Plus: Pistons, Grizzlies, and Kings each score 135 in wins
Just about every team in the NBA has now played half of their games, and the offensive explosion this season continues to be plain to see.
Of the 16 teams in action on Wednesday, six scored at least 125 and three scored 135 points. With 41 points against the Pelicans, Jaylen Brown put forth the night’s sole 40-point game, and it feels like similarly huge individual performances have been coming nightly.
Led by Saddiq Bey (31 points on 10-16 shooting), the Pistons shot a blistering 48-80 (60.0%) from the floor, including 17-32 (53.1%) from three. Bojan Bogdanovic contributed the most of any Piston toward that, shooting 5-8 (62.5%) from three and finishing with 27 points.
CLUTCH. KUZ. pic.twitter.com/DqjxkUI49i
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) January 12, 2023
Down by two with just over three minutes remaining, Milwaukee rattled off a 10-0 run which included four points from Jrue Holiday and three assists from Giannis Antetokounmpo. Holiday led the Bucks in scoring at 27 (10-21 FG) while Giannis struggled to score, but still flirted with a triple double (seven points, 18 rebounds, 10 assists).
This marks the seventh loss for Atlanta, who was without Trae Young (non-COVID illness), in their last 10 contests, leaving them on the brink of the play-in slots. They now sit at 9th in the East, just 1.0 game ahead of 11th place Toronto.
As I noted before, it was a big night for Jaylen Brown (season-high 41 points on 15-21 shooting with 12 rebounds), but Jayson Tatum wouldn’t dare go unnoticed, posting 31 points on 10-22 shooting with 10 rebounds of his own.
Pelicans struggled to keep up offensively with the Celtics as they continue to deal with the absences of Zion Williamson (out for another couple weeks with a hamstring injury) and Brandon Ingram (possibly back in the next game or two). CJ McCollum has picked up most of the scoring load with those two out and Wednesday was no different as he finished with 38 points on 15-24 FG for the losing squad.
Behind Jalen Brunson’s 15 first quarter points, New York took a 37-21 lead into the second, where things only got worse for Indiana. The Knicks built their lead out to 25 during the third quarter before the Pacers started to close the gap, cutting the deficit to a one-possession ballgame at a couple points over the final few minutes, though never able to get over the hump.
Brunson finished with 34 points while Julius Randle added 16 rebounds to his 14 points. In the standings, this win means the Knicks flip positions with the Pacers, going from #7 to #6, above the play-in picture. Buddy Hield scored 31 points for Indy in the loss.
Down by 13 with just under six minutes remaining, the Spurs heated up for a 12-2 run to cut the deficit to three before Memphis outscored them 5-2 over the final 103 seconds to seal the win.
Ja Morant (38 points) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (21 points and 12 rebounds) led the Grizzlies in scoring while Steven Adams posted another elite rebounding night with 18 rebounds to go with his 11 points; it’s his fifth game with at least 18 rebounds this season. Keldon Johnson and Tre Jones each scored 20+ for San Antonio.
Phoenix is still without many of their top players as the injuries pile up, and that was before they had to deal with the Mile High City on the back end of a back-to-back. In a win where Denver hung 70 on the Suns in the first half alone, Nikola Jokic led the way with a near-triple double at 21 points, 18 rebounds, and nine assists. The Nuggets continue to lead the West while the Suns lead the West’s play-in picture.
The Rockets held a lead as late as 8:44 remaining in the contest, but Sacramento closed the game on a 35-14 run, led by Trey Lyles, who had 15 and six of his 20 points and seven rebounds during the fourth.
The Kings’ stars also played admirably with De’Aaron Fox posting 24 points and nine assists while Domantas Sabonis finished with a near-triple double at 25 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists. It’ll be interesting to see which, if either, star makes the All-Star game after neither appeared on early fan vote returns.
Speaking of big men who stuff the stat sheet, Alperen Sengun starred for the Rockets in this game, posting his first triple double of his career with 10/10/10. Jalen Green led them in scoring with 26 points albeit on subpar efficiency of 9-25 shooting from the floor and 3-12 from distance.
