NBA Nightly Recap: 12/04/2022
With eight games across the league, there was plenty of action in the NBA tonight, as the seventh week of the regular season comes to an end. Let’s dive in to all eight games, and take a look at some of the main takeaways from a Sunday filled with NBA action.
Pelicans: 121, Nuggets: 106
Jose Alvarado celebrates a career-high 38 points, as New Orleans takes down Denver, 121-106 - NBA YouTube
The Pelicans defeated the Nuggets 121-106, extending their win streak to four games, the longest active win streak in the league. Jose Alvarado led the way for the Pelicans off the bench, scoring a career-high 38 points while shooting 12-19 from the field and 8-11 from the three-point line. Zion Williamson also had a great game, scoring 25 points while adding six rebounds and four assists. On the Denver side of the ball, Nikola Jokic had a tremendous outing, posting a stat-line of 32/16/9 on 68% from the field, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a Pelicans team that has both a top 10 offense and top 10 defense in the league.
Suns: 133, Spurs: 95
The Suns defeated the Spurs 133-95, improving their record to 16-7 while maintaining the best record in the western conference. Deandre Ayton lead the Suns in scoring with 25 points, while also adding 10 rebounds in just 25 minutes of game action. After three straight games of scoring 40 or more points, Devin Booker finally cooled down, scoring just 20 points on 7-16 shooting. Booker will definitely be a top candidate for Western Conference Player of the Week however, as he led the Suns to a 3-1 record while averaging 39.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.8 steals on 63% shooting from the field and 55% shooting from beyond the arc.
Celtics: 103, Nets: 92
Jaylen Brown slams the ball in the hoop as his 34-point, 10-rebound double-double leads the Celtics to a 103-92 victory over the Nets - Getty Images
Another game, another win for the Celtics. Following an 11-point victory in Brooklyn, Boston improves their record to 19-5, the best in the NBA. Jaylen Brown led the way, posting a double-double with 34 points and 10 rebounds. MVP candidate Jayson Tatum also had a great game for the Celtics, scoring 29 points while securing 11 rebounds, his 11th double-double of the season. With a little over a quarter of the season completed, Boston is on pace for 65 wins. On top of their dominance in the win-loss column, they have one of the most efficient offense’s in NBA history, averaging 120.7 points per 100 possessions. If Boston continues this run of excellence, there is no doubt that Jayson Tatum will be one of the league’s favorites to win the MVP award.
Grizzlies: 122, Pistons: 112
Behind 33 points and 10 assists from Ja Morant, the Grizzlies defeated the Pistons in the Motor City, 122-112. Two other starters scored over 20 for Memphis, as Dillon Brooks and Jaren Jackson Jr. each finished with 22 points. The Grizzlies improve their record to 14-9, while the Pistons fall to 6-19. The poor record for the Pistons may be exactly what their front office is hoping for however, as they will certainly be in the running for Victor Wembanyama at the NBA Draft Lottery in June.
Knicks: 91, Cavaliers: 82
In what was the lowest scoring of the season so far with just 173 points combined between both teams, the Knicks defeated the Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden, 91-82. First-year Knick Jalen Brunson led New York in scoring with 23 points, although he shot just 42% from the field. As for Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell led the team in scoring with 23 points, but he also had a poor shooting night, shooting just 2-11 from the three-point line. Combined, both teams shot 13-64 from three, good for 20.3%. Yikes. New York improves their record to 11-13, while Cleveland now sits at 15-9, which is still good for the #3 seed in the eastern conference.
Lakers: 130, Wizards: 119
After starting the season 2-10, it looked like the Lakers were on pace for another disastrous season. 10 games later however, and the outlook of what we all thought the Lakers season was going to be has completely turned upside down. But to contrast from what we have seen in the past, it’s not LeBron James who has been responsible for the turnaround: it’s Anthony Davis. Following a monster game against the Wizards where he tallied 55 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks, Davis ended the week averaging 37.8 points, 13.0 rebounds and 3.3 blocks, all while posting 65/63/86 shooting splits and leading the Lakers to a 3-1 record. Following a 130-119 victory in the nation’s capital, the Lakers are now 8-2 in their last 10 games. They will look to keep the hot streak going Tuesday night, as they travel to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers.
Kings: 110, Bulls: 101
LIGHT! THE! BEAM! The Kings defeated the Bulls 110-101, behind a triple-double from Domantas Sabonis. In total, seven Kings players scored in double digits, including all five starters. For the Bulls, Zach Lavine went off for 41 points on 16-28 shooting while adding eight rebounds and four steals, but his heroics weren’t enough to power Chicago to a victory, as they have now lost four out of their last five games. The Kings improve to 13-9, while the Bulls drop to 9-14.
Blazers: 116, Pacers: 100
In the final game of the night out on the west coast, the Blazers defeated the Pacers 116-100. Jerami Grant continues to have an excellent season, as he led Portland in scoring with 28 points. Portland also saw productive outings from Anfernee Simons and Damian Lillard, who finished with 22 and 21 points. Myles Turner led the way for Indiana, finishing with 24 points and nine rebounds. The Portland victory puts their record at 13-11, while Indiana’s loss now puts them at 12-11. Indiana won’t have much time to recover from tonight’s defeat however, as they take on the Warriors tomorrow evening in downtown San Francisco.
