In a year that has seen multiple triple-doubles, record comebacks and tight playoff races, only a trio of players have scored 60 or more points in a game.
Star guard Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors scored 62 points against the Portland Trailblazers on January 3. The other players to reach the 60-point plateau are our own Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics.
Beal scored 60 points against the Philadelphia 76ers on January 6. Tatum reached the magical 60-point mark last Friday night in a dramatic overtime victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
The Celtics trailed by as many as 32 points, but Tatum rallied the Celtics by scoring 31 points in the fourth quarter and overtime periods. Tatum’s 60 tied Celtics legend Larry Bird’s single-game scoring record.
As for Beal, he is locked in a tight battle for the NBA scoring title Curry.
At the beginning of the week, Curry led with 31.3 points a game, while Beal was close behind at 31 points a game. The scoring leader has changed hands with every game over the past few weeks.
The high-scoring exploits of Beal, along with the triple-double excellence of Russell Westbrook, have catapulted the Wizards into the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
The Wizards had won 10 of 12 games as of Tuesday to put themselves in 10th place in the East – which is good enough to qualify for the new play-in rounds of the postseason.
In addition to averaging 31 points, Beal has added 4.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists a game. He is shooting a solid 48 percent from the field and 90 percent from the free throw line.
Patriots pick Perkins
Former Lutheran North standout Ronnie Perkins was the New England Patriots’ third-round selection (99th overall) in last weekend’s National Football League Draft. A 6’3” 247-pound defensive end, Perkins played at Oklahoma, where he was one of the top pass rushers in the Big XII Conference.
Williams shared his special moment with family, friends, former teammates and coaches at a gathering in St. Louis on his draft night.
In six games with the Sooners last season, Perkins had 5.5 sacks and 10 tackles for a loss. As a sophomore, he had six sacks and 13 tackles for loss for the Sooners’ Big XII championship team. Perkins had 16.5 sacks in his three seasons with the Sooners.
A 2018 graduate of Lutheran North, Perkins was named the St. Louis American Defensive Player of the Year after registering 15 sacks and leading the Crusaders to the semifinals of the Class 2 state playoffs.
Area players also sign deals
Former Kirkwood High standout Antonio Phillips signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent. A 6’0” 191-pound defensive back, Phillips started 29 games during his four-year career at Ball State University. In his career, Phillips had eight interceptions and 26 passes defended along with 131 total tackles.
Former McCluer South-Berkeley standout Lawrence Woods also landed a free-agent deal after signing with the New Orleans Saints. Woods starred at Division II Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo. As a sophomore in 2018, he was named a NCAA Division II All-American and the Great Lakes Valley Special Teams Player of the Year after returning three kickoffs for touchdowns.
As a junior in 2019, he had two interceptions while returning another kickoff for a touchdown.
Williams rides the Tide
Former Cardinal Ritter College Prep football standout Jameson Williams has found a new college home with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Williams entered the transfer portal after two seasons at Ohio State, where the 6’2” 188-pound wide receiver had nine receptions for 154 yards and two touchdowns. He helped the Buckeyes advance to the national championship game against Alabama. In the Buckeyes’ 49-28 national semifinal victory over Clemson, Williams caught three passes for 62 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown.
