BBNBA: Reed Sheppard's behind-the-back pass is the best assist of the season

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Reed Sheppard - Kevin Jairaj, Imagn Images

Friday night’s schedule featured another round of NBA Cup games. And even though a trio of former Kentucky Wildcats scored 20 or more points, we’re going to start today’s BBNBA recap with some Reed Sheppard love. The Houston Rockets rookie dished out the assist of the season so far in a 116-88 win against Shaedon Sharpe and the Portland Trail Blazers.

Deep into the third quarter with the Rockets already ahead by 21 points, Sheppard found himself in a one-on-one defensive stance against Blazers guard Rayan Rupert. As the Big Blue Nation saw him do plenty of times in Lexington, Sheppard smacked down on the ball to jar it loose. Rupert nearly recovered, but Sheppard poked the ball away again toward the sideline.

In a quick moment of brilliance, the North Laurel product lunged into the crowd and slung a behind-the-back pass into the backcourt, leading perfectly to a Tari Eason dunk on the other end. See for yourself.

THIS REED SHEPPARD ASSIST 🤯 pic.twitter.com/QEpluMlGNz
— NBA (@NBA) November 23, 2024

Granted, Sheppard only finished this game with three points on 1-6 shooting (1-3 3PT), but he did chip in two assists, three steals, and two blocks in his 16 minutes. Meanwhile, Sharpe finished with 13 points on 3-9 shooting in the loss for Portland.

Three Wildcats drop 20+

Fox’s huge second half not enough

Now, let’s get back to the scoring leaders from last night. De’Aaron Fox led all former Kentucky players with a BBNBA-high 29 points to go along with seven rebounds and seven assists. Unfortunately, it came in a 104-88 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Fox remains without backcourt running mate Malik Monk, who hasn’t played since Nov. 10 due to injury and isn’t expected to return until at least next week.

Fox did all he could to keep the Kings alive, scoring 25 of his points in the second half alone, but first-half struggles from everyone on Sacramento’s side were ultimately too much to overcome. He shot 10-20 from the field overall but missed six of his seven three-point attempts. Fox’s teammate, Trey Lyles, managed just three points (1-4 3PT) and four rebounds in 18 minutes.

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Maxey ends Philly’s 5-game losing skid

Tyrese Maxey also had himself a much-needed big night. Struggling with injuries this season while having to play an unexpectedly massive role for the Philadelphia 76ers, Maxey hasn’t had the best start to 2024-25. But he was great in a 113-98 win over the Brooklyn Nets last night, snapping a five-game losing streak for Philly. Maxey went for 26 points, four rebounds, five assists, and four steals in only 26 minutes. He shot an efficient 11-17 from the floor and 3-6 from deep.

This was just Maxey’s second game back after missing six in a row due to injury. The Sixers were once again without Joel Embiid and Paul George. But alongside rookie Jared McCain, the two guards scored 37 of Philly’s 60 second-half points.

Another big night for PJ Washington

It was a slow start to the season for PJ Washington, made worse by an injury that kept him sidelined for five games. But in two of his last three outings, the Dallas Mavericks forward has looked more like himself. Five days after going for a season-high 27 points and 17 rebounds, Washington recorded 22 points and 13 rebounds in a close 123-120 win over Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets. Dallas, which was without Luka Doncic (wrist sprain), nearly blew a 24-point halftime lead before recovering down the stretch.

Not even a triple-double from Nikola Jokic (who returned after a three-game absence) could will the Nuggets to victory. Murray posted a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds but on just 4-16 shooting. All four of his makes were from deep. He also grabbed five rebounds and blocked three shots. But Murray’s best moment of the night was when he caught a fly and brought it over to ESPN broadcaster Doris Burke.

Jamal Murray just handed a fly to Doris Burke 😳 pic.twitter.com/lBtA0T6sNT
— NBA (@NBA) November 23, 2024

Other BBNBA notes

Brandon Boston Jr. just keeps on balling out for the injured New Orleans Pelicans. He went for 16 points, five rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and one block on 6-13 shooting last night, although it came in a 112-108 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Antonio Reeves wasn’t as fortunate as Boston though. After going for 34 points just two days ago, Reeves finished with one point on 0-5 shooting in 12 minutes against the Warriors.

11/22/24 statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	MIN
De’Aaron Fox (SAC)	104-88 L @ LAC	29	10-20 (1-7)	7	7	1	0	3	-4	42
Tyrese Maxey (PHI)	113-98 W vs. BKN	26	11-17 (3-6)	4	5	4	0	0	10	26
PJ Washington (DAL)	123-120 W @ DEN	22	8-15 (0-2)	13	1	3	0	4	22	35
Brandon Boston Jr. (NOP)	112-108 L vs. GSW	16	6-13 (1-6)	5	7	2	1	2	-3	35
Jamal Murray (DEN)	123-120 L vs. DAL	14	4-16 (4-11)	5	11	0	3	3	0	39
Shaedon Sharpe (POR)	116-88 L @ HOU	13	3-9 (1-3)	1	2	2	0	0	-18	23
Reed Sheppard (HOU)	116-88 W vs. POR	3	1-6 (1-3)	0	2	3	2	0	15	16
Trey Lyles (SAC)	104-88 L @ LAC	3	1-4 (1-4)	4	0	1	0	0	-17	18
Antonio Reeves (NOP)	112-108 L vs. GSW	1	0-5 (0-3)	2	1	0	0	0	-8	12
Malik Monk (SAC)	104-88 L @ LAC	DNP-Ankle	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Isaiah Jackson (IND)	129-117 L @ MIL	DNP-Achilles	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—