Gary Trent Jr. single-handedly torched the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday in a 135-115 win. He finished with a career-high 44 points on 17-of-19 shooting with seven 3-pointers, seven rebounds, four assists, and one steal. The former second-round pick in the 2018 draft was unbelievable, connecting on nearly every shot he hoisted from the floor. Only Giannis Antetokounmpo and Klay Thompson have scored 40 or more points on 85% or better shooting since 2010.
One of the more incredible parts of his performance was his consistency. This wasn’t a Thompson-esque showing where Trent caught fire over the span of a couple of minutes, or even a quarter. At halftime, he had 25 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field and 5-of-6 from 3-point range. He closed with 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting. He just … never cooled off.
Trent’s basketball journey has been an interesting one from a top-20 high school recruit to starting wing at Duke University to a mere second-round NBA draft pick to a desired player at the trade deadline. In just seven games with his new team, the Raptors, Trent’s set his career-high in points twice, scoring 31 on 12-of-22 shooting in just his fourth appearance. In between, he’s scored six points on 2-of-14 shooting and six points another time on 2-of-10 shooting and hit a buzzer-beating shot to beat the Wizards.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly how good the 22-year-old is, or will be. But he’s certainly a piece Toronto fans should be thrilled to have on their roster. He’s clearly excited to be there. He showed appreciation for Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, Carmelo Anthony, and the Blazers, but also said “For the first time in my career, I feel wanted.”
For fantasy purposes, Trent Jr. will be a hot choice for as long as Kyle Lowry remains sidelined. Even after then, he’ll be a steady contributor from long distance. On the season he ranks as the No. 135 fantasy player in 9-cat leagues.
Now, let’s talk about all seven games from Saturday night.
Raptors 135, Cavaliers 115
The great
Isaiah Hartenstein — Hartenstein scored 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting with eight rebounds, six assists, four blocks, three steals, and two turnovers in 25 minutes.
Gary Trent Jr. — Trent exploded for a career-high 44 points on an unreal 17-of-19 shooting with seven 3-pointers, seven rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one turnover.
Malachi Flynn — Flynn scored 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting with two 3-pointers, 11 assists, two rebounds, two steals, and three turnovers.
The good
Collin Sexton — Sexton scored 29 points on 10-of-20 shooting and 8-of-9 free throws with five assists, one steal, and two turnovers in 35 minutes.
Kevin Love — Love scored 18 points on 4-of-9 shooting with all makes coming from 3-point range. He added three rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one turnover.
Lakers 126, Nets 101
The great
Kevin Durant — Durant turned the ball over eight times but did score 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting with seven rebounds, five assists, and one block.
Marcus Morris — Morris scored 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting with two 3-pointers, six rebounds, two assists, three steals, and three turnovers.
The good
Andre Drummond — Drummond scored 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting with 11 rebounds, one steal, one block, and three turnovers.
Talen Horton-Tucker — THT scored 14 points on just 4-of-16 shooting with two 3-pointers, 11 assists, three rebounds, and three steals.
Sixers 117, Thunder 93
The great
Joel Embiid — Embiid scored 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting with nine rebounds, four assists, four blocks, and two turnovers in 27 minutes.
Furkan Korkmaz — Getting the start with Tobias Harris out, Korkmaz scored 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting with four 3-pointers, four rebounds, two assists, five steals, one block, and one turnover.
Darius Bazley — Bazley turned the ball over nine times but scored 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting with three 3-pointers, nine rebounds, five assists, and one steal.
Tony Bradley — Bradley scored 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting with 14 rebounds, one assist, and three blocks.
The good
Lu Dort — Dort scored 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting with two 3-pointers, five rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block.
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Jazz 128, Kings 112
The great
De’Aaron Fox — Fox scored 30 points on 11-of-20 shooting with four 3-pointers, eight assists, two rebounds, and two steals.
Richaun Holmes — Holmes scored 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting with 10 rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block, and two turnovers.
Donovan Mitchell — Mitchell scored 42 points on 12-of-31 shooting with 15-of-17 shooting from the free-throw line, three 3-pointers, four assists, three rebounds, one steal, and one block.
Mike Conley — Conley scored 26 points on 8-of-14 shooting with five 3-pointers, six rebounds, four assists, one steal, and three turnovers in 32 minutes.
The good
Buddy Hield — Hield scored 19 points on 7-of-17 shooting with four 3-pointers, seven assists, five rebounds, one steal, and no turnovers in 34 minutes.
Warriors 125, Rockets 109
The great
John Wall — Wall scored 30 points on 11-of-19 shooting with five 3-pointers, seven assists, two rebounds, one steal, one block, and six turnovers.
Stephen Curry — Have you heard of this guy? He scored 38 points on 13-of-21 shooting with eight 3-pointers, eight rebounds, five assists, one steal, and five turnovers in 35 minutes.
The good
Kelly Olynyk — Olynyk scored 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting with two 3-pointers, 11 rebounds, three assists, and one turnover.
Draymond Green — Green scored two points on two free-throw attempts with seven rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and five turnovers.
Suns 124, Wizards 106
The great
Devin Booker — Booker scored 27 points on 11-of-24 shooting with three 3-pointers, six assists, six rebounds, two steals, one block, and one turnover in 26 minutes.
The good
Russell Westbrook — Westbrook scored 17 points on 6-of-17 shooting with 14 assists, 11 rebounds, one steal, and five turnovers.
Deandre Ayton — Ayton scored 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting with 10 rebounds, one assist, two steals, one block, and no turnovers in 25 minutes.
Trail Blazers 118, Pistons 103
The great
Damian Lillard — Lillard scored 27 points on 9-of-20 shooting with four 3-pointers, 10 assists, three rebounds, and one turnover in 34 minutes.
C.J. McCollum — McCollum scored 26 points on 11-of-21 shooting with three 3-pointers, four rebounds, three assists, and one block with no turnovers in 31 minutes.
Enes Kanter — Kanter scored 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting with an unreal 30 rebounds, two assists, one steal, two blocks, and four turnovers in 37 minutes.
The good
Josh Jackson — Jackson scored 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting with five 3-pointers, three rebounds, two assists, and one turnover in 30 minutes.
Frank Jackson — Jackson scored 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting with two 3-pointers, four rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one turnover in 21 minutes.