Warriors Record Start
The Golden State Warriors scored 55 points in the first quarter of a 157-101 demolition of the Portland Trail Blazers, setting an NBA record for most points scored in an opening period. Only three teams in NBA history have scored more points in any quarter:
58 — Buffalo Braves (Oct. 20, 1972)
57 — Phoenix Suns (Nov. 10, 1990)
57 — Golden State Warriors (March 4, 1989)
Stephen Curry led the Warriors, scoring a game-high 26 points in just 22 minutes played. Curry shot 9-15 from the field with five 3-pointers made, adding seven assists and five rebounds. He extended two NBA-record streaks:
most consecutive games with at least one 3-pointer made (245)
most consecutive games with multiple 3-pointers made (56)
Curry became the first player in NBA history to make multiple 3-pointers in every game in a season in which a player appeared in more than one game.
Fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson scored 20 points in 22 minutes, shooting 7-14 from the field with six 3-pointers made. Thompson became the third player in NBA history to make at least 300 3-pointers in a season, joining Curry (four times) and James Harden.
Curry and Thompson each made at least five 3-pointers in the same game 11 times this season, tying their NBA record for must such games by a duo in a season established in 2015-16. Curry and Thompson have recorded a career total of 47 such games, 27 more than any other duo in NBA history.
The Warriors’ Moses Moody came off the bench to score a season-high 25 points. Moody made 10 of his 14 attempts from the field, including four of his seven 3-point attempts.
The Warriors shot 27-49 from 3-point range as a team, matching the franchise record for most 3-pointers made in a game set on May 8, 2021. It’s the 19th time the Warriors have made at least 20 3-pointers in a game this season, setting an NBA record for most such games by a team in a season. They had been tied with the 2018-19 Houston Rockets.
T-Wolves Outslug Pels
In a wild game, the Minnesota Timberwolves outslugged the New Orleans Pelicans 113-103. The Timberwolves sent center Rudy Gobert home after a second-quarter altercation with teammate Kyle Anderson, one which involved Gobert throwing a punch. They also lost starting forward Jaden McDaniels for the remainder of the season after he broke his hand punching a wall late in the first quarter, presumably due to frustration over drawing his second personal foul.
The Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns scored a team-high 30 points, his first 30-point game since November 16. Town shot 10-19 from the field — including 5-8 from 3-point range — and made five of his six free throws.
Teammate Anthony Edwards scored 26 points and matched his season high with 13 rebounds. Edwards also recorded four steals and four blocks, but shot just 8-21 from the field and committed eight turnovers.
The Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram had a big game in the loss, scoring a game-high 42 points with 12 rebounds and seven assists. Ingram made 16 of his 28 attempts from the field and all nine of his free throws.
Ingram scored at least 20 points in 13 of his last 14 games of the season. He averaged 28.6 PPG and 8.1 APG with 51/38/90 shooting splits over that span.
Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas produced 11 points and 18 rebounds in just 22 minutes of action. It’s the 28th time Valanciunas has recorded a double-double in fewer than 30 minutes played this season, the most such games in a season since the ABA-NBA merger:
28 — Jonas Valanciunas (2022-23)
26 — Valanciunas (2019-20)
25 — Valanciunas (2020-21)
24 — Hassan Whiteside (2018-19)
22 — Enes Freedom (2015-16)
Quick Hitters
Some other notes from around the NBA:
Kenneth Lofton Jr. became the 57th different player to record a 40-point game this season, scoring a career-high 42 points in the Memphis Grizzlies’ 115-100 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. No other season in NBA history has produced more than 47 such players. Lofton Jr. shot 17-25 from the field and hauled in a team-high 14 rebounds. Among players who debuted since the NBA began tracking starters in 1970-71, Lofton Jr. is the only one to record a 40-point, 10-rebound game in his first career start. He’s the first rookie to record a 40-point, 10-rebound game since Blake Griffin on Jan. 17, 2011.
LeBron James tallied 36 points, six rebounds, and six assists as the Los Angeles Lakers took care of the Utah Jazz 128-117. It’s the 80th time James has scored at least 30 points in a game since turning 35 years old, tying Karl Malone for the most such games in NBA history. The Lakers posted a record of 16-7 after the All-Star break, the best record in the Western Conference and the second-best record in the NBA (Milwaukee Bucks, 17-7).
The Boston Celtics’ Payton Pritchard recorded his first career triple-double, compiling 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 120-114 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Pritchard made nine of his 16 3-point field goal attempts. Teammate Sam Hauser scored 26 points, shooting 8-14 from 3-point range. Pritchard and Hauser became just the fourth teammates in NBA history to each make at last eight 3-pointers in the same game, three of those occurrences coming this season:
Zach LaVine & Coby White (Feb. 10, 2021)
Donovan Mitchell & Kevin Love (Oct. 30, 2022)
Andrew Wiggins & Stephen Curry (Dec. 3, 2022)
Payton Pritchard & Sam Hauser (April 9, 2023)
Two other players joined Pritchard in recording their first career triple-double yesterday: the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Tre Mann (24 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists) and the Dallas Mavericks’ Theo Pinson (23 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists). It’s the first time in NBA history three players recorded their first career triple-double on the same day.
Cam Thomas scored 46 points, but it wasn’t nearly enough as the Brooklyn Nets fell to the Philadelphia 76ers 134-105. Thomas — who did not score in his last outing — recorded the third-highest point total in NBA history by a player who was held scoreless in his previous game, trailing only Luka Doncic (53) and Nick Anderson (50). Thomas recorded four 40-point games and 15 scoreless games this season. No other player in NBA history who has recorded multiple 40-point games in a season has been held scoreless more than five times.
Appearing in the final regular season game of his 20-season career, Udonis Haslem scored a game-high 24 points as the Miami Heat defeated the Orlando Magic 123-110. It’s Haslem’s highest point total since scoring 28 points versus the New Jersey Nets on Nov 14. 2009. At 42 years and 304 days old, Haslem became the oldest player in NBA history to record a 20-point game, surpassing Vince Carter (42 years, 37 days).
Bennedict Mathurin led seven Indiana Pacers in double figures with 26 points in a 141-136 victory over the New York Knicks. Mathurin scored at least 25 points 11 times this season, second among rookies to Paolo Banchero (15). The Knicks’ Obi Toppin led all players with 34 points on 13-23 shooting from the field, adding seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Teammate Immanuel Quickley chipped in with 30 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. Knicks center Mitchell Robinson recorded game highs of 20 rebounds and seven blocks. He’s the first player to record at least 15 points and seven blocks in back-to-back games since Ben Wallace on March 18 & 20, 2003.
Kawhi Leonard had 25 points, 15 rebounds, and six assists as the LA Clippers topped the undermanned Phoenix Suns 119-114. Teammate Russell Westbrook contributed 25 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds, while Norman Powell came off the bench to score a game-high 29 points. Powell produced nine 25-point games coming off the bench this season, the most such games in the NBA. Saben Lee scored a career-high 25 points and dished out 10 assists for the Suns, who sat usual starters Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Deandre Ayton.