Chris Paul #3 and Danilo Gallinari #3 of the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrate in the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Chesapeake Energy Arena, November 15, 2019. /VCG Photo
The Oklahoma City Thunder created a sleeper by defeating the Philadelphia 76ers 127-119 in overtime at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on Friday. The 21-year-old guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 24 points for OKC but the biggest contributor to this victory was 34-year-old Chris Paul who dropped 27 points, eight rebounds, and five assists.
There were two viewpoints growing remaining popular in the league before this game: Only a few teams are able to defeat the 76ers and the Thunder is not one of them; Paul is not that intimidating as a game-changer anymore. Both were proved wrong.
Chris Paul #3 of the Oklahoma City Thunder shoots the ball in the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Chesapeake Energy Arena, November 15, 2019. /VCG Photo
Having played three quarters, Philadelphia led 83-80 over OKC and established a nine-point lead (94-85) thanks to a 3-pointer by Tobias Harris in the middle of the fourth quarter. That's when Paul stood out. He earned and made two free throws, buried a perimeter shot in front of Al Horford to lead a 12-2 run, helping OKC regain the lead. In Q4 and OT, Paul put down a total of 16 points and he did that while sharing ball possessions with Alexander and Dennis Schroder.
The disappointing 2018-19 season and the over-40-million-U.S.-dollar annual salary made 34-year-old Paul a hot potato on the market. Many were convinced that the Thunder would not keep him but are unable to get rid of him. Nonetheless, Paul was never distracted. He played 29.5 points per game, put down 15.3 points, 5.5 assists, and made 1.8 3-pointers at a rate of 42.6. When the team needed him, he would stand out, take over, and tried his best to bring victory to the Thunder, just like he did on Friday.
Malik Monk beats the buzzer for the Hornets
Malik Monk #1 of the Charlotte Hornets after he makes a buzzer beater to help his team defeat the Detroit Pistons 109-106 at the Spectrum Center, Novermber 15, 2019. /VCG Photo
The Detroit Pistons suffered their fourth straight loss at the Spectrum Center. Blake Griffin finally came back from a injury but he was apparently rusty offensively. Having missed 13 of 19 shots, including seven 3-pointers, the six-time power forward only got 19 points, three rebounds, and six assists.
Thanks to the double-double of Andre Drummond (16 points + 20 rebounds) and the incredible shooting of Langston Galloway (32 points, seven 3-pointers), the Pistons were able to lead by 14 points (65-51) in the first half, but watched that lead vanish in the third quarter when the Hornets replied with a 32-18.
Malik Monk #1 of the Charlotte Hornets shoots a 3-pointer in the game at the Spectrum Center, Novermber 15, 2019. /VCG Photo
Derrick Rose threw the ball out of the boundary when he tried to dish out the ball to his teammate in the last possession of the Pistons, leaving both the ball and the last shot to the Hornets. With exactly one second left and a tying 106-106 score, Malik Monk received the ball from Cody Martin and beat the buzzer from the 3-point line right in front of Drummond to add the fifth win to the Hornets' record.
Beal beats Towns in scoring contest
Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards handles the ball while moving against the defense of Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the game at the Target Center, November 15, 2019. /VCG Photo
The visiting Washington Wizards came to the Target Center and walked over the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 21-point big win (137-116).
Since Andrew Wiggins had to miss the game because he went to Toronto to be with family members after the recent death of his grandmother, Karl-Anthony Towns became the only pillar of the Timberwolves in offense. The 24-year-old played well to get 36 points, 10 rebounds and buried four shots from the 3-point line.
Moritz Wagner of the Washington Wizards celebrates in the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center, November 15, 2019. /VCG Photo
However, the Wizards had Bradley Beal who put up an even more explosive performance by dropping 44 points and 10 assists. More importantly, he's not alone. The 22-year-old German big man Moritz Wagner made 13 of 15 shots, including four 3-pointers to put down 30 points and 15 rebounds off the bench. Thanks to the outstanding scoring performance of the two, the Wizards left Minnesota with a big win.
Morant welcomes Conley home with a game-winning floater
Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies and Mike Conley #10 of the Utah Jazz talk to each other after the game at the FedExForum, November 15, 2019. /VCG Photo
Mike Conley returned to the FedExForum, home court of the Memphis Grizzlies, for the first time since he was traded to the Utah Jazz. The home team prepared an heart-warming welcome for their previous hero including a special video and passionate fans. It's simply so touching that it seemed Conley had never left.
Nonetheless, such tenderness only existed off the court. The Grizzlies, no matter how their franchise changes, are able to put up one of the league's toughest defense. On Friday night, the Jazz saw their FG and 3-point rates limited to 40.23 percent and 26.47 percent respectively. They only got nine points via early offense.
Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies celebrates after his team defeat the Utah Jazz 107-106 at the FedExForum, November 15, 2019. /VCG Photo
Ja Morant, who was selected by the Grizzlies with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, showed his respect to Conley by claiming 25 points, eight assists, and one key floater that helped the home team lead 107-105 – as you should know, Conley has been one of the best floater shooters in today's NBA.
In the end, Memphis defended their home by defeating Utah 107-106.
Other games on Friday included (home teams in bold):
San Antonio Spurs 109-111 Orlando Magic
Boston Celtics 105-100 Golden State Warriors
Sacramento Kings 97-99 Los Angeles Lakers
Indiana Pacers 102-111 Houston Rockets