Jokic Powers Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic recorded his 120th career triple-double, compiling team highs of 27 points, 22 rebounds, and 12 assists in a 120-108 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. The Nuggets improved to 34-16 with the win, just a half-game behind the Western-Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Jokic now has six career games in which he’s recorded at least 25 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists, tying Elgin Baylor for the third-most such games in NBA history. The only players with more such games are Wilt Chamberlain (24) and Oscar Robertson (eight).
It’s the 161st game in which Jokic has led his team — either outright or tied — in points, rebounds, and assists. The only player in NBA history with more such games is LeBron James with 232.
Jokic made 11 of his 16 shots from the floor, a field goal percentage of 68.8%. In his 17 games since going 4-12 from the field on Christmas Day, Jokic is averaging 26.2 PPG with 69/52/82 shooting splits.
Jokic has recorded at least 25 points and 10 rebounds in each of his last 11 games, the longest such streak in franchise history and tied for the third-longest single-season streak since the ABA-NBA merger. He’s shot at least 50% from the field in all but one of those games.
Jokic has an NBA-leading 15 triple-doubles this season. He’s recorded at least 15 triple-doubles in each of his last four seasons, tied with Russell Westbrook for the second-longest such streak in NBA history. The record of five such seasons in a row is held by Oscar Robertson (1960-61 to 1964-65).
The Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon lent support with 18 points (7-9 field goals) and five assists, while Jamal Murray fell one rebound shy of a triple-double, tallying 13 points, 10 assists, and nine boards. However, Murray made just five of his 21 field goal attempts, including a 3-15 performance from 3-point range. He set a franchise record for most 3-pointers missed in a game, surpassing the previous mark of 11 shared by three players.
Trail Blazers rookie Scoot Henderson came off the bench to score a game-high 30 points, going 8-15 from the field and 11-12 from the free throw line. He’s just the second rookie in franchise history to record a 30-point game coming off the bench, joining Geoff Petrie on Oct. 24, 1970.
Portland’s Anfernee Simons bagged 29 points, shooting 11-23 from the floor with four 3-pointers made. Fellow starting guard Malcolm Brogdon added 11 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, and was not charged with a turnover in 36 minutes played.
Snubbed Sabonis Leads Kings
All-Star snub Domantas Sabonis produced team highs of 26 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists as the Sacramento Kings outscored the Indiana Pacers 133-122. The Kings have won five of their last six games after a season-long four-game losing streak.
Sabonis shot 9-14 from the field and made eight of his nine free throws. He’s recorded a double-double in each of his last 30 games, the longest such streak of his career and the 10th-longest such streak since the ABA-NBA merger. Sabonis is averaging 20.7 PPG, 13.8 RPG, and 8.6 APG with a field-goal percentage of 63.2% over that span.
Three other Kings had 20-point outings: De’Aaron Fox (25 points, six steals, 11-21 field goals), Malik Monk (23 points, six assists, five rebounds, 9-14 field goals), and Harrison Barnes (22 points, three steals, 9-14 field goals). Monk has 13 20-point games coming off the bench this season, tied with Bogdan Bogdanovic for the league lead.
Bennedict Mathurin poured in a game-high 31 points for the Pacers, going 10-14 from the floor and 9-10 from the free throw line. Teammate Pascal Siakam scored 22 points, making 10 of his 15 tries from the field.
Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton scored 14 points (6-10 field goals) in 22 minutes played, but committed a game-high five turnovers (tied with Mathurin and Siakam) and recorded just one assist. It’s Haliburton’s lowest assist total since Nov. 19, 2021, when he was held without an assist while still a member of the Kings.
The Pacers have scored at least 120 points in a game 34 times this season, the third-most such games in NBA history by a team through its first 50 games of a season. The record of 35 such games is shared by the 1961-62 Philadelphia Warriors and 1981-82 Denver Nuggets.
Hawks Cool-Off Suns
The Atlanta Hawks cooled off the hot Phoenix Suns, pulling out a 129-120 victory. The Suns entered the game with nine wins in their last 11 contests. The Hawks have been up and down over their last 10 games, with a four-game losing skid sandwiched by two three-game winning streaks.
Atlanta’s Trae Young scored a team-high 32 points to go with game highs of 15 assists and three steals. Young has nine career 30-point, 15-assist games, the most in franchise history. He shot 12-17 from the field, including a 7-11 showing from 3-point range.
Young ranks sixth in the NBA with 30 double-doubles this season. All of them are of the points-assists variety, two more such games than any other player. Young has 197 career points-assists double-doubles, 44 more than any other player since his debut in the 2018-19 season.
The Hawks’ other starting guard, Dejounte Murray, tallied 22 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Murray has scored at least 22 points in eight straight games, averaging 24.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 6.9 APG over that stretch.
Another Hawks guard, Bogdan Bogdanovic, came off the bench to score 23 points, sinking eight of his 12 field goal attempts. It’s the 13th game in which Bogdanovic has scored at least 20 points coming off the bench this season, tied with Malik Monk for the league lead.
Atlanta’s frontcourt also chipped in, with solid performances from Clint Capela (11 points, game-high 10 rebounds), Jalen Johnson (16 points, seven rebounds), and Onyeka Okongwu (15 points, seven rebounds, 7-8 field goals).
