NBA Wrap: Knicks’ massive trade acquisition ignites controversy in debut; 16-year benched star debut dazzles.
In his first NBA game as a member of the New York Knicks, British forward O.G. Anunoby dazzled, helping his new team defeat Western Conference leader Minnesota 112-106 on Monday (all dates US).
Only hours after coming from Toronto in a trade on Saturday, Anunoby contributed 17 points and six rebounds in addition to Julius Randle’s game-high 39 points for New York.
After spending more than six seasons in Toronto, the 26-year-old defensive star from London—who won an NBA championship with the Raptors in 2019 and led the league in steals last season—was acclimating to his new team quickly.
They were telling me to go here even during the game. Do this, Anunoby instructed. “They were definitely, really, really helping me out, and I appreciate that.
Really, everything. new vocabulary. I’m just doing my best to figure everything out, so today is mostly read-and-react.
I’m going to improve every day at everything, including learning the steps, vocabulary, and plays. I’ll keep learning every day.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau was impressed by Anunoby’s impressive performance after he arrived at a hotel and had his physical on Sunday night.
Well done on your first game, Thibodeau remarked. It was impressive that you were able to adapt quickly and stay composed.
“Very strong start; hustled, moved without the ball, made good plays, played smart, and played off people well.”
With a career average of 11.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, Thibodeau did his best to keep things simple for the seasoned playmaker.
“You don’t want him to second-guess himself,” Thibodeau stated. “Just provide him with the bare minimum; we can add to it day by day. Just play if you get lost.
The Timberwolves lost 24-8 despite being led by Anthony Edwards’ 35 points.
Tyrese Haliburton, the guard for Indiana, narrowly missed a triple-double as his team defeated Milwaukee 122-113, despite a triple-double from Greek sensation Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Pacers (18-14) were led by Canadian reserve guard Bennedict Mathurin, who scored 25 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, in addition to Haliburton’s 26 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds.
Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 30 points, 18 rebounds, and 11 assists. Despite this, the team finished 24-9 and 2.5 games behind Boston, the leader of the Eastern Conference.
Denver, the defending champion, defeated visiting Charlotte 111-93 behind 25 points from Jamal Murray to close the gap on Minnesota to two games in the Western Conference.
In addition, Serbian player Nikola Jokic, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, contributed 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets in addition to 22 points from Michael Porter Jr.
Italian forward Simone Fontecchio led host Utah over Dallas 127-90 with a game-high 24 points.
The first triple double for the team in sixteen years came from Jazz reserve Jordan Clarkson, who finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists off the bench. Meanwhile, Slovenian guard Luka Doncic led the Mavericks with 19 points.
With Kevin Durant sidelined due to a sore right hamstring, the Phoenix Suns defeated visiting Portland 109-88 behind 21 points from Bradley Beal and 18 from Bosnian center Jusuf Nurkic.
Toronto defeated visiting Cleveland 124–121, with Cameroonian forward Pascal Siakam scoring a game-high 36 points to lead six players in double figures.
The Detroit Pistons returned to their frustrating ways with a 136-113 loss at Houston after defeating Toronto to end an NBA record-tying 28-game losing streak.
With 26 points and nine assists, Turkish center Alperen Sengun led the Rockets. The Los Angeles Clippers defeated visiting Miami 121-104 thanks to 24 points from Kawhi Leonard, 23 from Paul George, and 22 from reserve Norman Powell.
With 21 points and 15 rebounds, Bam Adebayo led the Heat, while James Harden added 15 points and 10 assists for the hosts.
NBA Scores
Timberwolves defeat Knicks 112 to 106.
Cavs 121, Raptors 124
Spurs 136 – Pistons 113
Heat 122, Bucks 113
93 Hornets – 111 Nuggets
Blazers 88, Suns 109.
Jazz 127 – Mavericks 90
Clippers 121 – Heat 104
A new Josh Giddey in a new year?
Even though the Thunder defeated the Brooklyn Nets 124-108 on New Year’s Eve, 2023 was still in effect in Oklahoma City, but back home in Australia, it is already 2024.
Giddey rang in the new year with one of his best performances of the 2023–24 campaign, finishing with 20 points off of a season-high (and tied career-high) four 3-pointers.
In addition to Giddey’s four consecutive assists and six rebounds, Oklahoma City’s Thunder, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (24 points) improved to 22-9 with the victory.
Giddey’s ability to adapt to the Brooklyn defense and find other ways to influence the game when his outside shooting wasn’t working was what made his performance so impressive.
Given how Brooklyn started the game, defense may have been more important early in Monday’s game as the Nets jumped out to a 36-33 lead after the first quarter.
In just four minutes, the Nets had an 18-8 lead. Mikal Bridges was a major contributor early on, dishing out two assists and scoring eight points.
By that point in the quarter, Brooklyn had already made four 3-pointers and was shooting 60% from downtown. Bridges led all scorers with 15 points, while Cam Thomas scored 10 points off the bench.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 13 points, though.
After going without a basket in the first quarter, OKC’s Chet Holmgren was all over the place in the second, jumping in right away to assist Vasilije Micic with a jump shot.
After making his first shot of the game, Holmgren finished the quarter with four more points and six rebounds.
Oklahoma City led 56-56 at the half, while Brooklyn’s field goal percentage dropped from over 61% in the first quarter to just 25.9% in the second.
Early in the third quarter, Spencer Dinwiddie responded to the call, scoring Brooklyn’s first points of the game with a driving jump shot. He would go on to add four more points, an assist, and a steal.
After Giddey began to make shots, first converting a 3-pointer and then finishing twice closer to the rim to bring up seven points in the first five minutes, Dinwiddie’s early surge had Brooklyn level with Oklahoma City a few minutes into the third quarter.
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Giddey also grabbed two defensive boards that then led to points on the other end, with the Australian even dishing it out to Gilgeous-Alexander for one of the buckets.
That Gilgeous-Alexander score had the Thunder well in control, up 78-67 with 5:37 on the clock, and the Nets didn’t get much closer before the end of the third quarter as a Holmgren 3-pointer saw OKC take a 89-79 advantage into the final period.
Gilgeous-Alexander started the fourth quarter on the bench but the Thunder were able to maintain their lead without him, ahead 105-92 when the superstar guard re-entered the game.
At that point there was just under seven minutes left in the game and Giddey immediately made a 3-pointer when play resumed, seeing OKC push its lead out to 108-92.
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