Welcome to the BAE Index.
Ryan Kelly’s game-winning dunk
With the game tied and just a few seconds left in last night’s game versus the Portland Trail Blazers, the Los Angeles had a chance to run a side out of bounds play to win in regulation. What ensued was Ryan Kelly using one of the oldest tricks in the book. He first receives the ball sat the top of the arc, and looks to be handing it off to a guard for a makeshift pick-and-roll. As that happens, Kelly’s defender moves to the right to help on the hand-off, when WHAM–Kelly drives the ball down the middle and put in a ferocious slam dunk for the win.
Marcelo Huertas gets fancy
If you don’t know who Marcelo Huertas is yet, you’d do best to get yourself acquainted. The 32 year-old guard from Brazil starred in the Euroleague for years, and just this offseason decided to make the jump to the NBA. Because the Lakers already have a young duo of lead guards in D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson, Huertas will be coming off of the bench. When he’s in the game, he’s an enjoyable players to watch. He’s a table-setting guard, and is always looking for the next way to drop one of his teammates a dime.
Marcus Smart dunks in a rebound
After a strong offseason, Marcus Smart seems poised to produce in a major way this year for the Boston Celtics. The 2nd-year man from Oklahoma State has been building up a buzz around him all summer, and has looked solid in preseason. He’s using his strength and athleticism to make plays all over the court, including this fantastic tip-in dunk.
PJ Hairston’s deep three
When he puts it all together, PJ Hairston is a talented player, as evidenced by his 11 points on 4-5 shooting in the Charlotte Hornets’ win over the Miami Heat on Monday night. 3 of his points came on this play, a running three-pointer at the end of the 3rd quarter.