BBNBA: Suns cruise behind Devin Booker's 30-piece
We kick off our first week where the only Kentucky basketball we have is from those who used to don the blue and white. It’s bittersweet, but at least we can root for something.
Devin Booker leads Phoenix to an OT win
The Suns continued to dominate the league in ways reminiscent of the 2013 Miami Heat. Devin Booker led all scorers with 31 points on 11-21 shooting from the field despite fouling out in the OT period.
When not giving hilarious sound bites every other day, Booker continues to be one of the top guards in the league on the top team. He finished with seven rebounds, five assists and a steal on the night to help cap off the win. Booker also wanted to remind us that he’s one of the more clutch players in the league.
On the other bench, we only got to see one of what should be a couple ‘Of Cats playing for Sacramento. Trey Lyles got the start and finished with 11 points on 3-8 shooting from the field. De’Aaron Fox is still out with a hand injury.
Keldon Johnson hits a game winner against the Warriors
It’s all about how you finish in this league.
Keldon Johnson didn’t have his best night for the Spurs. The quasi-forward/guard had a rough night shooting overall. Johnson had 14 points on 5-15 shooting from the field while grabbing seven boards and dishing out five assists. All the negativity around the shooting numbers magically disappears however when you do this to end it.
The Spurs are still on the cusp of fighting for that last play-in spot, only a few games behind the Lakers with roughly 10 games left on the season. It’s admittedly been a rebuilding year for Gregg Popovich and his team. Battling out and winning against a top-3 team in the West, however, does provide some optimism for Johnson and the rest of San Antonio as the season rolls to the finish.
Knicks continue to flounder
Sunday’s loss against the Jazz was no different than any other gruesome loss we’ve seen New York take this year.
Top 10
- 1New
Kiffin Bama-UGA pick
Lane Kiffin's prediction is in
- 2
Quinn Ewers likely out
Pete Thamel: Texas QB unlikely to play
- 3Trending
Warm Saban welcome
Alabama fans chant for Saban
- 4
Mykel Williams report
Georgia star 'true gametime decision'
- 5
VT WR blasts ACC
'I wanna see consequences'
They get down early, then run out the youth squad lead by Immanuel Quickley and R.J. Barrett, spark a massive comeback and then watch the starters ruin it in the fourth. Tom Thibodeau has it down to a science on how to break the hearts of New Yorkers each and every day.
In the 108-93 loss on Sunday, the Knicks kids were able to cut it down to under a 10-point lead before it happened again.
Quickley has taken major strides over the second half of the season to prove that he is a viable option at the point guard position moving forward. The second-year player had 16 points, four rebounds and four assists while only playing 23 minutes at the Garden. The shooting numbers aren’t ideal, going 3-9 from the field, but he’s learning how to become a foul merchant with the new shooting rules. He was able to get to the line 11 times on Sunday, shooting 8-11 from the stripe.
Julius Randle finished with a double-double, going for 13 points and 11 rebounds on 6-21 shooting, but it still doesn’t overshadow the lethargic effort he’s showing on defense. The writing is on the wall, at least with the fans, that his time in New York may be coming to a close soon. His defensive effort has been an issue all year, at it’s hitting a critical point late in the season. He’s still under contract next season, but the total lack of effort on the defensive side of the ball may be leading to changes being made in the offseason.
Statistics
| Player | Result | Points | FG (3PA) | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | Turnovers | Minutes | +/- |
| Devin Booker (PHX) | 127-124 OT W @ SAC | 31 | 11-21 (2-5) | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 37 | 3 |
| Tyrese Maxey (PHI) | 93-88 L vs. TOR | 19 | 8-14 (2-4) | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 37 | 10 |
| Immanuel Quickley (NYK) | 108-93 L vs. UTA | 16 | 3-9 (2-5) | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 23 | -9 |
| Keldon Johnson (SAS) | 110-108 W @ GSW | 14 | 5-15 (2-9) | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 5 |
| Julius Randle (NYK) | 108-93 L vs. UTA | 13 | 6-21 (1-6) | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 35 | -9 |
| DeMarcus Cousins (DEN) | 124-104 L vs. BOS | 12 | 4-11 (1-6) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 | -8 |
| Kevin Knox (ATL) | 117-112 L vs. NOP | DNP – Coach’s Decision | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| De’Aaron Fox (SAC) | 127-124 OT L vs. PHX | DNP – Hand | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) | 90-85 L @ ORL | DNP – Ankle | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Isaiah Jackson (IND) | 129-98 W vs. POR | DNP – Knee | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Eric Bledsoe (POR) | 129-98 L @ IND | DNP – Achilles | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Nerlens Noel (NYK) | 109-93 L vs UTA | DNP – Foot | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Today in the NBA
7:00 p.m. Lakers (Monk, Davis*) @ Cavaliers (Rondo)
7:00 p.m. Pelicans @ Hornets (Washington, Richards)
7:00 p.m. Trail Blazers (Bledsoe*) @ Pistons (Diallo)
7:30 p.m. Heat (Adebayo, Herro) @ 76ers (Maxey)
7:30 p.m. (NBA TV) Jazz @ Nets
8:00 p.m. Celtics @ Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander)
8:00 p.m. Raptors @ Bulls
8:00 p.m. Wizards @ Rockets
8:30 p.m. Timberwolves (Towns, Vanderbilt) @ Mavericks
*- Inactive
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard