Playing on the road against one of the NBA’s best teams, Houston Rockets rookie TyTy Washington Jr. found himself in a sink-or-swim scenario. Washington Jr. chooses to swim in his Top Shot debut against Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics, winning a one-on-one battle with the two-time All-Star thanks to some shifty handles, beating Brown with a crossover on a drive into the paint before pulling up and connecting on a floater. Washington Jr. scored 10 points in 20 minutes off the bench while also grabbing five rebounds and dishing out three assists on December 27, 2022.

TyTy Washington Jr.

TyTy Washington Jr. seizes opening for floater in the paint

Off-balance and through traffic, scoring at the rim is a difficult skill to master. Seattle SuperSonics wing Ray Allen, famously comfortable beyond the arc, heads straight to the paint against the Indiana Pacers, absorbs contact powerful enough to knock him off his axis and still manages to sink the bucket on January 2, 2006.

Ray Allen

Ray Allen navigates around defense, connects on circus shot through contact

The Utah Jazz wouldn’t let the Indiana Pacers defeat them — not when Derrick Favors was in the midst of a career night. After logging a game-tying three-point play with 10 seconds remaining in regulation, Favors followed up the act with some additional overtime heroics working out of the two-man game for a supremely difficult layup against double coverage. Those were the final two points of the game, as Favors converted 14 of 24 field goals for a career-best 35 points to go with 13 rebounds on December 5, 2015, allowing the Jazz to win 122-119. Favors went on to average a career-high 16.4 points and 1.2 steals per game during the 2015-16 campaign.

Derrick Favors

Derrick Favors caps off career-high night with overtime heroics

Kyle Lowry scored almost half of his team’s points, and the Toronto Raptors needed every one of them. The six-time All-Star was in the zone all night long as he produced arguably the best game of his decorated career against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. With the game tied in the closing seconds, there was little doubt who would take Toronto’s final shot as Lowry bided his time in an isolation matchup with Matthew Dellavedova before dribbling to his left and rising up for the go-ahead bucket from just inside the 3-point arc. Lowry shot a sizzling 15 of 20 from the field for a career-best 43 points to pair with five rebounds, nine assists and four steals in the 99-97 win on February 26, 2016. After the season, Lowry was named to the only All-NBA squad of his career, earning a spot on the Third Team.

Kyle Lowry

Kyle Lowry finishes career-high night with game-winning stepback

After four quarters and two overtimes, Deron Williams was ready to go home — but not until he experienced the joy of hitting a game-winner for his hometown team. The suburban Dallas native gave the sellout Dallas Mavericks crowd a taste of what made him a three-time NBA All-Star as he grabbed the inbound pass on the final play of the second overtime and pump faked his Sacramento Kings defender before draining a fadeaway 3-pointer at the buzzer. The heroic shot sent the crowd into a delirium and turned a would-be gutting two-point loss into a thrilling 117-116 victory on January 5, 2016. Williams shot 10 of 18 for a team-high 25 points to go with four assists and two steals in the Mavericks’ 22nd consecutive home victory over the Kings.

Deron Williams

Deron Williams fuels Dallas frenzy with fadeaway game winner vs. SAC

No Darius Garland or Donovan Mitchell? No problem for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who put defensive tenacity on full display en route to their seventh win of the 2022-23 campaign. Hitting the road to face the Detroit Pistons, the Cavs block 13 shots during the game — ranging from an unforgiving Jarrett Allen rejection of a dunk attempt, a fingertip finesse denial by Lamar Stevens and an Evan Mobley block in the lane that turns into two quick transition points. Mobley and Kevin Love record blocks on back-to-back shots, while Mobley and Isaac Okoro double up for consecutive steals to keep the Detroit offense reeling. As Raul Neto shows, he’ll do whatever it takes to come up with a steal, even if it requires sacrificing his body to hit the hardwood. The Cavs added five thefts along with the double-digit block total in Cleveland’s 112-88 rout, forcing 18 turnovers and holding the Pistons to just .373 percent from the field on November 4, 2022.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland Cavaliers block 13 shots while holding Pistons to 88 points

Malik Monk’s evolution as a spark plug off the bench began during his rookie season with the Charlotte Hornets. The 11th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft inbounded the ball to Jeremy Lamb before reclaiming it on a quick handoff, splitting a pair of Chicago Bulls defenders with a shrewd spin move and finishing with an open layup for his efforts. Monk scored 16 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, adding two rebounds, two assists and five 3-pointers in 24 minutes of run off the bench on April 3, 2018. 

