This was definitely a weird Friday Night spree of games for the NBA, maybe the weirdest of the entire season. All-Stars like Jaylen Brown and Paul George missed their games due to injury. All-Stars who did play like Domantas Sabonis, Bradley Beal, and Russell Westbrook could not seem to hit a shot to save their lives. And maybe the oddest of all, Kevin Durant was put in the game, taken out, put back in then yanked out the Toronto game after only playing 18 minutes. Basically, this was a Friday filled with games where a good handful of superstars either did not play or did not play particularly well.
But as they say, “Next Man Up!” On this edition of NBA Friday Night Lights, we had four games decided by four points or less, a couple of walk-off baskets, and a handful of big-time performances from guys you would never expect to show up one of these recaps! It has been a crazy season thus far and things in the NBA just got a lot wackier! Let’s take a look back at some of the best individual performances of the day under the Friday Night Lights!
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 30 | 6 | 7 | 12/21 | 3/6 | 3/3 | 0 | 0 |
Big performances from the forward position for the Pelicans in a big one-point victory over the Indiana Pacers. Ingram was in his bag all night as the leading scorer amongst both teams as he pulled out his full offensive arsenal. This was in the midst of an 18-point night for Zion Williamson who quite literally wrecked the rim while simultaneously wrecking the Pacers’ defense. New Orleans’ young guys look like they are slowly starting to catch their strides after a tough start to the season and the duo of Ingram and Williamson are going to have to lead the way if they plan on turning things around before the All-Star break.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 20 | 9 | 3 | 7/13 | 5/9 | ½ | 0 | 1 |
This man Lonzo Ball has risen from the dead. Once a guy who could not seem to hit the wide side of a barn has now become some kind of marksman from the three-point line. Five big threes in this game and the Pelicans needed every single one of them to pull out the victory in this game. Ball also hit some clutch buckets in the 4th quarter that really flipped the game in the Pelicans’ favor. I do not know if he is playing like this to not be traded or to improve his trade value but either way, he is doing a great job of putting the league on notice that he can be/is a solid rotational guard that should not be taken lightly.
Justin Holiday
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 22 | 6 | 4 | 7/15 | 7/13 | ½ | 2 | 0 |
In a rough game where Pacers’ star forward Domantas Sabonis could not seem to hit anything (3-of-13 from the floor), Holiday came out and put on a strong performance. All his points basically came from the three-point line, but he could hardly miss so it seemed like the perfect formula to help keep Indiana in the game. Had Myles Turner been able to hit the go-ahead layup to steal the game, Holiday would have been the hero as he single-handedly kept Indiana within striking distance.
Jeremy Lamb
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 17 | 6 | 1 | 5/6 | 3/3 | 4/4 | 3 | 2 |
Since the man has gotten back from injury, he has been more solid of a contributor for this team than the Pacers could have ever hoped for. Doing it on both ends, Lamb hit a three for every pocket he picked and even knocked a few shots into the third row for good measure. If Lamb looks this great coming back from injury, Indiana can only hope that TJ Warren and Caris LeVert come back and produce at a similar if not better level. The Pacers may have lost, but they learned in this game that their role players can rise to the occasion when their stars struggle. That is a valuable nugget of information for them to pick up in the regular season and should give them some confidence as they progress towards the climax of the season
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 26 | 4 | 8 | 9/21 | 1/5 | 7/7 | 1 | 0 |
Tough loss for the Chicago Bulls, but Lavine continues to build his case for why he deserves to make his first-ever All-Star selection. If Zach LaVine is not an All-Star this season, the fans in Chicago should riot! No, not really, but they should definitely be upset because this guy is playing the best basketball of his career. Once seen as just a high-volume scorer, LaVine has built upon some of his athletic gifts and now has added a bit of facilitation to his game (hence the eight assists). Definitely a rough shooting night for the backcourt of him and Coby White (combined 15-of-38 from the field), but the team is still getting better every night. Just have to get a bit better at closing out games.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 20 | 7 | 1 | 7/11 | 0/1 | 6/6 | 2 | 1 |
Big Game for the Bulls Rookie! Overall solid game for Williams who really showed off a bit of the potential and upside that propelled him to being taken 4th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. This is a guy who the Bulls would love to get consistent production from and, if he can step up to the challenge, the Bulls could make a late-season push for the 8th spot. Coby White came out strong post-All-Star break last season for the Bulls and really shined before the postponing of the season. The hope is that Williams will take similar strides.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 43 | 19 | 4 | 17/29 | 4/10 | 5/6 | 0 | 1 |
Mama There Goes That Man! The Vucey-Man with a career-high 43 in a huge win to snap a four-game losing streak for the Orlando Magic. Outside of the rough shooting from beyond the arc, Vucevic was practically getting anything he wanted against the Bulls defense. Guys like Lauri Markkanen, Thaddeus Young, and Daniel Gafford could not seem to handle him down low and Vucevic made them pay for both inside the paint and on the glass. Hall of Fame Glass Cleaner badges all over for Vucevic as the Magic hope to ride this momentum into All-Star Weekend.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 17 | 4 | 9 | 6/10 | 2/3 | 3/5 | 2 | 0 |
