December's Top Performers

Highlighting some of the NBA's top performers in the month of December.

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%.