Malik Monk

Malik Monk spins through defense for finger roll as rookie

LaMarcus Aldridge couldn’t have known it at the time, but he submitted one heck of an audition tape for his future team. In his ninth and final season with the Portland Trail Blazers, where he made four All-Star teams, Aldridge went to work in the post against the San Antonio Spurs as he used strength and finesse to get to the rim and finish with a smooth up-and-under reverse layup. In a marathon 52-minute performance that spanned three overtime periods, Aldridge posted 32 points, 16 rebounds, five steals and two blocks in Portland’s 129-119 road win on December 19, 2014. After the year concluded, Aldridge would spend his next six seasons in San Antonio, where he was selected to three more All-Star Games.

LaMarcus Aldridge

LaMarcus Aldridge spins into up-and-under in 52-minute marathon

To beat the mighty Golden State Warriors squads from the 2010s, you had to show up on defense. This was no issue for Tony Allen, who reminded the soon-to-be-champions of his stifling defensive prowess. The Memphis Grizzlies guard helped turn the potent Warriors into a cold-shooting, turnover-prone offense in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals. Following a miss on the offensive end, Klay Thompson’s transition attack was quickly thwarted by Allen, who picked the All-Star guard’s pocket to start a Memphis counterattack before twice affirming his First Team All-Defense status. Allen made his third and final appearance on the First Team squad in 2015 and also boasted three Second Team selections to his resume, all of which came during his seven seasons with the Grizzlies. Although the Warriors would win the first of four titles in the Thompson and Steph Curry era the following month, Allen helped hold the sharpshooting duo to a 3 of 17 showing from downtown in the 97-90 Memphis win on May 5, 2015. Allen contributed nine points, four rebounds, two assists and four steals as the Grizzlies tied the series 1-1.

Tony Allen

Tony Allen reminds world he's First Team All-Defense in 2015 Playoffs

Get the defense reacting and find your opening! Oklahoma City Thunder wing Hamidou Diallo accelerates through a gap in the New York Knicks defense and explodes to the rim for an easy bucket on January 8, 2021.

Hamidou Diallo

Hamidou Diallo slices through open lane for dunk in the paint

Josh Hart saved his best game for last to conclude his rookie campaign. The last pick of the first round in the 2017 NBA Draft finished strong as he was guarded by Tobias Harris at the 3-point line atop the key, retreating a few steps backward to gain some extra space before pulling the trigger on a long triple from way downtown that gave the Los Angeles Lakers a commanding 19-point third quarter lead. Hart posted season-highs of 30 points and seven 3-pointers against the LA Clippers, shooting 9 of 15 overall and a sizzling 7 of 9 from deep to go with five rebounds and five assists in his squad’s 115-100 victory on April 11, 2018. 

Josh Hart

Josh Hart stops and pops in seven-trey performance as rookie

In less than four seasons, Gabe Vincent has made the transition from undrafted free agent to indispensable rotation member. Stepping into the starting lineup for the short-handed Miami Heat, Vincent’s shiftiness gives the Milwaukee Bucks nightmares as he pump fakes his way into a favorable one-on-one matchup before finishing with a stepback three-pointer. Vincent poured in a career-high 28 points on 10 of 17 shooting while also chipping in three rebounds, six assists, two steals and five triples in Miami’s gritty 108-102 victory on January 12, 2023.

Gabe Vincent

Gabe Vincent steps back into three-pointer against mismatched defender

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