The Magic rookie is getting better by the dribble. You can tell that he is trying to play hard for his team on a nightly basis and has stepped up big in the absence of Markelle Fultz. Although coming into the season the idea of Anthony being the starting point guard for the Magic was probably an afterthought for the Orlando front office, even they have to admit that they are pretty impressed from what they have seen from Cole Anthony thus far. He still needs to learn to play with a bit more control, but the guy is clearly just trying everything in his heart to put this team on his back. The Magic have a good one in Cole Anthony.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 33 | 11 | 6 | 12/23 | 0/2 | 9/10 | 3 | 1 |
Did someone say Barbeque Chicken?! With Kevin Durant forced out of the game due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, it was up to Deandre Jordon and Jeff Green to handle all 6-foot-9, 230 pounds of Pascal Siakam. Meaning that it was only a matter of time before Siakam started killing Brooklyn inside. Siakam was cutting through this Nets defense, drawing contact, and just was a monster below the rim. Toronto desperately needs Siakam to get back to being the guy he was for him last season. We have seen spurts here and there. The question now is, can he put it all together on a nightly basis?
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 30 | 5 | 0 | 12/18 | 6/9 | 0/0 | 2 | 0 |
Seems only right that Kyle Lowry got his turn to go off. After a historic performance earlier in the week by his backcourt mate Fred VanVleet, it was not surprising that Lowry came out like a mad man himself. Six big threes and it seemed like anything he was throwing up had a great chance of going in. The Raptors have been one of the most underwhelming teams so far this season based on the expectations thrust upon them entering the season. But I think with the leadership of Lowry, this team has a great chance at turning this season around in pursuit of a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Joe Harris
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 19 | 5 | 2 | 6/9 | 5/8 | 2/2 | 0 | 0 |
#FreeMe as Kevin Durant cries out to the masses after being taken out of the game against the Raptors for “health reasons.” But in all seriousness, Joe Harris continues to show why he is one of the best marksmen in the NBA. Five of his six made shots were all three. Eight of his nine shots taken were threes. The man just lives and dies by the three-ball.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 17 | 7 | 12 | 4/8 | 2/5 | 7/9 | 2 | 0 |
Once again Harden flirts with a triple-double! With only 19 minutes from Durant and only 15 points from Kyrie Irving, Harden was left as the last Brooklyn star standing and that obviously spelled trouble for a defensively-challenged Nets team. Somehow, they had a rough night offensively and still nearly cracked 120. Just another shootout in Brooklyn, New York.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 33 | 12 | 4 | 13/25 | 1/3 | 6/8 | 1 | 4 |
Big night for the Greek Freak in a pretty dominating win by the Milwaukee Bucks over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Antetokounmpo had the Cavs bigs under lock and key while still putting up ridiculous offensive numbers per usual. This man just continues to put up video game numbers.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 17 | 3 | 7 | 8/9 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 |
Just a really good team win for the Bucks as six guys scored in double figures including Bobby Portis off the bench with 14 points on the night. This game was never close as the Big 3 of Antetokounmpo, Holiday, and Khris Middleton combined for 65 points and just seemed unstoppable all night.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 19 | 2 | 4 | 7/17 | 1/3 | 4/5 | 1 | 1 |
A quiet 19 points for the Young Bull. Seems like the fairy dust he had when going up against the Brooklyn Nets continues to wear off as the Cavaliers have started to slowly slide further and further down the standings in the East. Unfortunately for them, it is going to be tough to get back on the right track as their next three games are a rematch with Milwaukee, the Phoenix Suns, and the Denver Nuggets. But at least the young guys are continuing to develop, and Sexton is playing at a fringe All-Star level so far this season.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 18 | 9 | 4 | 9/19 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 2 | 0 |
Mr. Buckets and Boards himself with a subpar stat line by his standards. No double-double. No free throw attempts. Not even a single block. The man was in a box all night as the Milwaukee defense just seemed to be too much for him.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 31 | 7 | 5 | 10/15 | 7/10 | 4/4 | 0 | 0 |
Here is what should be the biggest question in the NBA right now: When in the world are the Utah Jazz going to finally cool off? They have won 14 of their last 15 games and continue to just stomp on the entire league with their depth. On any given night a different player can go for 30 for this Jazz team. Last night it was Bogdanovic and Mitchell who both cracked 30 points while combining for 12 threes on the night. This team looks unstoppable right now and they are a team that needs to be discussed more as potential threats to the Los Angeles Lakers for a chance at the Western Conference title. Big night offensively for Bogdanovic with yet another big scoring performance.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 30 | 3 | 5 | 10/18 | 5/9 | 5/6 | 1 | 0 |
The Spida Strikes Again! Despite being the de facto leader of the Utah Jazz, Donovan Mitchell has not really had to be the crazy dynamic scorer that we saw in the first round of the NBA Playoffs last season in the Bubble. Nonetheless, he is not afraid to give teams a cool 30-piece just to remind everyone that he is still one of the best two-guards in the league. The Jazz as a team is extremely dangerous, but nobody should get it twisted when it comes to the true talent of Donovan Mitchell and who he is becoming. That’s right, I am talking to you Shaq!
