BBNBA: Tyrese Maxey goes off for career-high 44 points
Tyrese Maxey is proficient in the artistry of basketball. On Friday the former Kentucky Wildcat posted a career-high 44 points to help the Philadelphia 76ers get the win over the Toronto Raptors. And if that wasn’t enough, he also set a franchise record with nine 3-pointers. He did all this on an incredibly efficient 15-20 from the field and 9-12 from behind the arc, including an initial streak of making his first 10 overall shots.
His nine 3s are the most in a single game this season and his 44 points are the second-highest scored in a game by any NBA player thus far. He also pulled down eight rebounds just because.
I told you this was the year Maxey was going to break out as a star and early in the season, he has not disappointed. His +29 in the +/- column helped propel Philadelphia to a much-needed win as they look to find a rhythm after dropping a few games early.
Maxey is looking for a big-time extension after this season and making the 76ers dig a little deeper into their pockets with every performance.
Keldon Johnson was not too bad either
A 44-point outing is hard to top, but Keldon Johnson put up a subtle 33-point night of his own on Friday. Johnson, the best player on Spurs, led his team to their fourth win of the season on Friday as they took down the Chicago Bulls.
The Spurs are not supposed to be good this year, and they may take a downturn at any moment, but behind Keldon Johnson, they have quietly started off the season 4-2, good for second in their division and sixth in the stacked Western Conference.
Johnson has averaged nearly 24 points per game in those contests, the highest in his career by almost six points. It is still early, but don’t look for him to taper off. He is clearly the Spurs’ go-to scorer and has stepped into that role magnificently.
Cover your eyes, Kentucky fans; Shaedon Sharpe is the real deal
Kentucky fans not on Team Sharpe would be best to avert their eyes for this section and most certainly don’t want to watch this highlight sequence.
Shaedon Sharpe got the start for the injured Damian Lillard on Friday (joining Jamal Murray as one of six Canadian-born players to start within their first six games of their NBA career) and made the most of the opportunity. His 14 points alone would have made for a good showing on their own, but it was how he scored four of them that got Lillard jumping up and down on his injured calf in street clothes on the bench.
In a back-to-back sequence, Sharpe threw down two of the best dunks of the night. The first was a vicious tomahawk that came on a nice cut to the rim and he followed it up seconds later with a monstrous two-handed, alley-oop after a Rockets turnover.
The Portland Trail Blazers, kind of like the Spurs, are another surprisingly winning team this season, and the rookie Kentucky fans love to hate has played a key part in that success.
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Seriously, though, be careful watching this highlight. You’ve been warned, and I’m not responsible for what happens to your screen afterward.
Best of the rest
Anthony Davis sat out for the Lakers on Friday with lower back tightness and in his place, Wenyen Gabriel saw a season-high 21 minutes of action. He had eight points and three steals, but the Lakers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Karl-Anthony Towns flirted with a triple-double with 21 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. The Lakers are now 0-5, much to the delight of basketball fans everywhere.
Devin Booker had a quiet scoring night by his extremely high standards with 16 points, but his Phoenix Suns cruised past the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans, who were once again without Zion Williamson.
Third-year Nick Richards continued his bid for Most Improved Player with a solid 14 points and six rebounds off the bench in a Hornets loss. Richards had the second-highest points on the team, though the Hornets lost to the Orlando Magic to give them their first win of the season. PJ Washington had an off night with just five points, but he did play solid defense and came away with three steals.
Immanuel Quickley was the lone bright spot for the New York Knicks, as he finished with 14 points and a team-high +11 in the +/- category. That number is even more impressive once you realize the Knicks lost to the Milwaukee Bucks by double digits. Julius Randle had a very Julius Randle game with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Jamal Murray is still working his way back to feeling 100% comfortable on the court after his major knee surgery. He had 13 points and knocked down two of his four 3s, but it may still take a while for him to get back to where he was before in injury. The Nuggets rolled over Jarred Vanderbilt and the Utah Jazz.
10/28/2022 Statistics
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | MIN | +/- |
| Tyrese Maxey (PHI) | 112-90 W vs. TOR | 44 | 15-20 (9-12) | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 40 | +29 |
| Keldon Johnson (SAS) | 129-124 W vs. CHI | 33 | 8-19 (6-12) | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 35 | +10 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) | 111-102 W vs. LAL | 21 | 8-17 (3-7) | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 37 | +11 |
| Devin Booker (PHX) | 124-111 W vs. NOP | 16 | 6-14 (0-4) | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 33 | +4 |
| Immanuel Quickley (NYK) | 108-119 L vs. MIL | 14 | 5-11 (2-4) | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 28 | +11 |
| Julius Randle (NYK) | 108-119 L vs. MIL | 14 | 3-10 (0-2) | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 31 | -14 |
| Nick Richards (CHA) | 93-113 L vs. ORL | 14 | 5-7 (0-0) | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | -13 |
| Shaedon Sharpe (POR) | 125-111 W vs. HOU | 14 | 7-12 (0-2) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | -1 |
| Jamal Murray (DEN) | 117-1101 W vs. UTA | 13 | 5-9 (2-4) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| Hamidou Diallo (DET) | 112-136 L vs. ATL | 8 | 3-4 (0-1) | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15 | -3 |
| Wenyen Gabriel (LAL) | 102-111 L vs. MIN | 8 | 3-6 (0-1) | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 21 | +10 |
| Jarred Vanderbilt (UTA) | 101-117 L vs. DEN | 7 | 3-7 (0-0) | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 28 | -16 |
| PJ Washington (CHA) | 93-113 L vs. ORL | 5 | 2-9 (1-6) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 22 | -19 |
| Isaiah Jackson (IND) | 127-117 W vs. WAS | 0 | 0-3 (0-0) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 12 | -4 |
| Kevin Knox (DET) | 112-136 L vs. ATL | 0 | 0-1 (0-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Nerlens Noel (DET) | 112-136 L vs. ATL | DNP – CD | ||||||||
| Anthony Davis (LAL) | 102-111 L vs. MIN | DNP – Back | ||||||||
| TyTy Washington (HOU) | 111-125 L vs. POR | DNP – Knee |
Tonight in the NBA
6:00: Heat (Adebayo, Herro) @ Kings (Fox, Monk)
7:00: Warriors @ Hornets (Richards, PJ Washington)
7:30: Pacers (Jackson) @ Nets
8:00 (NBA TV): 76ers (Maxey) @ Bulls
8:00: Hawks @ Bucks
9:00: Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander) @ Mavericks
10:00: Grizzlies @ Jazz (Vanderbilt)
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