NBA Game Notes (Dec. 18, 2025)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on Dec. 18, 2025.
Author’s Note: This will be my last NBA Game Notes for a bit, as I’ll be taking a break to spend some quality time with family and friends. I’ll return Sunday, Dec. 28 with my daily statistical recap. Whatever you choose to celebrate, I hope you have a wonderful holiday season.
Three Stars
Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games, with the “first star” considered the top performer.
First ⭐️
Luka Doncic produced his 85th career triple-double, recording game highs of 45 points and 14 assists to go with a team-high 11 rebounds (tied with Jarred Vanderbilt) in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 143-135 win over the Utah Jazz. Doncic shot 14-28 from the field (4-12 on threes) and 13-16 from the free throw line. He also swiped a game-high five steals and committed just one turnover in 40 minutes played.
Second ⭐️
Jalen Johnson scored a career-high 43 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Atlanta Hawks fell to the Charlotte Hornets 133-126. Johnson went 16-27 from the floor (4-9 on threes) and 7-7 from the charity stripe. He added a game-high 11 rebounds, nine assists, one steal, and one block in 39 minutes of action.
Third ⭐️
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 32 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 122-101 victory over the LA Clippers. Gilgeous-Alexander hit 13 of his 24 attempts from the field. He also contributed seven rebounds, a game-high six assists (tied with Kawhi Leonard), two steals, and a game-high two blocks (tied with Ivica Zubac) in just 29 minutes played.
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Milestones
As noted above, Doncic recorded his 85th career triple-double, becoming the seventh player in NBA history to reach that mark. He’s the second-fastest player to attain the milestone (470 games), trailing only Oscar Robertson (217).
Doncic now has 10 career 40-point triple-doubles, joining Oscar Robertson (22 such games), James Harden (17), and Russell Westbrook (13) as the only players in NBA history to reach that mark.
Doncic is just the second player to record at least 45 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and five steals in a game since the NBA began tracking steals in 1973-74. He joins Cade Cunningham, who became the first player to achieve the feat earlier this season (Nov. 10, 2025).
Nikola Jokic (13 assists) broke the NBA record for most career assists by a center in the Denver Nuggets’ 126-115 win over the Orlando Magic. He has 5,667 career assists, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s mark of 5,660.
The Charlotte Hornets hit 18 triples in the first half, tying the NBA record for most 3-pointers made in one half. It’s the seventh time a team has accomplished this feat, with the Hornets being the only franchise to have done so twice.
Streaking
Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 98 regular season games, the second-longest such streak in NBA history. The record of 126 consecutive 20-point games is held by Wilt Chamberlain.
Doncic has recorded at least 25 points and five assists in 11 straight games, breaking a tie with LeBron James (Dec. 18, 2022 to Jan. 7, 2023) for the longest such streak in Lakers history.
Johnson has recorded at least seven points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in 17 consecutive games. It’s the fourth-longest such streak in NBA history, trailing only Oscar Robertson (20 games, twice) and Wilt Chamberlain (19).
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (four blocks) extended his streak of games with at least one block to 99 in a 119-94 rout of the Washington Wizards. It’s the third-longest such streak since the NBA began tracking blocks in 1973-74.
At 22 years and 40 days old, the Jazz’s Keyonte George (34 points) became the youngest player in franchise history to record three straight 30-point games. The previous mark of 22 years and 127 days was held by Donovan Mitchell.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: Denver Nuggets (six) and New York Knicks (six).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: LA Clippers (five).
The Utah Jazz (135 points) have recored three consecutive 130-point games for just the second time in franchise history (Jan. 12–15, 2024). On the flip side, Utah has allowed at least 125 points in each of its last five games, matching the longest such streak in franchise history (April 2–11, 2025 and Nov. 11–21, 2025).
Miscellany
Doncic was the night’s leading scorer, netting 45 points. He was followed by Johnson (career-high 43 points), the Portland Trail Blazers’ Deni Avdija (35), George (34), and the Sacramento Kings’ DeMar DeRozan (33).
The Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo was the top board man, securing 17 rebounds last night. Next in line were the Magic’s Paolo Banchero (16 rebounds), the Dallas Mavericks’ Anthony Davis (14), the Pistons’ Jalen Duren (13), the Jazz’s Kyle Filipowski (13), and the Phoenix Suns’ Oso Ighodaro (career-high 13).
Doncic was the premier playmaker last night, handing out 14 assists. Also delivering double-digit dimes were the Hornets’ LaMelo Ball (13), the Jazz’s Isaiah Collier (13), Jokic (13), the Milwaukee Bucks’ Kevin Porter Jr. (13), the Knicks’ Tyler Kolek (career-high 11), the Toronto Raptors’ Jamal Shed (11), Banchero (10), the Lakers’ LeBron James (10), the Raptors’ Immanuel Quickley (10), the Kings’ Russell Westbrook (10), and the Hawks’ Trae Young (10).
Jokic recorded his 177th career triple-double — and league-leading 13th triple-double of the season — scoring 23 points and snagging 11 rebounds to go with his previously-mentioned 13 assists.
Banchero produced his third career triple-double, scoring 26 points to go with his aforementioned 16 rebounds and 10 assists. He’s now tied with Hedo Turkoglu and Nikola Vucevic for second place on the Magic’s all-time list, five behind Elfrid Payton.