BBNBA: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drops 44 in win over Trail Blazers
First-time NBA All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander proved exactly why he’s one of the league’s most talented players on Friday night. The former Kentucky Wildcat exploded for 44 points to lead his Oklahoma City Thunder to a 138-129 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. This marked the fifth 40-plus point scoring game of the season for SGA, who has also hit the 30-point threshold in 33 of his 51 games played this season.
Against the Blazers, Gilgeous-Alexander was uber-efficient, shooting 13-16 overall from the field with just one three-point attempt while also connecting on 18 of his 19 shots from the free-throw line. He even chipped in three rebounds, seven assists, and two steals in the win, pushing OKC to a 27-28 record on the season and putting the Thunder just outside of the Play-In tournament. SGA is the first player in franchise history to score at least 40 points while shooting 80 percent from the floor.
“Shot a lot of free throws tonight for sure. That helps,” SGA said postgame. “I just played in my comfort zone tonight. I tried to put pressure on the defense a lot.”
On the other end of the hardwood, Shaedon Sharpe added 13 points, three rebounds, and three assists for the Trail Blazers. His three-pointer right before the third-quarter buzzer actually gave Portland a 105-103 lead heading into the final frame, but Gilgeous-Alexander and OKC fought back to steal the win down the stretch.
Maxey, 76ers get the best of Kentucky Knicks
Behind big nights from Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, the Philadelphia 76ers were able to take down the New York Knicks 119-108 up in Philly. Embiid posted 35 points and 11 rebounds but the real story was Maxey playing his best outing since late January as he scored 27 points on 9-16 shooting, including a 5-8 clip from beyond the arc. Philadelphia was +27 with Maxey, who came off the bench once again, on the floor Friday night.
Meanwhile, Julius Randle had another All-Star-level performance, going for 30 points and 10 rebounds in the loss for New York. He was joined by 13 points and three assists from fellow former Wildcat Immanuel Quickley. The 76ers held New York to 15 points in the fourth quarter and just 35 percent shooting from the field to help lock up the win.
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Tyler Herro nearly drops triple-double in Heat win
The Miami Heat needed every single stat from Tyler Herro to beat the pesky Houston Rockets, 97-95. Herro was magnificent as he recorded 31 points on 11-20 shooting (5-10 from deep) to go along with nine rebounds and eight assists. The one-time ‘Cat hit the second-biggest shot of the night, a corner triple with under 24 seconds left in regulation that gave Miami a four-point lead.
Herro was aided by an impressive night from Bam Adebayo as he registered 20 points, nine rebounds, and three assists on 7-11 shooting. For the Rockets, TyTy Washington Jr. found 19 minutes of action, resulting in six points, six rebounds, and six assists for the rookie. Miami scored just 39 second-half points, but it was just enough to fend off the Rockets.
The biggest shot of the game came shortly after with the score was knotted at 95-95. Head coach Erik Spoelstra drew up a perfect inbounds play with just 0.3 seconds left that saw Gabe Vincent toss an alley-oop to Jimmy Butler at the rim for an uncontested dunk. Ball game.
Other BBNBA notes
- Devin Booker continues to slowly work his back into perfect form after sitting out for over a month with an injury. He went for 21 points, four rebounds, and five assists in a 117-104 win over the Indiana Pacers. On the other end, Isaiah Jackson went for 14 points and five rebounds in just 12 minutes for the Pacers.
- Brandon Boston Jr. played his first game in weeks against the Milwaukee Bucks and he made sure to make it count. After not playing since Jan. 29 (when he dropped 24 points on the Cleveland Cavaliers), Boston finished with 20 points and two rebounds on 9-13 shooting in the LA Clippers’ 119-106 loss to Milwaukee.
- In a 127-116 loss to the Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets forward PJ Washington contributed 17 points and seven rebounds in 35 minutes while center Nick Richards added seven points and eight rebounds in his 17 minutes of action.
- De’Aaron Fox, another first-time All-Star, was special despite the Sacramento Kings falling 122-114 to the Dallas Mavericks. Fox posted 33 points, six rebounds, and five assists in the loss on 10-16 shooting.
2/10/23 statistics
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | P/M | MIN |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) | 138-129 W @ POR | 44 | 13-16 (0-1) | 3 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 22 | 39 |
| De’Aaron Fox (SAC) | 114-122 L vs. DAL | 33 | 10-16 (1-5) | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 38 |
| Tyler Herro (MIA) | 97-95 W vs. HOU | 31 | 11-20 (5-10) | 9 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 19 | 37 |
| Julius Randle (NYK) | 108-119 L @ PHI | 30 | 11-20 (5-11) | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -6 | 36 |
| Tyrese Maxey (PHI) | 119-108 W vs. NYK | 27 | 9-16 (5-8) | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 32 |
| Devin Booker (PHX) | 117-104 W @ IND | 21 | 7-18 (3-9) | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 26 |
| Bam Adebayo (MIA) | 97-95 W vs. HOU | 20 | 7-11 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 21 | 34 |
| Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC) | 106-119 L vs. MIL | 20 | 9-13 (1-1) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -14 | 26 |
| PJ Washington (CHA) | 116-127 L @ BOS | 17 | 7-14 (2-3) | 7 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | -17 | 35 |
| Hamidou Diallo (DET) | 138-131 (2OT) W vs. SAS | 14 | 5-6 (0-0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -6 | 18 |
| Isaiah Jackson (IND) | 104-117 L vs. PHX | 14 | 5-6 (1-1) | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 12 |
| Immanuel Quickley (NYK) | 108-119 L @ PHI | 13 | 5-8 (1-4) | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -11 | 29 |
| Shaedon Sharpe (POR) | 129-138 L vs. OKC | 13 | 5-8 (3-4) | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | -6 | 28 |
| Malik Monk (SAC) | 114-122 L vs. DAL | 8 | 3-7 (0-2) | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -18 | 15 |
| Nick Richards (CHA) | 116-127 L @ BOS | 7 | 3-4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -8 | 17 |
| TyTy Washington (HOU) | 95-97 L @ MIA | 6 | 2-7 (0-3) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 19 |
| Trey Lyles (SAC) | 114-122 L vs. DAL | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -13 | 7 |
| Kevin Knox (POR) | 129-138 L vs. OKC | DNP-Trade Pending | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Keldon Johnson (SAS) | 131-138 L (2OT) @ DET | DNP-Injured | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nerlens Noel (DET) | 138-131 (2OT) W vs. SAS | DNP-CD | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) | 107-128 L @ MEM | DNP-Calf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Tonight in the NBA
6:00 (NBA TV): 76ers (Maxey) @ Nets
7:00: Nuggets (Murray) @ Hornets (Richards, PJ Washington)
7:00: Heat (Adebayo, Herro) @ Magic
7:00: Pacers (Jackson) @ Wizards
7:30: Spurs (Johnson) @ Hawks
7:30: Jazz @ Knicks (Quickley, Randle)
8:00: Bulls @ Cavaliers
8:30 (ABC): Lakers (Davis, Gabriel, Vanderbilt) @ Warriors
10:00: Mavericks @ Kings (Fox, Lyles, Monk)
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