Lillard Outduels Morant
Damian Lillard produced 42 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers rallied to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies 122-112. It’s the 15th time Lillard has recorded at least 40 points and 10 assists in a game, breaking a tie with Jerry West for the fifth-most such games in NBA history.
Lillard shot 11-22 from the field — including 5-13 from 3-point range — and made 15 of his 16 free throws. Lillard is just the second player in NBA history to make at least five 3-pointers and 15 free throws in consecutive games, joining James Harden (Jan. 14 & 16, 2019).
Over his last 11 games, Lillard is averaging 39.1 PPG and 7.9 APG, shooting 53.0% from the field, 40.5% from 3-point range, and 94.9% from the free throw line. He has scored at least 24 points in each of those games.
The Grizzlies’ Ja Morant narrowly missed his third straight triple-double, tallying 32 points, 12 assists, and nine rebounds in the loss. Morant now has 12 career 30-point, 10-assist games, four more such games than all other players in franchise history combined. No other Grizzly has recorded more than two such games.
Celtics Demolish Nets
The Boston Celtics scored 46 first-quarter points en route to a 139-96 demolition of the Brooklyn Nets. The Celtics held a 30-point lead at the end of the first quarter, the largest lead after one period in franchise history. The Celtics’ 79 first-half points were their most going into halftime since Feb. 7, 1990 (80).
The Celtics’ Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 31 points on 12-19 shooting from the field, including seven 3-pointers made. Tatum singlehandedly outscored the Nets in the first quarter, 18-16.
Tatum now has 94 career 30-point games, breaking a tie with Sam Jones for the fourth-most such games in franchise history. It’s the 44th time Tatum has recorded a 30-point game with five 3-pointers made, more than double that of any other player in franchise history (Paul Pierce, 21).
Teammate Jaylen Brown scored 26 points, making eight of his 16 field goal attempts with seven 3-pointers made. Tatum and Brown are the first duo in franchise history to each make at least seven 3-pointers in the same game.
Tatum and Brown have each scored at least 25 points in the same game 27 times this season. The only duo in NBA history to record more such games through 52 team games is Elgin Baylor and Jerry West in 1962-63 (30).
Jazz Hold Off Raptors
Fred VanVleet recorded his second career triple-double — compiling 34 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists — but it wasn’t enough as the Toronto Raptors fell to the Utah Jazz 131-128.
VanVleet has scored at least 30 points in each of his triple-doubles. The only other player in franchise history to record multiple 30-point triple-doubles is Pascal Siakam, also with two.
Over his last nine games, VanVleet is averaging 26.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 7.9 APG, shooting 41.0% from 3-point range and 97.5% from the free throw line. He’s recorded six 25-point games over that span.
Siakam produced 21 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. He and VanVleet became just the third duo in franchise history to each record at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in a game. Siakam has been involved in all three pairings:
Pascal Siakam & Kawhi Leonard (March 20, 2019)
Sikam & O.G. Anunoby (Jan. 29, 2022)
Siakam & Fred VanVleet (Feb. 1, 2023)
Lauri Markkanen recorded his 20th double-double of the season for the Jazz, scoring 28 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Markkanen shot 7-13 from the field — including 4-9 from 3-point range — and made all 10 of his free throws.
Utah rookie Walker Kessler had 17 points, 14 rebounds, and seven blocks, making eight of his 10 attempts from the field. The last rookie to record at least 15 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks in a game while shooting at least 80% from the field was Yao Ming on Dec. 16, 2002.
Kessler recorded his 100th block of the season, reaching that mark in his 50th NBA game. The only rookie in the last 20 seasons to reach 100 blocks in fewer games is Mitchell Robinson (45, 2018-19).
Quick Hitters
Some other notes from around the NBA:
Houston Rockets rookie Tari Eason had 20 points, 13 rebounds (12 offensive!), three steals, and two blocks in just 19 minutes played in a 112-106 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. He’s the only rookie since the ABA-NBA merger to record a 20-point, 10-rebound game while playing fewer than 20 minutes. Eason attempted 21 shots from the field, the most by any player since the ABA-NBA merger in a game with fewer than 20 minutes played.
Domantas Sabonis scored a season-high 34 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Sacramento Kings beat the San Antonio Spurs 119-109. It was his NBA-leading 39th double-double of the season. Sabonis made 15 of his 20 shots from the field (75.0%). The last King to record a 30-point, 10-rebound game while shooting at least 75% from the field was DeMarcus Cousins on March 28, 2013.
James Harden (26 PTS, 10 AST, 9 REB) and Joel Embiid (28 PTS, 11 REB) led the Philadelphia 76ers to a 105-94 win over the Orlando Magic. It’s the third time Embiid and Harden have each recorded a 25-point double-double in the same game this season, the most such games by any duo.
Anthony Edwards (27 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST) set a franchise record with his fifth consecutive 25-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist game as the Minnesota Timberwolves outlasted the Golden State Warriors 119-114 in overtime. Edwards is just the fourth player in NBA history to record at least five such games in a row before his 22nd birthday, joining Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Luka Doncic.