The 5 Best Basketball Games This Year

Whether you’re more of a classic NBA fan or an NCAA fanatic, one thing remains constant and that is the love for basketball. To celebrate this love, we’ve brought you five games that we know deserve a spot on the list of the best games played in 2020, so far that is. Without further ado, here are our picks.

LSU Tigers vs Auburn Tigers

This NCAA game was a tough call, even for the experts. On one hand, LSU had a 10-0 streak to uphold, while Auburn had a 12-0 home streak to keep safe. From the outcome of the game, 90 – 91 in Auburn’s favor, we could see that both teams did give their all. In fact, if it wasn’t for McCormick’s buzzer-beater, LSU would have won which says a lot about the intensity of the match. Up until the near end, LSU was the most probable winner, but somehow, the scales flipped in Auburn’s favor. Overall, it was a suspense-filled game won by the Auburn Tigers.

Los Angeles Lakers Vs Brooklyn Nets

For one of the best games played this year, we must turn our heads to the NBA for a game that features these two extremely in-demand teams. Let’s start by saying that the game ended with a win for the Lakers 128 – 113. While the teams’ performance came close in the second quarter, the Lakers managed to increase the gap between them and the Nets. Not only that, but credit must also be given to Lebron James for getting his tenth triple-double this season. Yet, by all means, this doesn’t mean that the Nets weren’t up to the challenge. Let’s not forget that without the fight put up by the Nets, we wouldn’t have been able to witness such a beautiful event.

Baylor Bears vs Gonzaga Bulldogs

One thing about the NCAA is that stats aren’t really accurate predictors, they can either be spot on or way off, and this game was a true testimony. It started with a 3 pointer by Baylor’s Jared Butler and a strong performance by the Bears, but quickly the tides turned in Gonzaga’s favor. It only goes to show that before any bet is made, checking the odds is a necessary process, even more important than taking the stats into account. In this particular game, the Bulldogs won 83 – 71 with Brandon Clarke putting an end to this epic victory with a neat free throw. One thing all agrees on, though, when we put one of the Big 12 with the West Coast Conference leader, we’re bound to get a bang for our buck.

Houston Rockets Vs Oklahoma City Thunder

Once again, the NBA delivers on its promise with another nail-biting game that ended with a one-point difference that put OKC in the lead with a total of 112 to Rockets’ 111. Anyone watching would’ve predicted a win for the Rockets, the game was clearly flowing in their favor until OKC picked up the slack in the 4th quarter. They went from ending each quarter with a loss to scoring a 14-point difference over the Rockets, and with less than 2 seconds left on the clock, Paul George managed to score the winning 3-pointer for Oklahoma City. A hard-earned win for the Thunder who made the most out of their rebounds and three-pointer openings.

Baylor Bears Vs Kansas State Wildcats

What makes this game great isn’t just the fact that Baylor and Kansas State hold the first and second positions, respectively, in the Big 12 conference. It’s also Baylor’s immense burden that comes with winning 18 times straight. For them, this was an all or nothing game, either add another notch on their belt or lose a massive streak. Luckily, they snagged the win right out of the Wildcats’ jaws, ending the game with the totals of 73 to 67. As for the highlight of the game, we must say it’s the competition between Jared Butler – 20 points (Baylor) and Xavier Sneed – 23 points (KSU).

Throughout this article, we’ve brought you 5 of our favorite basketball games played this year, some from the NBA, some from the NCAA, but all great nevertheless. It makes a person think about whether the end results matter at all. As we’ve seen, the number of points a team ends up with at the sound of the final buzzer isn’t as accurate an indicator of how they played. After all, it isn’t fair that a beautiful performance gets overlooked because of a three-pointer in the last second. That’s what we’re after, isn’t it? A beautiful performance.