Thanksgiving weekend was packed full of good food, great basketball games, and even better player performances. If you spent this week with family, stuffing your face with turkey and pie, then you may have missed some of the action-packed basketball that was played. In that case, here’s a recap of this week’s NBA action.
NBA Weekly Recap 11/21/22-11/28/22
This Week’s Best Games
Los Angeles Lakers (143) vs San Antonio Spurs (138)
If you’re a fan of high-scoring matchups, then this game was for you. LeBron James carried the Lakers to the finish line in this one, tallying 39 points and 11 rebounds, while getting help from Dennis Schroder and Lonnie Walker, who combined for 40 points. On the Spurs side, Keldon Johnson had an inefficient but high-scoring night, with 26 points on 10-28 from the field. It seems as though on this night, no one really wanted to play much defense.
Dallas Mavericks (112) vs Boston Celtics (125)
Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum are two of the NBA’s brightest young stars and put on a show In this matchup. En route to a victory, Tatum showed up, scoring 37 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. However, in terms of personal performance, Doncic got the best of him, scoring 42 points, grabbing eight rebounds, and dishing out nine assists. While the Celtics may have the better roster, this game made it clear who is the better rising star.
Cleveland Cavaliers (102) vs Milwaukee Bucks (117)
Two of the Eastern Conference’s best teams faced off this week, and it was clear which squad prevailed. The Bucks handily defeated the Cavaliers in this one, led by a strong showing from Bucks’ star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who led the way in scoring with 38 points. On the losing side, the brand new Cavalier Donovan Mitchell was unable to match the value of Giannis, with just 29 points of his own.
This Week’s Best Performances
Deandre Ayton Sees 20/20
On the night of Saturday, November 26th, Phoenix Suns’ center DeAndre Ayton put up a performance of a lifetime, going from 29 points and 21 rebounds, the 10th game this season in which a player recorded 20+ points and 20+ rebounds. Ayton’s big performance came as the Phoenix Suns came back in the fourth quarter to defeat the Jazz 113-112.
Anthony Davis Dominates in Los Angeles Lakers Loss
In 38 minutes, Anthony Davis played one of the most complete and effective games of this season, with a striking 37 points, while missing just six shots. He was able to make it to the free-throw line consistently as well, making 15 of his 16 free throws. He also put together a defensive masterpiece, grabbing 21 rebounds and tallying five steals and five blocks. But in the absence of Lebron James, and seemingly the rest of the starting five (who only totaled 35 points), the lakers lost by 10 points to the Phoenix Suns.
Nikola Jokic Dismantles Oklahoma City Thunder
The Joker had one of his most impressive career performances to this day this week, scoring 39 points en route to an overtime victory against the Thunder. Nikola Jokic carried his Denver Nuggets from start to end, by tallying 10 rebounds, as well as 9 assists, being just a point and an assist away from this season’s first 40-point triple-double by a player not named Luka Doncic.
