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, all per-game factoids are based on a minimum of 10 games played, and all shooting-percentage factoids are based on a minimum of 10 games played with a pro-rated number of makes that would qualify for league leadership using the current guidelines.
The leaders in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, double-doubles, and triple-doubles were:
PTS — Nikola Jokic, 451
REB — Karl-Anthony Towns, 190
AST — Trae Young, 134
STL — Dejounte Murray, 37
BLK — Victor Wembanyama, 53
DD2 — Anthony Davis, Domantas Sabonis, & Karl-Anthony Towns, 11
TD3 — Nikola Jokic, 6
The leaders in PPG, RPG, APG, SPG, and BPG were:
PPG — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 33.3
RPG — Karl-Anthony Towns, 14.6
APG — Trae Young, 12.2
SPG — Dyson Daniels, 3.3
BPG — Victor Wembanyama, 4.4
The leaders in field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage, and free throw percentage were:
FG% — Walker Kessler, 71.1%
3P% — Evan Mobley, 52.4%
FT% — Kyrie Irving, 95.0%
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Two players recorded a 50-point game: the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic (56 on Dec. 7) and the New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson (55 on Dec. 28).
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all players with three 40-point games (including 45 points on Dec. 26, matching his career high) and 10 30-point games.
Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 33.3 PPG in 13 games with a true shooting percentage of 67.4%. Only two guards in NBA history have recorded a higher true shooting percentage in a month in which they averaged at least 30 PPG: Stephen Curry (five times) and Damian Lillard.
Jokic averaged 32.2 PPG in 12 games, the franchise’s highest such figure in a month since joining the NBA in 1976. The previous mark of 31.5 PPG was set by Carmelo Anthony in Nov. 2006.
Jokic shot 55.9% from the field and 45.2% from 3-point range. The only other players in NBA history to average at least 30 PPG in a month with shooting percentages of 55% on field goals and 45% on 3-pointers are Larry Bird (March 1986), Michael Jordan (Dec. 1989), and Gilgeous-Alexander (Feb. 2024).
Jokic averaged 12.6 RPG and 8.4 APG to go with his 32.2 PPG and 55.9% field goal percentage. He’s just the fourth player in NBA history to average at least 30 PPG, 10 RPG, and 5 APG in a month while also shooting 55% from the floor. The others to accomplish the feat are Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, all of whom did so multiple times.
Jokic recorded six triple-doubles, the 10th time he’s posted at least five in a month. The only other players in NBA history to produce at least 10 such months are Russell Westbrook (16) and Oscar Robertson (14).
The San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama is just the fourth player age 20 years or younger to record multiple 40-point games in a month (he had two). The others are LeBron James (twice), Doncic, and Jalen Green.
Wembanyama averaged 28.5 PPG and 10.0 RPG in 12 games. He’s just the third player to average at least 25 PPG and 10 RPG in a month before his 21st birthday, joining Shaquille O’Neal (twice) and Luka Doncic.
Wembanyama averaged 4.42 BPG, the highest such figure by a Spur since David Robinson in Jan. 1992 (4.60).
Wembanyama compiled 342 points, 120 rebounds, 58 assists, and 53 blocks. The last player to record at least 300 points, 100 rebounds, 50 assists, and 50 blocks in a month was Tim Duncan in Jan. 2007.
Wembanyama made 43 threes to go with his 53 blocks, the second consecutive month in which he’s recorded at least 40 of each. No other player in NBA history has produced even one such month.
The New York Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns averaged 14.6 RPG, the highest such figure of his career. The last Knick to average at least 14.6 RPG in a month was Bob McAdoo in Feb. 1978 (15.4).
The Atlanta Hawks’ Dyson Daniels averaged 3.30 SPG, the franchise’s highest such figure since Mookie Blaylock in Feb. 1998 (3.45).
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The Oklahoma City Thunder had a record of 12-1, which is a .923 winning percentage. That’s the highest such figure in a month in franchise history, besting the previous mark of .917 posted in Nov. 1993 and Feb. 1996.
The Memphis Grizzlies averaged 126.5 PPG and 30.64 APG in 14 games. Both are the highest such figures in a month in franchise history. The previous marks of 123.5 PPG and 30.57 APG were set in Feb. 2022 and Nov. 2024, respectively.
The Cleveland Cavaliers averaged 122.4 PPG in 13 games, the highest scoring average in a month in franchise history. The previous mark of 121.3 PPG was established in Nov. 2024.
The Denver Nuggets set a franchise record by averaging 33.0 APG in 14 games, surpassing the previous mark of 32.0 APG posted in Feb. 2023. Over the last 40 seasons, only two other teams have averaged at least 33 APG in a month: the Charlotte Hornets in April 1989 (33.3) and the Golden State Warriors in Jan. 2019 (33.3).
The New Orleans Pelicans averaged 11.6 SPG in 13 games, the highest such figure in a month in franchise history. They bested the previous mark of 10.1 SPG set in March 2022.
Three teams set franchise records for most 3-pointers made per game in a month: the Cleveland Cavaliers (18.3), the Chicago Bulls (16.5), and the Memphis Grizzlies (16.1). The only team in NBA history to average more 3-pointers made per game in a month than the Cavaliers is the Boston Celtics in Nov. 2024 (18.5).