The development of young players and the emergence of the next generation of NBA stars are a sight to behold. And in today’s 11-game slate, it’s the young guns who stole the show from the perennial superstars.
Anthony Edwards and the rest of the pack stormed Chase Center and gave the veteran Warriors a proper beatdown in the paint as the Timberwolves improved their record to 7-2 and found themselves in the third spot in the Western Conference.
Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder struck fast and struck hard against Kevin Durant’s Phoenix Suns at the Footprint Center. OKC managed to keep the rusty Bradley Beal in check, allowing just 15 points from the All-Star guard.
Down at the Toyota Center, the young and spirited Houston Rockets were successful in fending off the defending champions Denver Nuggets in a 107-104 showdown that handed Nikola Jokic his second defeat of the season.
Read more below as SBOTOP presents in-depth takeaways and statistics for the league’s robust schedule.
It’s hunting season for the Timberwolves
After defeating Boston a few days ago, the Timberwolves slay another giant by beating the Warriors 110-116. This is the first of a back-to-back outing for the Golden State Warriors and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Chase Center, as they will meet again on Wednesday for an in-season tournament bout.
Coming into this game, the Warriors were on a two-game losing streak and now have lost four of their last five games. Early MVP candidate Steph Curry can’t seem to carry the offensive load on his own, as he already averages 30 points and 5.7 made threes a game but still falls short in getting wins. He led the Dubs tonight with 38 points, five rebounds, and three assists, while no other Warrior scored more than 16 points.
They were outscored 38-62 by the Wolves in points in the paint, demonstrating how opponents are once again taking advantage of their lack of size. It was obvious that Chris Finch’s game plan against the Warriors was to make the Dubs switch on defence, and attack the rim once they got the mismatch.
In fact, the very first possession of the Wolves was an early indication of what the Wolves would exploit for the entire game. Veteran floor general Mike Conley fed lengthy forward Jaden McDaniels as he got position over a smaller Curry. The 23-year-old bodied his way towards the basket before laying it in with ease. It was barbecue chicken from that point on.
The Timberwolves kept at it the whole game, even finding open lanes in the middle for easy points in the paint, allowing them to have a very efficient night from the field with 52 per cent. Anthony Edwards cooked Chef Curry with 33 points, six rebounds, and seven assists. Karl-Anthony Towns posted a double-double with 21 points and 14 rebounds.
Thunder outshine the Arizona sun
In case you didn’t get the memo, the OKC Thunder are legitimate contenders and, if healthy, are capable of going on a deep playoff run this season. The Thunder have now won three of their last four games, thanks to the emergence of key players such as Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.
Their All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the tip of the spear for the Thunder, as he posted 35 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. While sophomore forward Jalen Williams caught fire and drained 31 points himself, the duo of SGA and Williams produced not just a win but a handful of NBA 2023 highlights as well.
The Suns’ perimeter defence was almost non-existent. OKC kept going to the same play where SGA would call for a pick at the top of the key, which then forces a switch from the defence, ultimately leading to a drive in the middle or a kick-out three.
The 21-year-old Aussie Josh Giddey also had a terrific game, as he flirted with a triple-double, posting 10 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds. The SLOB wizard’s high basketball IQ shined once again, finding mismatches, making the right passes, and attacking the paint when the help defence was slacking off.
Meanwhile, it’s evident that the Suns are still figuring things out. They have an almost entirely new roster and a new head coach. There were a lot of miscommunications on both sides of the floor, and the only thing that kept them in the game was KD’s individual prowess. It was another night in the office for KD, posting 28 points, nine rebounds, and four assists.
With this 111-99 defeat, the Suns now have a 4-6 record, so expect a dip in the NBA 2023 odds for them to come out of the West. But it’s still too early to count them out, especially when their big three have yet to grace the court together.
No problems in Houston
After a 0-3 start to their season, the Houston Rockets suddenly found a switch that propelled them to a six-game winning streak. They have been thrashing playoff teams left and right in the month of November, which includes a proper beatdown of the Kings (twice!), dominating the Lakers, and edging out the defending champions, the Denver Nuggets, 107-104.
Their offseason signing, Fred VanVleet, had a terrific job setting the pace for his team. It was obvious that Ime Udoka wants his veteran point guard on the floor as much as possible to orchestrate for the young Rockets squad. VanVleet played 41 minutes while posting 25 points, two rebounds, and four assists against the Jamal Murray-less Nuggets.
But the star for the Rockets was Alperen Şengün, as he tried his best to keep up with former MVP Nikola Jokic. The 21-year-old did not shut down Jokic by any means, but posting 23 points, eight rebounds, and five assists against the Joker is pretty impressive for any budding big man in the league.
In fact, Jokic himself praised Şengün. “I think it is a good thing that they are playing a little bit more through him,” Jokic said. “I think that is going to benefit the whole organization. He is a guy who is not selfish. He wants to play for the team and he wants to pass. The whole team is going to move when the ball is in his hands. He played really good today.”
With that said, the Nuggets are still the Nuggets. They kept the game really competitive even without their star point guard, Jamal Murray, on the floor. The game was neck and neck, thanks to multiple Nuggets role players stepping up. Nikola Jokic finished with a monster line of 36 points, 21 rebounds, and 11 assists. Also, Mike Malone’s system allowed serviceable contributions from Aaron Gordon, Reggie Jackson, and Michael Porter Jr.
With this 107-104 win, the Rockets find themselves in the 4th spot in the Western Conference, while the Nuggets still maintain their reign in the West with an 8-2 record.
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