Another 50-Piece for Giannis
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his third 50-point game in his last 11 games, scoring 54 points as the Milwaukee Bucks rallied from a 21-point deficit to defeat the LA Clippers 106-105. The Bucks have won six consecutive games, all since Antetokounmpo’s return from injury.
Antetokounmpo also grabbed a game-high 19 rebounds. It’s the sixth time he’s recorded at least 50 points and 10 rebounds in a game, the sixth-most such games in NBA history:
118 — Wilt Chamberlain
16 — Elgin Baylor
8 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
8 — Michael Jordan
8 — James Harden
6 — Giannis Antetokounmpo
The last player to record at least three 50-point, 10-rebound games in an 11-game span was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in February 1972. Abdul-Jabbar also achieved the feat playing for the Bucks.
Antetokounmpo shot 21-39 from the field (53.8%) and made 10 of his 15 free throws. His 39 attempts from the field tied the franchise single-game record shared by Abdul-Jabbar (March 17, 1972) and Antetokounmpo himself (Dec. 28, 2022).
Antetokounmpo is averaging 40.2 PPG and 14.7 RPG during the Bucks’ winning streak, shooting 59.5% from the field. He’s recorded at least 25 points and 10 rebounds with 50% shooting from the field in each of those games.
The Clippers’ Kahwi Leonard struggled from the field, making just seven of his 26 attempts (26.9%). Leonard scored 17 points, snapping his career-long streak of nine straight 25-point games.
Norman Powell came off the bench for the Clippers to score a team-high 26 points. Powell shot 9-16 from the field with four 3-pointers made, an effective field goal percentage of 68.8%. It’s the 11th time Powell has come off the bench to score at least 20 points with an effective field goal percentage of 60% this season, the most such games in the NBA.
Jokic, Murray Lead Nuggets
Nikola Jokic recorded his 17th triple-double of the season, compiling 22 points, 16 assists, and 14 rebounds as the Denver Nuggets easily handled the Golden State Warriors 134-117. Jokic is just the fourth player in NBA history to record at least 45 points, 30 rebounds, and 30 assists over a two-game span, joining Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain, and Russell Westbrook.
Jokic has recorded eight triple-doubles in his last 10 games, narrowly missing another by just one assist. Over those 10 games, Jokic is averaging 24.4 PPG, 12.8 RPG, and 12.2 APG, shooting 70.6% from the field, 55.0% from 3-point range, and 89.1% from the free throw line.
Over his last 20 games, Jokic has recorded 13 triple-doubles. The only other players in NBA history to produce at least 13 triple-doubles over a 20-game span are Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain, and Russell Westbrook.
Jokic is now averaging a triple-double for the season, producing 25.0 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 10.1 assists per game. He’s just the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double through 52 team games, joining Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook.
Jokic has recorded at least 10 points, five rebounds, and five assists while shooting 50% from the field in each of his last 32 games, the longest such streak in NBA history by a whopping 19 games. Wilt Chamberlain ranks second with a streak of 13 such games in a row in February 1967.
Jokic shot 9-13 from the field (69.2%) and made four of his five free throws. It’s the 48th time he’s recorded a triple-double with a field goal percentage of at least 60%, the most such games in NBA history:
48 — Nikola Jokic
44 — Wilt Chamberlain
41 — Magic Johnson
Teammate Jamal Murray scored a game-high 33 points on 12-23 shooting from the field (52.2%), adding eight rebounds and five assists. It’s the 24th time Jokic and Murray have each recorded at least 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the same game, tying Alex English and Fat Lever for the most such games in franchise history by a duo. Jokic and Murray have recorded seven of those games this season, the most by any duo in the NBA.
The Warriors’ Stephen Curry scored a team-high 28 points in the loss, shooting 10-17 from the field (58.8%) with five 3-pointers made. Curry also contributed five rebounds and five assists.
Curry has scored at least 25 points in each of his last eight games. He’s averaging 32.5 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 6.3 APG over that span, shooting 45.2% from 3-point range and 94.9% from the free throw line.
Lakers Edge Pacers
Anthony Davis scored 31 points and grabbed 14 rebounds — both figures game highs — as the Los Angeles Lakers edged the Indiana Pacers 112-111. Davis helped seal the game with a block on Tyrese Haliburton’s driving layup attempt with 16.5 seconds remaining.
Davis now has 132 career 30-point, 10-rebound games. The only active players with more such games are Giannis Antetokounmpo (147) and teammate LeBron James (145).
Speaking of James, he scored 26 points to move within 63 points of surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time scoring leader. James made 11 of his 19 shots from the field (57.9%), adding seven rebounds and seven assists.
It’s the 654th time James has tallied at least 25 points, five rebounds, and five assists in a game, by far the most such games in NBA history. The third and fourth-ranked players on that list — Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, respectively — have combined for 633 such games, 21 fewer than James.
Haliburton led the Pacers with 26 points and 12 assists in his return to action after a 10-game absence. It was Haliburton’s 23rd points-assists double-double of the season, tied with Nikola Jokic for the second-most such games in the NBA.
The Pacers have lost 11 of their last 12 games, falling from five games above .500 (23-18) to five games below .500 (24-29) over that span. They have allowed at least 110 points in each of their last 13 games, matching the second-longest such streak in franchise history.
Quick Hitters
Some other notes from around the NBA:
Julius Randle celebrated his All-Star selection with 23 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and three steals as the New York Knicks beat the Miami Heat 106-104. Randle has recorded 33 points-rebounds double-doubles this season, the second-most such games in the NBA. He’s produced a double-double in 23 of his last 26 games, narrowly missing two more by just a single rebound. He’s averaging 27.2 PPG and 13.1 RPG over that span. The Heat’s Bam Adebayo, who joined Randle as an All-Star reserve, had 32 points and nine rebounds with 11-16 shooting from the field (68.8%) in the loss.
Charlotte Hornets center Mason Plumlee had 16 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists in a loss to the Chicago Bulls. Plumlee made all seven of his shots from the field and both of his free throws. The only other player since the ABA-NBA merger to record at least 15 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in a game while shooting 100% from both the field and the free throw line is Russell Westbrook (March 22, 2017). Over his last 25 games, Plumlee is averaging 15.3 PPG and 10.1 RPG, shooting 75.2% from the field. The only other player since the ABA-NBA merger to average at least 15 PPG and 10 RPG with a field goal percentage of 75% over a 25-game span is Rudy Gobert (Jan. 12–March 7, 2020).