The Suns were led by Kevin Durant, who scored a game-high 35 points and handed out eight assists. Durant went 14-24 from the field, making five of his nine 3-point attempts. He now has 161 career 35-point games, tying George Gervin for the 12th-most such games in NBA history.
Teammate Devin Booker contributed 24 points and six rebounds. He’s scored at least 22 points in each of his last six games, averaging 36.7 PPG with 58/46/83 shooting splits over that span.
Quick Hitters
This and that from the the remaining games:
The Miami Heat broke open a close game in the third quarter, outscoring the Washington Wizards 31-15 on their way to a 110-102 victory. The Heat’s Jimmy Butler had a team-high 24 points (7-10 field goals) and nine rebounds, while Bam Adebayo contributed 20 points (8-14 field goals) and a game-high 14 boards (tied with the Wizards’ Daniel Gafford). Washington’s Corey Kispert led all scorers with a season-high 26 points, shooting 10-18 from the field with six 3-pointers made. Teammate Jordan Poole scored 16 points and dished out a game-high 10 assists, but went just 5-21 from the floor (including 2-14 on 3-pointers). He tied the franchise record for most 3-pointers missed in a game shared by Gilbert Arenas (Feb. 3, 2007) and Johnny Davis (April 9, 2023).
Powered by Kawhi Leonard’s game-high 33 points, the LA Clippers raced past the Detroit Pistons 136-125. Leonard made 12 of his 17 field goal attempts, including six of his eight 3-pointers. The Clippers’ Russell Westbrook came off the bench to score 23 points (10-13 field goals) and dish out a team-high nine assists, becoming the 25th player in NBA history to reach 25,000 career points. Westbrook has the third-most assists in that group with 9,387, trailing only LeBron James (10,759) and Oscar Robertson (9,887). Detroit’s scoring attack was led by Jaden Ivey (28 points, 11-18 field goals), Bojan Bogdanovic (26 points, 9-13 field goals), and Marcus Sasser (20 points, 8-10 field goals). The Pistons also got double-doubles from Cade Cunningham (16 points, game-high 11 assists) and Jalen Duren (11 points, game-high 13 rebounds).
Zion Williamson scored a game-high 33 points (12-21 field goals) as the New Orleans Pelicans edged the San Antonio Spurs 114-113. Williamson’s final basket proved to be the game winner, a driving layup with 3.8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas added 18 points and a team-high nine rebounds, hitting nine of his 12 shots from the floor. Devin Vassell scored a game-high 28 points (11-21 field goals) for the Spurs, his eighth 20-point game in the last 10 contests. Vassell received help from Tre Jones (20 points, seven rebounds, seven assists), Victor Wembanyama (16 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, three blocks), and Jeremy Sochan (15 points, career-high 16 rebounds).
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander racked up game highs of 31 points, nine assists, five steals, and three blocks in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 126-106 rout of the Charlotte Hornets. Gilgeous-Alexander shot 11-15 from the field and made eight of his 10 free throws. He’s scored at least 30 points in each of his last nine games, the longest such streak of his career and tied for the second-longest such streak in franchise history. Rookie Brandon Miller scored a team-high 28 points (11-19 field goals, 5-8 on 3-pointers) to pace the Hornets, losers of 24 of their last 27 games.
The Orlando Magic used a fourth-quarter rally to upend the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-106. Orlando’s Paolo Banchero, a first-time All-Star selection, scored a game-high 23 points (10-20 field goals) and dished out a team-high six assists. Teammate Wendell Carter Jr. chipped in with a double-double, scoring 18 points and snagging a team-high 12 rebounds in 37 turnover-free minutes. Rudy Gobert and Anthony Edwards scored 22 points apiece to lead the Timberwolves. Gobert shot 6-7 from the field and 10-11 from the free throw line, also collecting a game-high 16 rebounds.
The Golden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga continued his stellar play, scoring a game-high 29 points (11-15 field goals) in a 121-101 blowout of the Memphis Grizzlies. Kuminga has scored at least 20 points on 50% shooting from the field in each of his last eight games, averaging 25.6 PPG with 63/57/79 shooting splits over that span. Frontcourt mate Draymond Green scored just nine points but tallied 12 rebounds, six assists, and three blocks. Warriors rookie Brandin Podziemski recorded a double-double, scoring 12 points and dishing out a career-high 14 assists. The Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr. scored a team-high 27 points, but made just eight of his 21 attempts from the floor. Jackson Jr. has scored 20 or more points with a field goal percentage less than 45% in each of his last five games, the longest such streak in franchise history.
Alperen Sengun scored 24 points (10-14 field goals) to go with game highs of 13 rebounds and eight assists as the Houston Rockets destroyed the Toronto Raptors 135-106. Rockets rookie Cam Whitmore scored a team-high 25 points in just 21 minutes played, hitting 10 of his 17 shots from the field. Scottie Barnes was the Raptors’ scoring leader with 28 points (10-17 field goals), also tying for the team lead with seven rebounds. Teammate Immanuel Quickley added 25 points (6-11 on 3-pointers) and a team-high six assists in 30 turnover-free minutes. The free-falling Raptors have lost 10 of their last 12 games, dropping to 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings.