BBNBA: Three Wildcats drop 30+ on a busy Friday night

by:Zack Geoghegan•about 8 hours•

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Anthony Davis dunking the ball - John E. Sokolowski, Imagn Images

Over half of the NBA’s 30 teams were in action during a busy Friday night across the Association. A total of 13 former Kentucky Wildcats took the floor, headlined by a trio of 30-point scorers.

Anthony Davis led the BBNBA in scoring last night with his season-high 38 points for the Los Angeles Lakers in a 131-125 win over the Immanuel Quickley-less Toronto Raptors. The Lakers never trailed and led by as many as 26 points. Davis, 31, is off to an MVP-level start to his 12th NBA season. Los Angeles is sitting on a 4-2 record. Quickley has yet to suit up for Toronto this season as he inches closer to returning from a pelvic injury.

Next up we have De’Aaron Fox, who went for a season-best 31 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and four steals (with six turnovers) in 37 minutes as his Sacramento Kings took down the Atlanta Hawks 123-115. It marked Sacramento’s third straight win after an 0-2 start. Also for the Kings, Malik Monk chipped in nine points, six assists, and four rebounds while Trey Lyles added five points and five rebounds, but on a rough 1-7 shooting night.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was our third and final 30-point scorer of Friday night, going for exactly 30 in a 137-114 win over the Shaedon Sharpe-less Portland Trail Blazers. SGA shot 12-18 from the floor while also grabbing seven rebounds and handing out six assists in just 28 minutes of action. OKC remains unbeaten at 6-0. Gilgeous-Alexander was helped out by 13 points (5-7 FG) and three assists from second-year guard Cason Wallace.

Randle shines, Murray struggles (and still no Dilly)

The Minnesota Timberwolves nearly blew a late-game lead against the Denver Nuggets, but a clutch shot from Anthony Edwards, even clutch-ier free throws from Rudy Gobert, and an impressive overall night from Julius Randle allowed them to steal a 119-116 win at home.

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Randle finished his night with 23 points, seven assists, and six rebounds on 8-13 shooting in 36 minutes. He’s now averaging 23.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per outing for Minnesota — the franchise’s first-ever player to average at least 20/5/5 through their first five games.

Meanwhile, Rob Dillingham has still yet to make his NBA debut for the Wolves. He was a DNP-Coaches Decision for the fifth time this season. Now officially signed with Nike, Dillingham was at least spotted rocking some Kentucky-themed kicks during pregame.

Rob Dillingham repping 🔥 pic.twitter.com/21A4EiNzTI
— Jake (@Jakesbbn) November 2, 2024

On the other end, Denver point guard Jamal Murray once again struggled as his rough start to the season continued, although an injury played a role in his issues. He recorded just six points on 2-7 shooting to go along with two rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes. Murray collided with Randle in the third quarter and was removed from the game. He did not return and is currently in concussion protocol.

Other BBNBA notes

Karl-Anthony Towns posted a 28-point, 11-rebound double-double in the New York Knicks’ 128-98 blowout victory against the Detroit Pistons. Towns shot 8-18 from the floor and 3-6 from deep while also dishing out seven assists. The Knicks never trailed and led by at least 20 points for the final 40 minutes. KAT is shooting a blistering 64.7 percent from deep this season through five games.
Brandon Boston Jr. had himself a nice showing for the New Orleans Pelicans in a 125-118 win over Isaiah Jackson and the Indiana Pacers. Boston finished with 14 points, two rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 22 minutes. He came off the bench and performed well throughout the night for the Pellies, shooting 6-9 from the field and 2-4 from deep. “He stays in the gym, he’s working, he’s watching film with the coaches,” Head coach Willie Green said. “He hit some big shots.” On the flip side, Jackson chipped in six points and eight rebounds for Indiana in the loss.
Nick Richards recorded one point, three rebounds, and two blocks in 15 minutes for the Charlotte Hornets in a 124-109 loss to the Boston Celtics.

11/1/24 statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	MIN
Anthony Davis (LAL)	131-125 W @ TOR	38	14-20	11	2	3	2	3	7	35
De’Aaron Fox (SAC)	123-115 W @ ATL	31	11-16 (4-6)	7	3	4	0	6	21	37
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC)	137-114 W @ POR	30	12-18 (1-6)	7	6	1	0	3	25	28
Karl-Anthony Towns (NYK)	128-98 W @ DET	28	8-18 (3-6)	11	7	2	1	1	28	27
Julius Randle (MIN)	119-116 W vs. DEN	23	8-13 (2-5)	6	7	0	0	3	-14	36
Brandon Boston Jr. (NOP)	125-118 W vs. IND	14	6-9 (2-4)	2	2	2	0	0	-5	22
Cason Wallace (OKC)	137-114 W @ POR	13	5-7 (3-5)	1	3	1	1	1	13	22
Malik Monk (SAC)	123-115 W @ ATL	9	3-9 (0-3)	4	6	0	0	1	4	29
Isaiah Jackson (IND)	125-118 L @ NOP	6	3-3	8	1	0	1	0	7	15
Jamal Murray (DEN)	119-116 L @ MIN	6	2-7 (0-3)	2	3	1	0	0	8	22
Trey Lyles (SAC)	123-115 W @ ATL	5	1-7 (1-6)	5	2	1	1	1	7	19
Jacob Toppin (NYK)	128-98 W @ DET	2	1-1	1	1	0	0	0	0	5
Nick Richards (CHA)	124-109 @ vs. BOS	1	0-1	3	1	0	2	1	-6	15
Shaedon Sharpe (POR)	137-114 L vs. OKC	DNP-Shoulder	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Immanuel Quickley (TOR)	131-125 L vs. LAL	DNP-Pelvis	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL)	131-125 W @ TOR	DNP-Foot	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Antonio Reeves (NOP)	125-118 W vs. IND	DNP-CD	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Rob Dillingham (MIN)	119-116 W vs. DEN	DNP-CD	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—