Quick Hitters
It was a light slate in the NBA yesterday (just four games), but here are a few observations on last night’s action:
The New York Knicks won their sixth consecutive game, defeating the Boston Celtics 109-94. Julius Randle and Immanuel Quickley each scored 23 points to lead the Knicks, who need just one more win to match last season’s total (37). The Celtics’ Jayson Tatum’s shooting woes continued, as he made just six of his 18 attempts from the field, including one 3-pointer in nine tries. Over his last three games, Tatum is shooting 22-60 from the field (36.7%) and 7-29 (24.1%) from 3-point range. Tatum also picked up his first career ejection with 3:46 remaining in the fourth quarter after picking up his second technical foul.
Jimmy Butler compiled 23 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists, and four steals as the Miami Heat stopped their four-game slide with a 101-99 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers’ Joel Embiid scored 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the loss, both game-high figures. Teammate James Harden scored 20 points and dished out a game-high 12 assists.
The Charlotte Hornets beat the Detroit Pistons 117-106 last night, but it came with a steep cost: star point guard LaMelo Ball broke his ankle in the third quarter. Ball had tallied 18 points, six rebounds, and five assists in just 21 minutes prior to the injury. Hornets center Mark Williams had 15 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 7-10 from the field. Williams is the first rookie in franchise history to produce back-to-back double-doubles with a field goal percentage of at least 70%. The Pistons’ James Wiseman scored a game-high 23 points on 9-11 shooting from the field in the loss.
Rookie Paolo Banchero scored a game-high 29 points to lead the Orlando Magic to a 101-93 victory over the New Orleans Hornets. It was Banchero’s 30th 20-point game of the season, breaking a tie with Penny Hardaway for the second-most such games by a rookie in franchise history. Banchero made 11 of his 18 attempts from the field (55.6%) and nine of his 11 free throws (81.8%). The Magic picked up their 11th road win of the season, one more than they had all of last season.