Scoreboard
Raptors 105, Mavericks 100
Rockets 118, Thunder 105
Lakers 143, Spurs 138
Suns 113, Jazz 112
What went down
After all the hoopla early in the season, the Phoenix Suns are cruising at the top of the West and they’ve been doing it with Chris Paul sidelined.
Today, the Suns picked up their fourth win in a row, escaping the Utah Jazz at home. It wasn’t the best shooting game for the Suns, who converted just 45.2 percent of their field goals and went 6-for-22 from deep. But they got another massive game from Deandre Ayton, which helped them stave off the Jazz.
DA with the BIG-TIME bucket! 😤 pic.twitter.com/lw8FnE2u2l
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 27, 2022
Rocking the clean ‘90s purple Suns throwbacks, Ayton dropped a Barkley-esque line of 29 points on 11-for-21 shooting with 21 rebounds and two blocks. This was his second monstrous line in a row after hanging 28 points and 12 rebounds on the Detroit Pistons yesterday.
The Suns have been a lethal group on both ends of the court, surviving in Paul’s absence thanks to performances like this from Ayton, Mikal Bridges, and Cam Payne. At 13-6, they look the most stable among a crowded Western Conference top four.
The Jazz, on the other hand, have cooled down since lighting teams up to start the season. They've lost seven of their last eight games and are 12-10 for the season. Still, those losses have come during a particularly rough stretch in their schedule. With their next handful of games at home, the Jazz should get a chance to regroup.
Big-time baller
🤩 Russ and Bron go SHOWTIME on the break!
— NBA (@NBA) November 27, 2022
The @Lakers lead by 2 at the half on NBA League Pass
📲 https://t.co/1pomQZMAZK pic.twitter.com/SRZeN4DB3f
If there’s something that will get a player back on the good graces of Los Angeles Lakers fans, it’s dusting rivals San Antonio Spurs on the road.
LeBron James and the Lakers topped the Spurs for the second day in a row, and this time, The King cooked up a classic line. He managed a season-high 39 points with seven triples on top of 11 boards, and three assists.
The Lakers are far from turning their season around with their 7-11 record, but at least they’ve put their miserable start behind them.
What he said
Ja Morant took the time to appreciate his matchup against Zion Williamson yesterday. It was the first time the top two picks of the 2019 Draft got to share the court since 2021.
"2 guys from South Carolina... Being able to live out our dream, playing basketball at the highest level..."
— NBA (@NBA) November 26, 2022
👏 Ja Morant on what it meant for him and Zion Williamson to share the floor again for the first time in years. pic.twitter.com/be2AmufLVI
Did you see that?
Russell Westbrook looked like an Attitude Era WWE wrestler after taking this shot from Zach Collins.
Russell Westbrook received a technical and Zach Collins’ was ejected from the game with a Flagrant 2 in the aftermath of Collins’ foul on Westbrook.
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 27, 2022
(🎥: @espn) pic.twitter.com/UojQdUZ8ic