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 34 | 4 | 8 | 14/27 | 4/9 | 2/3 | 2 | 1 |
Is this guy dynamic or what? A career-high 34 points with eight assists and he is giving you a little flavor on the defensive end as well. Not to mention with Devonte Graham only playing 11 minutes in this game, it was pretty much LaMelo’s offense to run as he played a team-high 39 minutes in this game. NBA Twitter has been clamoring for this guy to get more minutes and to be put in the starting lineup for weeks. Now he gets in the starting lineup over the last few games and he has been killing it even more than he did before. Definitely looking like the clear-cut Rookie of the Year and there is still so much more time in the season for him to strengthen his case even more.
Gordon Hayward
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 25 | 10 | 5 | 9/20 | 1/5 | 6/6 | 1 | 0 |
Big night for Hayward against his former team but had a tough shooting night from three which led to a spoiled homecoming against the team that drafted him. The big issue in this game was that guys like Miles Bridges and Terry Rozier were not impact players which is a problem against a team like Utah that can go eight or nine deep into their lineup. Great performances from the Hornets’ lead guys, but not enough to compete with the litany offensive weapons that the Jazz is trotting out.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 18 | 3 | 2 | 7/12 | 0/3 | 4/4 | 2 | 5 |
Alex Len was really the best player on the floor for the Washington Wizards off the bench. Yes, you read that correctly. Alex Len off the bench with nearly as many points as Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal COMBINED! That is definitely not a recipe for success for any team, let alone a team in the Wizards who are scratching and clawing just to hopefully reach .500 by the end of the season. A terrible night for the Wizards but shout out to Len who at least made the game somewhat interesting for the Wizards.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 13 | 3 | 3 | 4/9 | 0/1 | 5/7 | 0 | 0 |
The backcourt of Westbrook and Beal had easily their worst combined shooting night of the season so far and maybe even for the rest of the year. A combined 5-of-25 from the floor and 1-of-8 from behind the arc. 20 points total in a blowout loss where Alex Len is the best Wizard on the floor. Man, this season just continues to fall deeper in the trash for Washington fans…Sorry guys.
Kendrick Nunn
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 25 | 8 | 1 | 11/17 | 2/6 | 1/2 | 2 | 0 |
Big night off the bench for Kendrick Nunn who led all scorers with 25 points and led the Heat with minutes 32 minutes. A big confidence-boosting performance for the Heat overall as the 2020 NBA Finals Runner-Ups look to reach .500 before the All-Star break. Nunn and Tyler Herro combining for 42 off the bench is the kind of production they need on a nightly basis.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 21 | 4 | 3 | 5/10 | 0/0 | 11/11 | 1 | 2 |
It is great to watch Bam Adebayo play aggressive basketball. Although he did not come up big on the boards, he surely did make plays to drawing contact for fouls and blocking shots. Miami Heat basketball is just better to watch when Bam is at his best.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 24 | 5 | 3 | 9/19 | 6/12 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 |
Mr. 20-points-a-night strikes again, but this time in a winning effort! Raining bombs from three along with D’Angelo Russell, who also shot really well from beyond the arc. Great game from the backcourt and the Timberwolves also got a cool 17 points and nine rebounds from Naz Reid who continues to impress in Karl Anthony-Towns’ absence.
