NBA Top 10: That went off in Game 82

Some people’s favorite game of the NBA regular season is opening night. Some love the Christmas games. Some may even choose the In-Season Tournament Championship.

Not me.

I love the underdog players, the guys who wait 81 games patiently at the end of the bench for their opportunity to shine.

Maybe their team was eliminated from the playoffs by March, maybe they have 67 wins and are 14 games above the #2 seeds. Whatever the reason, the last game of the year is their chance to play a full game and pop off.

With that being said, let's take a look at the 10 best performances of the night.

#10 - Lamar Stevens (31pts, 6rb, 3ast)

Former Celtics legend and more importantly, a Penn State legend, got his moment to shine for the Grizzlies who were banished to the Play-In the game prior.

As a fan of both I knew what Stevens was capable of prior to his outing but nonetheless, a great showing from this pure bucket getter.

#9 - Oscar Tshiebwe (18pts, 12reb, 3stl)

The Jazz are in the midst of a full rebuild and during the end of the season after they were eliminated from contention rather early, Tshiebwe has been getting some playing time and has not wasted it.

However tonight was his best outing of the season with this double-double, playing both ends of the court well.

#8 - Jaylon Tyson (31pts, 7reb, 4ast)

On a Cavs roster that is already so deep with talent, it’s hard to find minutes even as a 6’6 do-it-all rookie forward.

But after this performance, don’t be surprised if you see him entering the rotation soon.

#7 - Cam Spencer (23pts, 7ast, 3stl)

Former lax player, brother to the GOAT of college lacrosse/ known Warriors player Pat Spencer (their story is something worth researching), Cam Spencer has not seen as many opportunities this season to shine.

However he did have one of the funniest interactions of the year after splashing a three in Kevin Durant’s face and then proceeding to trash talk him earlier this season.

#6 - Branden Carlson (26pts, 10reb, 3blk)

7 feet tall and can shoot threes at will at only 25 years old, you would think Carlson would be in the starting lineup of any team looking to contend in a modern NBA, but unfortunately he is on the loaded OKC Thunder.

If your team has 68 wins and the 15th man is doing this in his moment to shine, you rightfully earn the status of title favorite.

#5 - Keaton Wallace (15pts, 11reb, 15ast, 5stl)

A 4x5?, In this economy?

Real ball knowers will remember his days at UTSA where he spent 4 years showing out for a successful stint and 3x All-CUSA Team nominations.

A great peek back into his college days and hopefully will get minutes going forward.

#4 - Tristan Vukcevic (28pts, 11reb, 5ast)

NOT a relative of Nikola Vukcevic, Tristan has been balling out in the latter half of the season for this rebuilding Wizards team on impressive shooting splits.

A really good showing for a guy who should play a key role in the future of the franchise.

#3 - Jay Huff (22pts, 6reb, 6blk)

Talk about getting it done on both ends, it was a block party in Memphis and Huff was the host.

We have a whopping 3 performances on this list from the Grizzlies (also honorable mention to Marvin Bagley III with 25 and 12, however he’s a little more known) but as a big fan of two-way abilities, he gets the award for best player on the team.

#2 - Jaime Jaquez Jr. (41pts, 10reb, 7ast)

Top 5 in last year’s ROTY voting, Jaquez Jr. took a bit of a step back in production this season and in a down year for Miami, was not what they were looking for.

This night was a different story, with him showing what he is capable of with some more time to develop alongside a young core in South Beach.

#1 - Pat Connaughton (43pts, 11reb, 5ast)

The award for King of #82 goes to the Bucks legend and key role player in the 2021 Championship run by Milwaukee.

This was pure bucket getting. 3-level scoring with 5 threes and tons of impressive layups.

This and all these other performances give us a powerful reminder that every NBA player that ever touches the court could give your high school’s all-time greats 50 on any given night.

Chris Vadnais is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email cmv5562@psu.edu.