Three significant Saturday upsets in the NBA

The biggest story in the NBA on Saturday was the fact that the Los Angeles Lakers were involved in a blockbuster trade. Not to be overlooked however was the fact that the Lakers delivered a significant upset on Saturday as they beat the New York Knicks 128-112 at Madison Square Garden as a 11.5 point underdog.

There were in fact three major upsets on Saturday. The Brooklyn Nets beat the Houston Rockets 110-98 as a 13.5 point underdog and the Washington Wizards beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 105-103 as a 12.5 point underdog.

In the Nets road win over the Rockets, Brooklyn entered the game at 15 wins and 33 losses, while Houston was at 32 wins and 15 losses. The Nets had a strong first half as they outscored the Rockets 53-38. Six Nets players reached double digits in scoring. Small forward Ziaire Williams of Lancaster, California had 21 points, point guard D’Angelo Russell of Louisville, Kentucky had 18 points, center Nic Claxton of Greenville, South Carolina had 17 points, while shooting guard Keon Johnson of Shelbyville, Tennessee and power forward Jalen Wilson each had 13 points as starters, and center Day’Ron Sharpe of Greenville, North Caolina had 13 points off the bench.

In the Wizards road win over the Timberwolves, Washington entered the game at six wins and 41 losses, while Minnesota was at 27 wins and 21 losses. All five Wizards starters reached double digits in points. Power forward Kyle Kuzma of Flint, Michigan led the way with 31 points. He was followed by shooting guard Jordan Poole of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (19 points), small forward Bilal Coulibaly of Saint-Cloud, France (14 points), center Jonas Valanciunas of Utena, Lithuania (13 points), and rookie shooting guard Kayshawn George of Aigle, Switzerland (11 points). Valanciunas added the double-double as he had 10 rebounds.

In the Lakers road win over the Knicks, Los Angeles won without Anthony Davis, who was traded on the same night to the Mavericks. That was the reason the Knicks were the heavy favourite despite the fact the teams had similar records. The Knicks were at 32-16 and the Lakers were at 27-19. The Lakers dominated the fourth quarter by outscoring the Knicks 37-23. LeBron James of Akron, Ohio was the Lakers hero as he had the triple double, the 122nd of his career. James had 33 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds. Four other Lakers reached double digits in points. Shooting guard Austin Reaves of Newark, Arkansas had 27 points, power forward Rui Hachimura of Toyama, Japan had 21 points, while shooting guard Max Christie of Arlington Heights, Illinois and power forward Dorian Finney-Smith of Portsmouth, Virginia had 15 points each.

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