Top 10 Plays From Wednesday Night As Dillon Brooks Blocks Darius Garland To Seal The Win

Once again we had some dominant performances across the NBA last night. Nikola Jokic recorded his 14th triple-double of the season last night while also passing Alex English for most assists all-time in Nuggets history. The Memphis Grizzlies fought till the final whistle last night backed by some outstanding defense for the 11th straight win. Next, we’ll look at the top 10 plays from Wednesday night’s NBA action. 

Don't miss the @chicagobulls vs. @DetroitPistons live from Accor Arena in Paris today at 3pm/et on NBA TV! #NBAParishttps://t.co/gAgnftXtlc pic.twitter.com/XYauTYqTuX

— NBA (@NBA) January 19, 2023

Top 10 plays from Wednesday night’s NBA slate

10. Walker Kessler steals the pass and then takes it all the way for the two-handed slam 

Early in the first quarter yesterday, rookie center for the Jazz Walker Kessler was matched up on the Clippers Ivica Zubac. He had nice positing on defense and was able to read the defenders eyes to steal the pass. The rookie took the ball right to the cup with his somewhat surprising speed for someone his size. Kessler finished off the fast break with a two-handed slam.

9. Jamal Murray takes the pass from Jokic for the lefty slam over Anthony Edwards 

Nikola Jokic collected a rebound ealry in the game off a Timberwolves miss and launced a pass with one hand to Jamal Murray down court. That was one of Jokic’s 13 assists last night which set a new franchise record for most assists all-time. Murray took the pass right to the rim on the fast break and then threw down a lefty slam on Anthony Edwards.

Punched it in 👊 pic.twitter.com/UzHO6DdSi3

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 19, 2023

8. Dorian Finney-Smith follows the miss for the big-time put back over the Hawks defense 

The Mavericks were down six points with less than 40 seconds left in the game. Luka Doncic attempted a three-pointer that missed and luckily his teammate was ready for a miss and collected the rebound mid-air. Dorian Finney-Smith skied high for the rebound to throw down a one-handed slam for some crucial points.

7. Naz Reid comes soaring from behind with the chase down block on Bruce Brown 

Bruce Brown took a pass in stride at half court and was moving quickly to the basket. He blew by the first defender and went to attempt at floater off the glass. What he did not see was Naz Reid behind him chasing the play and was ready for his shot. Reid got up high to swat away Brown’s shot into the stands.

6. Kristaps Porzingis stays with the play and elevates to block Jericho Sims  

In the finals 30 seconds of the first half, Jalen Brunson missed a shot that bounced off a few players and was saved out of bounds. The ball went right back into the Knicks possession as Jericho Sims caught the ball and immediately went up to slam the ball. However, Washington’s Kristaps Porzingis was ready on defense and jumped high to pins Sims attempt.

mayhem in Manhattan 🔒 pic.twitter.com/9PHkzgktj4

— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) January 19, 2023

5. Spencer Dinwiddie freezes the defense and then soars to the basket for the tomahawk jam 

Dallas’ Spencer Dinwiddie was matched up on the perimeter with a bigger defender in Onyeka Okongwu. Dinwiddie used his ball-handling skills to freeze Okongwu and gave himself a clear lane to the basket. He then drove to the basket at full speed and threw down the monster one-handed slam over Okongwu who had no chance to block the shot.

4. LeBron blocks a shot and then finishes with the one-handed jam on the other end 

LeBron James is still playing at an extremely high level at 38 and is still making the highlight reel. In the first quarter last night. James blocked a shot attempt and the Lakers stole the ball. Troy Brown Jr. took the pass and went to the basket. He drew in the defenders and then swung a pass behind him with the streaking LeBron James flying in. James finished off the pass with one of his signature one-handed jams.

On the run 💥 pic.twitter.com/4JEmNqHqiG

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 19, 2023

3. Ja Morant flips the behind the back pass for he flashy assist to Santi Aldama 

There aren’t many things that Ja Morant can’t do on a basketball court and he shocked us once again last night with his incredible play-making. He had three defenders draped over him and then smoothly swung a perfect behind-the-back pass to Santi Aldama who luckily hit the three to finish off the spectacular pass.

2. Lauri Markkenan posterizes Ivica Zubac for the monster one-handed flush 

With an 11-point lead mid-way through the third, Utah’s PG Mike Conley found and all-star soon to be Lauri Markkenan as he had beat his defender inside. Markkenan took the ball right to the hoop and had Ivica Zubac waiting to block his shot. However, he was no match for Markkenan who’s known for some monster slam’s in his career.

1. Dillon Brooks blocks Darius Garland to seal the win for the Grizzlies 11th straight win 

With a slim one-point lead in the final seconds of the game last night, Dillon Brooks was matched up against Cleveland’s Darius Garland. He’s known for his stellar defense and he came up big in crunch time. Garland tried to take a three-pointer but Brooks was right there on his shot attempt to block it and seal the win for his team. That was Memphis’ 11th straight win last night.

CLAMP UP DB 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️ pic.twitter.com/LYAhjRRBCF

— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) January 19, 2023