Here are some quick hitters on the NBA’s top performers in the month of December. Please note that all references to a “month” mean a calendar month, and all per-game factoids are based on a minimum of 10 games played.
The leaders in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks were:
PTS — Luka Doncic, 488
REB — Domantas Sabonis, 184
AST — Tyrese Haliburton, 168
STL — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 40
BLK — Brook Lopez, 46
The leaders in PPG, RPG, APG, SPG, and BPG were:
PPG — Luka Doncic, 37.5
RPG — Domantas Sabonis, 13.1
APG — Tyrese Haliburton, 14.0
SPG — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 3.1
BPG — Victor Webbanyama, 3.8
The Sacramento Kings’ Domantas Sabonis led all players with 14 double-doubles and five triple-doubles. He averaged 20.3 PPG, 13.1 RPG, and 8.2 APG in 14 games, shooting 59.8% from the field.
The Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic averaged 37.5 PPG and 11.1 APG, the former a franchise single-month record. The last player to average at least 35 PPG and 10 APG in a month was Nate Archibald in February 1973.
Doncic recorded at least 30 points, five rebounds, and five assists in a game 12 times, matching his career best (December 2022). The only player in NBA history to produce more such games in a month is Oscar Robertson (twice).
Doncic and the Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young each recorded nine 30-point, 10-assist games. The only player in NBA history to record more such games in a month is Nate Archibald, with 11 in November 1972 and 10 in December 1972.
Young averaged 30.4 PPG and 12.1 APG, the latter a franchise single-month record. It’s the fourth time he’s averaged at least 30 PPG and 10 APG in a month, tying Russell Westbrook for the most such months among active players.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo had six games in which he scored at least 30 points on 65% shooting from the field, tying five other players for the most such games in a month in NBA history. The last player to achieve the feat was Shaquille O’Neal in March 2002.
Antetokounmpo averaged 32.5 PPG, 11.5 RPG, and 6.8 APG, shooting 61.6% from the field. It’s the third time he’s averaged at least 30 PPG, 10 RPG, and 5 APG with a field goal percentage of 60% in a month. The only other player in NBA history to produce even one such month is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in January 1971.
Nikola Jokic compiled 340 points, 169 rebounds, and 136 assists. It’s the 13th time he’s recorded at least 300 points, 150 rebounds, and 100 assists in a month, breaking a tie with Oscar Robertson for the most such months in NBA history.
The Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton averaged 21.4 PPG and 14.0 APG, the latter a franchise single-month record. The last player to average at least 14 APG in a month was Rajon Rondo in April 2012.
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Chet Holmgren blocked 45 shots, second only to Brook Lopez (46) in December. It’s the most blocks in a month by a rookie since Michael Stewart recorded 48 blocks in January 1998.
Holmgren’s teammate, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, averaged 31.9 PPG on 55.3% shooting from the field. It’s the second straight month in which Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged at least 30 PPG with a field goal percentage of 55%. The only other guard in NBA history to accomplish this feat in consecutive months is Michael Jordan.
The Boston Celtics’ Derrick White averaged 20.3 PPG with 51/44/95 shooting splits. The only other player in franchise history to average at least 20 PPG with 50/40/95 shooting splits in a month is Larry Bird in November 1987 (minimum 10 3-pointers made).
White blocked 25 shots, the most by a guard in a month since KJ McDaniels had 26 blocks in December 2014. White recorded nine multi-block games, the most such games by a guard in a month since Tracy McGrady in January 2000 (nine).
The Boston Celtics posted the month’s best record, going 12-2, while the Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets shared the month’s worst record at 1-12.
The Milwaukee Bucks averaged 131.5 PPG in 13 games. The only team in NBA history to record a higher scoring average in a month is the Denver Nuggets in November 1988 (132.5).
The Bucks recorded an effective field goal percentage of 60.2%, shooting 51.9% on field goals and 40.3% on 3-pointers. They are just the fourth team in NBA history to post an effective field goal percentage of at least 60% in a month, joining the Golden State Warriors (February 2018), Boston Celtics (November 2022), and Brooklyn Nets (December 2022).
The Oklahoma City Thunder averaged 123.9 PPG, a franchise single-month record. The previous mark of 122.4 PPG was set by the Seattle SuperSonics in February 1970. The Thunder also set a franchise single-month record by recording an effective field goal percentage of 57.5%.