NBA Game Notes (Feb. 22, 2026)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on Feb. 22, 2026.
Three Stars
Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games, with the “first star” considered the top performer.
First ⭐️
Nikola Jokic racked up game highs of 35 points, 20 rebounds, and 12 assists, but it wasn’t enough as the Denver Nuggets fell to the Golden State Warriors 128-117. Jokic shot 11-21 from the field (3-4 on threes) and 10-11 from the free throw line. He also swiped a team-high three steals (tied with Bruce Brown) and blocked a game-high two shots (tied with Al Horford) in 36 minutes played.
Second ⭐️
LaMelo Ball scored a game-high 37 points to lead the Charlotte Hornets to a 129-112 victory over the Washington Wizards. Ball went 12-20 from the floor, tying a franchise record by sinking 10 of his 15 attempts from 3-point range. He also contributed eight rebounds, a game-high seven assists, and one steal in 27 turnover-free minutes.
Third ⭐️
Immanuel Quickley scored a game-high 32 points in the Toronto Raptors’ 122-94 blowout win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Quickley shot 11-19 from the field (5-11 on threes) and 5-5 from the charity stripe. He also dished out a team-high nine assists and swiped one steal, committing just one turnover in 31 minutes of action.
Milestones
LeBron James (20 points) became the first player in NBA history to reach 43,000 career points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 111-89 loss to the Boston Celtics. He’s also the only player to attain milestones of 39,000, 40,000, 41,000, and 42,000 points.
James became just the second player in NBA history to appear in 1,600 career regular season games, joining Robert Parish. He’s 12 games shy of passing Parish to become the league’s all-time leader.
As noted earlier, Ball tied the Charlotte Hornets’ record for most 3-pointers made in a game. Kemba Walker (March 22, 2018), Devonte’ Graham (Dec. 4, 2019), Terry Rozier (Dec. 23, 2020), and Kelly Oubre Jr. (Jan. 26, 2022) have also hit 10 triples in a game for the Hornets.
James Harden (20 points) recorded his 772nd career 20-point game in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 121-113 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, breaking a tie with Wilt Chamberlain for the 10th-most such games in NBA history.
Streaking
Kawhi Leonard (37 points) recorded his 36th consecutive 20-point game in the LA Clippers’ 111-109 loss to the Orlando Magic. It’s the longest such streak of his career, a stretch in which he’s averaged 29.1 PPG with 49.5/37.8/89.4 shooting splits.
The Celtics’ Jaylen Brown (32 points) has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 18 games, the second-longest such streak of his career. He’s averaged 28.5 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 4.8 APG over that span.
Brown’s teammate, Payton Pritchard (30 points), has produced three straight 25-point games, all coming off the bench. The last Celtic to record three such games in a row was Kevin McHale from Dec. 17–23, 1983.
Tyrese Maxey (39 points) extended his streak of 25-point games to seven as the Philadelphia 76ers routed the Minnesota Timberwolves 135-108. Over this run, he’s averaged 30.1 PPG, 6.1 APG, and 2.1 SPG.
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Chicago Bulls (nine).
Miscellany
Maxey was the day’s top bucket getter, netting 39 points. He was followed by Ball (37 points), Leonard (37), the Magic’s Desmond Bane (36), and Jokic (35).
Jokic was the chairman of the boards, pulling down 20 rebounds yesterday. The Thunder’s Chet Holmgren and the Warriors’ Brandin Podziemski were runners-up with 15 boards apiece (a career high for Podziemski).
Jokic was also the daily leader in assists, handing out 12 helpers. Also delivering double-digit dimes were the Indiana Pacers’ Andrew Nembhard (11 assists), the Bucks’ Kevin Porter Jr. (10), and the Thunder’s Cason Wallace (career-high 10).
Jokic produced his 185th career triple-double and league-leading 19th triple-doubles of the season. He’s recorded 86 games in which he’s led both teams (either outright or tied) in points, rebounds, and assists, 17 more such games than any other player in NBA history.