Zion Williamson was a handful for the Oklahoma City Thunder last night, though the Thunder’s experience and 50 percent shooting carried them to a win.
But Williamson became the first rookie since Michael Jordan to post eight 20+ point performances through their first 10 games.
Zion also posted his second consecutive 30+ point game against Oklahoma City last night with 32 points, after dropping 31 on Portland in the Pelicans’ previous game.
| Portland | 31 pts | 9 reb | 5 ast | 10 of 17 | 26 min |
| Oklahoma City | 32 pts | 6 reb | 1 ast | 11 of 19 | 31 min |
More to come, I’m sure. Stay tuned as Williamson continues his track to steal the Rookie of the Year award from Ja Morant.
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Los Angeles Clippers 133
Boston Celtics 141 (2OT)
It was the marquee game of the night already. To make it a double overtime affair made it even sweeter. An instant classic, if you will. Two third place teams that could arguably go up against one another in the NBA Finals. The Los Angeles Clippers did it until they couldn’t any longer without Paul George, who played 15 minutes and only scored four points before going down with yet another injury this season – this time a hamstring issue. Perennial sixth man Lou Williams stepped to the plate to lead the Clippers to no avail, as the Boston Celtics dug deep and forced not one, but two overtimes. Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart led the Celtics with 70 combined points, including combining for 16 of Boston’s 27 points in the two overtime periods. When these two teams met back in L.A. on November 20th, it also resulted in an overtime game, with the Clippers winning, 107-104. Boston has now won seven consecutive games at TD Garden, and eight of their last nine.
| CLIPPERS (37-18) 3rd in the West | CELTICS (38-16) 3rd in the East |
| Lou Williams 35 points – six rebounds – eight assists – one steal – two blocks | Jayson Tatum 39 points – nine rebounds – one assist – one steal – one block |
| Kawhi Leonard 28 points – 11 rebounds – four assists – one steal – one block | Marcus Smart 31 points – four rebounds – three assists – four steals |
| Montrezl Harrell 24 points – 13 rebounds – three assists – two steals – three blocks | Gordon Hayward 21 points – 13 rebounds – four assists – one steal – one block |
NEXT GAMES
Boston at Minnesota – Friday, February 21st
Sacramento at Los Angeles – Saturday, February 22nd
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Oklahoma City Thunder 123
New Orleans Pelicans 118
The Oklahoma City Thunder regained their sixth place standing from the Dallas Mavericks last night with a five point road win over the New Orleans Pelicans, but it didn’t come without a fight. They had to overcome a record night from rookie sensation Zion Williamson, but also faced a Pelicans team that was without Brandon Ingram for the third straight game. Of course, the Thunder’s guard corps was in full force in the game, along with the sharpshooting Danilo Gallinari, who led the Thunder with 29 points on 66.7 percent shooting. Chris Paul went 14, eight, and 12 on the night and Steven Adams finished with 11 and 11. Williamson led all scorers with 32 points and J.J. Redick poured in two dozen, despite shooting just above 41 percent. The win gives the Thunder the season series sweep over the Pelicans. Williamson can be seen next in tonight’s NBA RISING STARS game at 9 p.m. EST, as will Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, where they will be opposite one another for the second straight night.
| THUNDER (33-22) 6th in the East | PELICANS (23-32) 11th in the West |
| Danilo Gallinari 29 points – two rebounds – one assist – two steals | Zion Williamson 32 points – six rebounds – one assist – one block |
| Dennis Schroder 22 points – three rebounds – three assists – one steal | J.J. Redick 24 points – two rebounds – three assists – two steals |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 17 points – three rebounds – seven assists – one steal | Lonzo Ball 16 points – six rebounds – five assists |
NEXT GAMES
Denver at Oklahoma City – Friday, February 21st
New Orleans at Portland – Friday, February 21st
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FRIDAY’S LINEUP
(All Times Eastern)
| 7 p.m.NBA ALL STAR CELEBRITY GAME Chicago, Illinois ESPN Team Wilbon: Common – Bad Bunny – Hannibal Buress – Kane Brown – Jon Batiste – Alex Moffat – Chef Jose Andres – Famous Los – Jidenna – Chelsea Gray – Quentin RichardsonTeam Stephen A.: Chance the Rapper – Quavo – Taylor Bennett – LaRoyce Hawkins – Anthony ‘Spice’ Adams – Marc Lasry – Ronnie 2K – Katelyn Ohashi – Lil’ Rel Howery – A’ja Wilson – Darius Miles |
| 9 p.m. NBA RISING STARS Chicago, Illinois TNT Team USA: Miles Bridges – Wendell Carter, Jr. – Devonte’ Graham – Tyler Herro – Jaren Jackson, Jr., Ja Morant – Kendrick Nunn – Eric Paschall – Collin Sexton – P.J. Washington – Zion Williamson – Trae Young Team World: Nickeil Alexander-Walker – Deandre Ayton – R.J. Barrett – Brandon Clarke – Luka Doncic – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Rui Hachimura – Nicolo Melli – Svi Mykhailiuk – Josh Okogie – Moritz Wagner |
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Tracy Graven is a Senior NBA Analyst for BackSportsPage.com.
He has written the NBA, and done NBA radio, for the last two decades for HoopsWorld, Swish Magazine, and HoopsHype, the Coach Scott Fields Show and NBARadioShow.com, and is also tackling the NFL, NCAA, and will be pinch-hitting on some Major League Baseball coverage for BackSportsPage.
He’s spent 20 years in locker rooms in
- Orlando
- Boise (G League)
- San Antonio
- Phoenix
- Denver
- Oklahoma City
- Atlanta
A corporate trainer by day, he currently resides in SEC Country near Knoxville, Tennessee.
Reach him on Twitter at @RealTMoneyMedia
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