NBA Game Notes (Dec. 15, 2023)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on December 15, 2023.
Brunson Drops Career-High 50
A red-hot Jalen Brunson scored a career-high 50 points as the New York Knicks burned the Phoenix Suns 139-122. Brunson went a perfect 9-9 from 3-point range, tying the NBA record for most 3-pointers made in a game without a miss:
Latrell Sprewell (Feb. 4, 2003)
Ben Gordon (April 14, 2006)
Gordon (March 21, 2012)
Jalen Brunson (Dec. 15, 2023)
Overall, Brunson made 17 of his 23 shots from the field, the highest field goal percentage ever recorded by a Knick in a 50-point game:
73.9% — Jalen Brunson (Dec. 15, 2023)
72.4% — Willis Reed (Nov. 1, 1967)
71.4% — Bernard King (Feb. 1, 1984)
71.0% — Patrick Ewing (Dec. 1, 1990)
69.2% — Carmelo Anthony (April 2, 2013)
Accounting for his 3-pointers, Brunson posted an effective field goal percentage of 93.5%, the fifth-highest such figure in NBA history in a 50-point game:
102.6% — Kyrie Irving (March 8, 2022)
100.0% — Jamal Murray (Feb. 19, 2021)
97.8% — Irving (Jan. 31, 2020)
97.8% — Fred VanVleet (Feb. 2, 2021)
93.5% — Jalen Brunson (Dec. 15, 2023)
Brunson also produced nine assists, six rebounds, and five steals. He’s just the fourth player to record at least 50 points, five rebounds, five assists, and five steals in a game since the NBA began tracking steals in 1973-74 (a total of five instances):
Rick Barry (March 26, 1974)
Barry (Jan. 23, 1975)
Michael Jordan (March 18, 1988)
Anthony Davis (Oct. 26, 2016)
Jalen Brunson (Dec. 15, 2023)
Teammate Julis Randle scored 23 points on 10-16 shooting from the field, adding eight rebounds and six assists. RJ Barrett chipped in with 21 points, going 6-10 from the floor and 8-8 from the free throw line.
Kevin Durant scored a team-high 29 points for the Suns, his 20th straight 25-point game. That’s the longest such streak in franchise history by nine games, and the second-longest such streak in NBA history by a player age 35 years or older (LeBron James, 23).
It’s the third time Durant has scored 25 or more points in at least 20 consecutive games. The only other players in NBA history to produce at least three such streaks are Wilt Chamberlain (six) and Michael Jordan (three).
The Suns’ Devin Booker scored 28 points and dished out nine assists, but made just 11 of his 26 attempts from the field. Backcourt mate Bradley Beal played just five minutes, leaving the game with an ankle injury in the first quarter.
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