On Tuesday, we watched Aaron Gordon dominate the Brooklyn Nets in a thriller, and LeBron James also makes his first appearance on this list.
Aaron Gordon - 41 points, 14 rebounds, 5-for-5 from three
The Orlando Magic edged out the Brooklyn Nets 125-121 on Tuesday, and it was primarily due to Aaron Gordon. His career-best 41 came on 14-of-18 shooting, and there wasn’t a spot on the floor that Gordon didn’t leave his mark. He nailed triple after triple after triple, attacked the offensive glass and was just an all-around pest for the Nets to defend. The most tragic part (as a Nets fan) was watching Gordon bury a go-ahead three with 35 seconds left. Putting all of my bias to the side, Gordon played a spectacular game, and it finally looks like the Magic are using him the right way.
LeBron James - 34 points, 13 assists, three steals
We’ve missed you, LeBron. It’s not that James has been having a bad season, but the early play by guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis has caught a lot of our eyes. On Tuesday, James stole that attention. He went to work against a Chicago Bulls team that had no answer for him. It was the 61st 30-10 game of James’ career, which remains the most among all players since 1983-84. LeBron also recorded his eighth career game with at least 34-13, tying him for third since 1984 with Russell Westbrook and Kevin Johnson. He carved up Chicago’s defense for the entire game. Whether it was on drives to the basket or threading-the-needle passes to Kevin Love, the Bulls just didn’t have the personnel to combat the King.
DeMarcus Cousins - 39 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks
New Orleans caught more lousy luck when Anthony Davis left their game in Portland. Without him, DeMarcus Cousins took over, but his effort just wasn’t enough. The Pelicans hardly had anyone helping Cousins, which is a story we’ve seen all too often. He played aggressively because he had to, and managed to work his way to the line 17 times where he got 12 of his points. The outside shot wasn’t falling, but Cousins continued to pound the Blazers defense without the help of his other tower.
Honorable Mentions:
- Evan Fournier - 28 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals
- Darren Collison - 15 points, 16 assists, five rebounds
- Karl-Anthony Towns - 28 points, seven rebounds, two blocks
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