Three Stars
The three stars in ice hockey are the three best players in a game, with the “first star” considered the best of the three players, similar to the player of the match in other sports. Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games.
First ⭐️
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 35 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Memphis Grizzlies 130-106 for their 11th consecutive victory. Gilgeous-Alexander went 14-19 from the field and hit all six of his free throw attempts. He added seven assists, six rebounds, and a game-high four blocks, committing just one turnover and one personal foul in 28 minutes played.
Second ⭐️
Tyrese Haliburton scored a game-high 31 points (tied with Jaylen Brown) to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 123-114 win over the Boston Celtics. Haliburton shot 11-19 from the floor and 8-9 from the foul line. He also contributed seven assists, six rebounds, and one steal, and was not charged with a turnover or a personal foul in 36 minutes of action.
Third ⭐️
Trae Young produced game highs of 34 points and 10 assists in the Atlanta Hawks’ 136-107 blowout win over the Toronto Raptors, handing the Raptors their 10th straight loss. Young went 10-21 from the field (7-13 on 3-pointers) and sank all seven of his free throw attempts. He also recorded a team-high two blocks and one steal in 32 minutes of playing time.
Milestones
Young recorded his 84th career 30-point, 10-assist game, tying Russell Westbrook for the fourth-most such games in NBA history. The top three players on the all-time list are Oscar Robertson (230), LeBron James (104), and James Harden (103).
Streaking
Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 27 games, the third-longest such streak of his career. He’s averaging 31.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 6.2 APG with 53.8/35.8/87.9 shooting splits over that span.
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama scored a game-high 34 points (with four 3-pointers made) and blocked two shots in a 112-110 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He’s recorded at least one 3-pointer made and one block in 23 straight games, the longest such streak in NBA history.
Wembanyama has blocked at least one shot in a franchise-record 66 consecutive games. Leaguewide, it’s the longest such streak since Josh Smith’s 76-game run from Dec. 12, 2006 to Dec. 17, 2007.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: Oklahoma City Thunder (11).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Toronto Raptors (10).
The Memphis Grizzlies have scored at least 100 points in 35 straight regular season games, matching the longest such streak in franchise history (Jan. 26, 2022 to Oct. 21, 2022).
Miscellany
Gilgeous-Alexander was the night’s leading scorer, bagging 35 points. Wembanyama (34), Young (34), the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown (31), and Haliburton (31) also had 30-point outings.
The Houston Rockets’ Alperen Sengun was the top board man last night, matching his season high with 18 rebounds. Also grabbing at least a dozen boards were the Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert (15), the Grizzlies’ John Konchar (15), and the Hawks’ Clint Capela (12).
The Spurs’ Chris Paul led all playmakers, handing out 14 assists last night. Young was the only other player to deliver double-digit dimes with 10.
The Thunder have recorded 20 double-digit wins in 31 games this season. Only three teams in NBA history have reached that mark in fewer games: the 2007-08 Boston Celtics (26 games), the 2020-21 Utah Jazz (29), and the 2015-16 San Antonio Spurs (30).