Sunday, November 17 was highlighted by a number of different NFL games. Quietly, three NBA outings were held, and multiple teams made statements with well-rounded efforts that led to victories.
Here’s everything you need to know about what transpired.
1. Marc Gasol flirted with a triple-double by dropping 19 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, while Zach Randolph posted 22 points and 10 boards to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 97-86 win over the Sacramento Kings. Mike Conley added 19 points and nine dimes for the Grizzlies, and Travis Outlaw led the Kings with 18 points and six rebounds off of the bench.
Memphis is now 5-5, and Sacramento is 2-7.
2. Jordan Hill erupted for 24 points and 17 rebounds on 11-of-16 shooting from the field to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 114-99 win over the Detroit Pistons. Pau Gasol finished with 12 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and two steals, Steve Blake erupted for 16 assists and four steals, and both Jodie Meeks and Nick Young scored 19 points.
Blake now has double-digit assists in four straight games after posting zero total games with at least 10 dimes in his past three seasons.
3. Brandon Jennings posted 23 points and a season-high 14 assists in 39 minutes during Detroit’s loss. Josh Smith put up 18 points and eight rebounds, Greg Monroe had 17 points, Rodney Stuckey scored 16 and Andre Drummond tallied 14 and 13 rebounds.
With all of this balance, Detroit still found a way to lose. You can chalk that up to its starting frontcourt shooting 2-of-12 from the free throw line.
The Pistons fell to 3-6.
4. The Portland Trail Blazers quietly moved to 8-2 through 10 games with a 118-110 road overtime victory against the Toronto Raptors. LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard both scored 25 points, Nicolas Batum added 24, and Mo Williams continued to emerge as a Sixth Man of the Year candidate with 13 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
Portland had one of the best starting lineups and worst second units in the NBA in 2012-13. Now that there’s depth, the Trail Blazers are a legitimate contender. Winning eight of 10 to open up the season is a great way to set the pace for success.
5. Rudy Gay had 30 points and 10 rebounds, and DeMar DeRozan had 29 points for the Raptors in the losing effort. Jonas Valanciunas added 19 points and nine rebounds, and Kyle Lowry put up 10 points, 10 assists, seven boards and four steals.
Through all of that well-rounded play, the Raptors still found a way to falter and fell to 4-7.
Bonus Fact: Rudy Gay has four double-doubles through 11 games. He had six double-doubles during the entire 2012-13 campaign.