NBA Game Notes (Dec. 30, 2025)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on Dec. 30, 2025.
Three Stars
Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games, with the “first star” considered the top performer.
First ⭐️
Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high 33 points as the LA Clippers destroyed the Sacramento Kings 131-90 to pick up their fifth straight win. Leonard shot 11-19 from the field (5-9 on threes) and 6-7 from the free throw line. He added five rebounds, a game-high five assists (tied with James Harden), a game-high three steals, and one block, committing just one turnover and one personal foul in 33 minutes played.
Second ⭐️
Tyrese Maxey scored a team-high 34 points (tied with Joel Embiid) and dished out a game-high 12 assists in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 139-136 overtime win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Maxey went 13-21 from the floor, hitting four of his seven 3-point attempts. He also swiped two steals and was not charged with a turnover in 43 minutes of action.
Third ⭐️
Ja Morant poured in a game-high 40 points, but it wasn’t enough in the Grizzlies’ loss to the Sixers. Morant was very efficient, going 16-22 from the field and 8-10 from the charity stripe. He also swiped a team-high two steals and did not commit a personal foul in 34 minutes played.
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Milestones
Derrick White (seven blocks) tied the NBA record for most blocks in a game by a player who’s primarily* a guard as the Boston Celtics beat the Utah Jazz 129-119. The other guards who have achieved this feat since the league began tracking blocks in 1973-74 are George Gervin (Dec. 27, 1977), Dennis Johnson (Nov. 6, 1979), Doug Christie (Feb. 29, 2000), and Tracy McGrady (March 19, 2000).
LeBron James became the 12th player in NBA history to appear in a game at the age of 41 years or older in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 128-106 loss to the Detroit Pistons.
The Clippers’ James Harden (one steal) recorded his 1,753rd career steal, breaking a tie with Paul Pierce for 22nd place on the NBA’s all-time list (steals have been tracked since the 1973-74 season).
The Kings’ Russell Westbrook appeared in his 1,270th regular season game, tying John Havlicek for 32nd place on the NBA’s career leaderboard.
Morant recorded his 10th career 40-point game. He’s the first player in Grizzlies history to reach that mark.
* Sidenote: Josh Smith (Dec. 18, 2004) and Andrei Kirilenko (March 25, 2006) each blocked 10 shots in a game in which they were listed as a starting guard. However, both were primarily frontcourt players.
Streaking
Leonard has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 14 games, including five straight 25-point efforts. He’s averaging 30.4 PPG, 7.1 RPG, and 2.0 SPG with 50.2/38.0/96.8 shooting splits over the former span.
The Celtics’ Jaylen Brown (23 points) recorded his 10th straight 20-point game. He’s averaging 31.7 PPG, 6.5 RPG, and 5.4 APG over that stretch, shooting 53.8% from the field and 42.6% from 3-point range.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: LA Clippers (five).
Miscellany
Morant was the night’s leading point producer, netting 40 points. He was followed by the Jazz’s Keyonte George (37 points), the Sixers’ Joel Embiid (34), Maxey (34), Leonard (33), and the Lakers’ Luka Doncic (30).
The Grizzlies’ Cedric Coward was the chairman of the boards, snagging a career-high 16 rebounds last night. Teammate Jaren Jackson Jr. and the Kings’ Maxime Raynaud were runners-up with 12 rebounds apiece.
Maxey was the nightly leader in assists, handing out 12 helpers. Also delivering double-digit dimes were the Pistons’ Cade Cunningham (11), Doncic (11), and Brown (10).
White (27 points, seven rebounds, six assists, seven blocks) is the first Celtic to record at least 25 points, five rebounds, five assists, and five blocks in a game since Paul Pierce on Dec. 19, 2001.