D’Angelo Russell
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 21 | 4 | 6 | 7/13 | 5/8 | 2/2 | 1 | 0 |
Russell for threes! He has ice in his veins! With 3.7 seconds left in the ball game, Russell single-handedly spoiled Al Horford’s big night with a big three-pointer to take the 106-103 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Russell has not really been the All-Star guard that Minnesota was expecting when they traded for him, but it is hard to blame him when he was also expecting to play next to one of the most offensively skilled big men in the league. Nice win for the Timberwolves.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 26 | 7 | 8 | 10/19 | 3/6 | 3/3 | 2 | 3 |
Turning back the hands of time! Just when you thought that Al Horford was washed up and could not be a starting caliber center in the league, he goes and does this. No Lugentz Dort. No George Hill. No Theo Maledon. And worst of all, no Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Yet somehow the 34-year-old Al Horford somehow had a near triple-double and was almost four seconds away from going into overtime with a chance to win. I do not know if that says more about the Timberwolves or about Horford, but nonetheless, this game was way more entertaining than one could have possibly imagined between two of the worst teams in the Western Conference record-wise.
Hamidou Diallo
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 16 | 2 | 10 | 6/13 | 0/1 | 4/8 | 1 | 0 |
Hamidou the Point God! No Shai, no problem! This man Hamidou Diallo came out looking like Chris Paul with the wizard-like passes on his way to ten assists and smooth double-double on the night. Even in losses, it feels like this Thunder team’s future is looking even brighter by the dribble as all their young guys continue to have standout games that show their potential.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 21 | 2 | 1 | 7/16 | 2/6 | 5/6 | 0 | 1 |
Terrible shooting from behind the arc for the entire Detroit Pistons team in this game. The Pistons shot a combined 7-of-36 from three and Grant and Saddiq Bey combined for four of those seven. And to make matters worse, Blake Griffin only had nine points and three rebounds in 24 minutes! Jerami Grant was still the best player for the Detroit team and that is not really saying that much.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 23 | 2 | 2 | 8/14 | 3/7 | 4/6 | 2 | 0 |
Although the Phoenix Suns did not make that many more threes than the Pistons (12-of-32), the backcourt of Devin Booker and Chris Paul was just too much for them to handle. Also, Frank Kaminsky (15 points) and Cam Johnson off the bench (14 points) stepped up big as Mikal Bridges and DeAndre Ayton only combined for 14 points on the night. This was just a really good schedule win for Phoenix as they got their 4th win in the last five games.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 20 | 7 | 9 | 7/14 | 3/7 | 3/3 | 1 | 0 |
A near triple-double for the Point God! 43 points for the star backcourt! Chris Paul continues to show the league why he is here to stay!
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 34 | 7 | 2 | 12/27 | 5/10 | 5/6 | 4 | 0 |
This was a pure three-point shootout between the Celtics and the Clippers. Boston was 16-of-38 from three with Tatum leading the way with five threes, while the Clippers hit 14-of-32 with Nicolas Batum leading the charge with four threes. With no Jaylen Brown and no Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum stepped up in a big way and took on the challenge of guarding Kawhi Leonard. He was getting everything he wanted offensively and then was a certified thief on the other end with four steals. This was a big win for the undermanned Celtics, and it was a perfect bounce-back win coming off of an underwhelming loss to the Kings on Wednesday.
Kemba Walker
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 24 | 1 | 4 | 9/19 | 2/7 | 4/5 | 1 | 1 |
Cardiac Kemba is in the building! 24 points as the Robin to Tatum’s Batman in the absence of Jaylen Brown who some (including myself) started to argue was the Celtics’ best player. These kinds of big-time performances against high-level competition are why the Celtics traded for a guy like Kemba. The thing now is just seeing this Celtics team fully healthy and firing on all cylinders because that is a team that could really make a run to the NBA Finals.
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 28 | 11 | 5 | 8/19 | 0/5 | 12/14 | 1 | 0 |
With Paul George out due to injury, the Klaw was in his bag. Although he struggled from three, he pretty much could not go wrong when trying to score anywhere. Midrange, driving, creating contact, and finishing at the line. You name it, he got. Unfortunately for the Clippers they only had one All-Star on their team and the Celtics had two of them. Kawhi Leonard has quietly been playing at an MVP-level this team for one of the best teams in the Western Conference. The fact that they lost by only three to a still pretty talented Boston team just goes to show you how much of impact Leonard can have on any given game.
Lou Williams
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 18 | 2 | 6 | 6/10 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 1 | 0 |
He is no Paul George but outside of Kawhi Leonard, he was the most serviceable player on the court along with Batum as they combined for 34 points and hit 7-of-12 threes. The Clippers had six players in double figures in this game, but the player they did not have was Clutch Kemba who hit the go-ahead basket to steal the win.
