone coming into the gym every day getting his shots up, paying attention, and gameplan discipline. It all pays off when you get on the floor.”

After getting picked up in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft by the Pelicans, Reeves had scored just 23 points total during his first eight appearances. He averaged only 6.5 minutes per game during that span. If the injury situation in New Orleans continues, expect more minutes to come Reeves’ way.

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KAT’s 34 tops Book’s 33

In a battle between two of the best former Kentucky players the NBA has to offer, it was Karl-Anthony Towns who got the better of Devin Booker last night. Towns and the New York Knicks picked up a 138-122 win over Booker and the Phoenix Suns.

Towns also got the best of Booker in the scoring column, finishing with 34 points and 10 rebounds on 12-19 overall shooting in 34 minutes. Jalen Brunson contributed 36 points for the Knicks as they secured a fourth straight win. New York never trailed in this one and led by 18 points at halftime.

For the Suns, Booker contributed 33 points, five assists, and three rebounds in 37 minutes. He shot 12-23 from the field and 2-7 from long range. Phoenix was without Kevin Durant, who sat out his seventh game in a row due to a calf strain. The Suns have now dropped five straight games.

Other BBNBA notes

Tyrese Maxey returned to the Philadelphia 76ers from injury last night, a 117-111 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. After missing the previous six games, Maxey played 19 minutes and scored just eight points on an ugly 3-13 shooting clip (0-6 from deep). Joel Embiid did drop 35 points and 11 rebounds, but the vibes remain very low in Philly right now with a 2-12 record.
Reed Sheppard saw 16 minutes of action in the Houston Rockets’ 130-113 win over the Indiana Pacers. The rookie guard recorded seven points (3-5 FG), two rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went for 28 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals on 7-19 shooting in a 109-99 win for the Oklahoma City Thunder over the Portland Trail Blazers. SGA hit all 14 of his free throw attempts, as well. Shaedon Sharpe chipped in 21 points, four rebounds, and two assists on 6-16 shooting (4-8 3PT) for the Blazers.

11/20/24 statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	MIN
Antonio Reeves (NOP)	128-100 L @ CLE	34	14-25 (4-12)	5	3	0	0	0	-16	39
Karl-Anthony Towns (NYK)	138-122 W @ PHX	34	12-19 (3-8)	10	2	1	0	3	23	34
Devin Booker (PHX)	138-122 L vs. NYK	33	12-23 (2-7)	3	5	0	0	1	-19	37
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC)	109-99 W vs. POR	28	7-19 (0-2)	5	4	3	1	2	7	38
Shaedon Sharpe (POR)	109-99 L @ OKC	21	6-16 (4-8)	4	2	0	0	6	-8	38
Brandon Boston Jr. (NOP)	128-100 L @ CLE	14	5-18 (0-5)	3	5	1	0	4	-19	34
Tyrese Maxey (PHI)	117-111 L @ MEM	8	3-13 (0-6)	3	2	1	0	1	-8	19
Reed Sheppard (HOU)	130-113 W vs. IND	7	3-5 (1-1)	2	3	2	0	1	-9	16
Cason Wallace (OKC)	109-99 W vs. POR	0	0-3 (0-3)	4	2	3	0	0	-3	26
Jacob Toppin (NYK)	138-122 W @ PHX	0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	-3	1
TyTy Washington (PHX)	138-122 L vs. NYK	0	0-0	0	0	2	1	0	3	3
Isaiah Jackson (IND)	130-113 L @ HOU	DNP-Achilles	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—