NBA Game Notes (Dec. 29, 2025)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on Dec. 29, 2025.
Three Stars
Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games, with the “first star” considered the top performer.
First ⭐️
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 39 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 140-129 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Gilgeous-Alexander shot 15-24 from the field (2-5 on threes) and 7-7 from the free throw line. He also contributed six rebounds, six assists, and a game-high two steals (tied with five others) in 36 minutes played.
Second ⭐️
Zion Williamson scored a game-high 32 points, but it wasn’t enough as the New Orleans Pelicans fell to the New York Knicks 130-125. Williamson went 11-16 from the floor and 10-12 from the charity stripe. He added five rebounds, a team-high two steals (tied with Saddiq Bey), and a game-high two blocks (tied with three others) in 29 minutes of action.
Third ⭐️
Naz Reid came off the bench to pour in a game-high 33 points in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 136-101 rout of the Chicago Bulls. Reid shot 11-18 from the field (6-10 on threes) and 5-5 from the free throw line. He also recorded seven rebounds and three assists, committing just one turnover and no personal fouls in 27 minutes played.
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Milestones
Stephen Curry (27 points) moved into 21st place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list in the Golden State Warriors’ 120-107 win over the Brooklyn Nets. He has 26,077 career points, surpassing Kevin Garnett’s 26,071.
The Timberwolves’ Mike Conley appeared in his 1,200th regular season game, becoming the 49th player in NBA history to reach that mark. He recorded his 1,622nd career steal, tying Hersey Hawkins for 31st place on the all-time leaderboard (steals have been tracked since 1973-74).
Head coach Doc Rivers picked up his 1,176th regular season win as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Charlotte Hornets 123-113. That breaks a tie with George Karl for sixth place on the NBA’s career leaderboard.
The Atlanta Hawks (25-54 on threes) tied the franchise record for most 3-pointers made in a game. They previously hit 25 triples on Dec. 6, 2021 in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Streaking
Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 104 regular season games, the second-longest such streak in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain’s record 126-game run.
Rookie Cooper Flagg (15 points, six rebounds, eight assists) produced his fifth straight 15-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist game in the Dallas Mavericks’ 125-122 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. He and Luka Doncic are the only teenagers in NBA history to record at least five such games in a row.
The Knicks’ Jalen Brunson (28 points) has recorded 11 straight 20-point games. He’s averaging 32.2 PPG and 6.6 APG with 49.6/42.7/83.3 shooting splits over that span.
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Indiana Pacers (nine) and Atlanta Hawks (seven).
The Minnesota Timberwolves have scored at least 100 points in 91 consecutive games, the fourth-longest such streak in NBA history.
The Hawks have given up at least 125 points in each of their last seven games, the longest such streak in franchise history and tied for the fourth-longest such streak in NBA history.
Miscellany
Gilgeous-Alexander led the nightly scoring brigade, bagging 39 points. He was followed by Reid (33 points), Williamson (32), the Hornets’ Brandon Miller (31), the Hawks’ Nickeil Alexander-Walker (30), and the Houston Rockets’ Kevin Durant (30).
The Orlando Magic’s Paolo Banchero was the night’s top board man, collecting 15 rebounds. The Hawks’ Onyeka Okongwu and the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama were runners-up with 14 rebounds apiece.
The Timberwolves’ Julius Randle was the premier playmaker last night, handing out 14 assists. Also delivering double-digit dimes were the Trail Blazers’ Deni Avdija (11), the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Darius Garland (11), the Miami Heat’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. (career-high 11), the Denver Nuggets’ Jamal Murray (11), the Bucks’ Kevin Porter Jr. (11), Banchero (10), the Knicks’ Mikal Bridges (career-high 10), and Brunson (10).
Banchero posted his fourth career triple-double, scoring 23 points to go with his 15 rebounds and 10 assists. He and Nikola Vucevic are the only players in franchise history to record at least 20 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists in a game, and Banchero is the only one to do so twice.
The Miami Heat blew out the Denver Nuggets 147-123, the eighth time they’ve scored at least 140 points in the calendar year. The Heat recorded just seven such games from 1988 (the year they debuted) through 2024.