NBA 2019-20: Top 5 individual performances from last night (30th January 2020)

We had an interesting night in the NBA yesterday, as we saw teams such as the Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings winning important matches for their respective positions on the league table. More than one player impressed last night, and this article is going to analyze the top 5 players that stood out among their peers, with their performances.

#5 Bradley Beal

After he was snubbed once again from the list of All-Star players, Bradley Beal had a point to prove against the Charlotte Hornets this Thursday. The Washington Wizards' shooting guard finished the match with 34 points, 9 assists and 9 rebounds. Even though he did not achieve a double-double or a triple-double, his performance was nevertheless impressive, as he led Washington to an important win at home, against the Charlotte Hornets.

His stats from this match are even more impressive if we take into consideration the fact that he scored 34 points on only 16 shot attempts. Beal was extremely aggressive on the offensive end of the floor the entire match, and even his defensive play looked better compared to his past performances from this season.

#4 Jordan Clarkson

Utah Jazz lost a close match against the Denver Nuggets on the road last night, but for Jordan Clarkson it was not really a bad outing. The recent addition that Utah made to their team had one of the best performances of his career, as he ended the match with 37 points. He was the main reason why Utah managed to be competitive in this clash, as the rest of the team was ice cold on the offensive floor, in this one.

Utah scored 30 points in the 4th quarter, and Clarkson scored 24 of them. While it is hard to expect him to play like this every night, Clarkson made a statement with this performance and proved that he can be an important player in a playoff team.

#3 De'Aaron Fox

The Sacramento Kings shocked the Los Angeles Clippers when they defeated Kawhi Leonard and co. on the road last night. In maybe Sacramento's best win of this season, De'Aaron Fox proved once again why he is considered a future top-star in the NBA. His stellar play resulted in him producing a career-high of 34 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocks. It was arguably the best all-round performance that Fox has had so far in the NBA, as he was massive for the Kings both on offense and on defense as well.

Fox made a case for himself last night for being the fastest player in the league, as his speed made him unplayable in some parts of the match. His 3-point shooting was also impressive, as he went 3/4 from that range. It will be interesting to see if De'Aaron Fox will be able to produce this level of play in more matches, in the remainder of this season.

#2 Nikola Jokic

Nikola Jokic played excellently against the Utah Jazz last night, being decisive for his team's win. He registered a double-double as he scored 28 points, and accumulated 10 assists. With his help, Denver won a very important match for their position on the league table, and this win will also give them a lot of confidence in tough match-ups going forward.

It can be argued that this was Jokic's most important performance of the season, as he single-handedly led Denver to a win against Utah. He took over in the 4th quarter, when he was calm and clutch in all the right moments for his team. If we add to the discussion the fact that he also managed to dominate star defensive player Rudy Gobert in the paint, then his performance sounds even more herculean. Not many players can talk about outplaying Gobert this season, but Jokic can easily brag about that.

#1 Trae Young

The Atlanta Hawks accrued one of their most important wins of the season last night when they defeated the Philadelphia 76ers at home. This result can't even be attributed to the 76ers' bad form on the road. There was only one star on the floor last night in Atlanta, and that star was Trae Young. He registered a double-double in the very first quarter of the match, and he finished the game with 39 points and a career-high of 18 assists.

His game once again looked super smooth, and despite his ridiculous scoring stats, he proved last night that he can assist just as well as he can score. He found his teammates well with passes at all the right moments. His defensive efforts might not have been that impressive, but he certainly made it up to his team with his offensive plays. During a time when people were questioning his selection in the NBA All-Star Game as a starter, Trae Young delivered another performance proving him worthy of that spot.