BBNBA: Shaedon Sharpe drops 24 points to beat Reed Sheppard and the Rockets

Shaedon Sharpe, remember him? It’s only been three seasons since his controversial and confusing will-he-or-won’t-he-play fiasco, but with Big Blue Nation optimistically looking forward now, that drama feels like it was an eternity ago. I can’t help but think that in an alternate universe where Mark Pope was Sharpe’s college coach, we would have seen him play in a Kentucky uniform. Pope would have peppered him with science-backed inspirational quotes and all of a sudden we’d have a barrage of Shaedon Sharpe in-game dunk highlights to share with our grandkids one day instead of only being able to vaguely recall that time or two we saw him warm up in Rupp Arena. At the very least, the ‘Cats might have beaten St. Peters.

What a weird time.

Anyway, Sharpe is playing in the NBA, and he is as good as Cal advertised. On Saturday, it was a battle between one of Big Blue Nation’s favorite and least favorite alums, as Sharpe and the Trail Blazers took on Reed Sheppard and the Rockets. Unfortunately for those playing favorites, Sharpe helped Portland take down Reed’s Houston squad.

Sharpe had 24 points on the night, knocking down four 3-pointers along the way. He also had two steals, proving he is more than just an elite dunker. After missing the first eight games of the season with a shoulder injury, Sharpe has been on a tear, averaging by far the best numbers of his professional career at over 18 points per game.

More minutes on the way for Reed Sheppard?

Reed Sheppard had eight points (the second-most of his young career) in his 11 minutes on the floor on Saturday, which included two 3s. Houston Fans are ready for him to play more and they might just get that wish, at least in the interim.

In the closing seconds of the Rockets’ loss, starting guard and victim of an NCAA tournament loss to Kentucky, Fred VanVleet, pointed his finger in the face of an official and called him a female dog. The NBA is a big fan of dogs and isn’t too keen on verbal abuse to referees so a suspension is likely imminent. If and when VanVleet misses time, Kentucky’s favorite rookie could slide in and fill that time on the court.

Sheppard is averaging 4.1 points in just over 11 minutes per game through the first 18 games of the season, but greater opportunity could be on the horizon.

Other BBNBA Notes:

• Laker fans were non-too-happy with Anthony Davis on Saturday, as he put up a disappointing game (for him at least) when he matched up against Nikola Jokic. Davis had just 14 points on 6-19 shooting in the Lakers’ 25-point loss to the Nuggets. Some guys have your number. Jamal Murray had 14 points for Denver.

• Karl-Anthony Towns had the second-most rebounds of the season on Saturday, but those 16 boards matched his 16 points, which matched Anthony Davis’s 6-19 shooting. Similar to the Lakers, the Knicks lost in convincing fashion to the Jazz. Johnny Juzang hit four 3s for Utah in the win.

BBNBA Statistics for 11/23/2024

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	P/M	MIN
Shaedon Sharpe (POR)	104-98 W vs. HOU	24	7-18 (4-9)	3	1	2	0	2	+8	36
Karl-Anthony Towns (NYK)	106-121 L vs. UTA	16	6-19 (1-9)	16	5	0	1	2	-34	39
Anthony Davis (LAL)	102-127 L vs. DEN	14	6-19 (0-2)	10	3	3	2	1	-26	35
Jamal Murray (DEN)	127-102 W vs. LAL	14	5-12 (2-4)	5	5	1	0	2	+20	30
Johnny Juzang (UTA)	121-106 W vs. NYK	12	4-8 (4-7)	3	2	0	0	1	+17	17
Reed Sheppard (HOU)	98-104 L vs. POR	8	3-6 (2-4)	0	0	0	0	1	-5	11
Oscar Tshiebwe (UTA)	98-104 L vs. POR	DNP-G League
Nick Richards (CHA)	119-125 L vs. MIL	DNP-Rib
Keldon Johnson (SAS)	104-94 W vs. GSW	DNP-Hamstring
Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL)	102-127 L vs. DEN	DNP-Foot
Jacob Toppin (NYK) [Two-way]	106-121 L vs. UTA	DNP-CD

Today in the NBA:

3:30: Timberwolves (Randle, Dillingham) @ Celtics
5:00: Wizards @ Pacers (Jackson: out)
6:00: Mavericks (PJ Washington) @ Heat (Herro, Adebayo)
6:00: Clippers @ 76ers (Maxey, Edwards)
7:30: Raptors (Quickley) @ Cavaliers
9:00: Nets @ Kings (Fox, Lyles, Monk: out)