Three Stars
The three stars in ice hockey are the three best players in a game, with the “first star” considered the best of the three players, similar to the player of the match in other sports. Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games.
First ⭐️
Karl-Anthony Towns tallied 28 points, a game-high nine rebounds (tied with three others), a team-high four assists (tied with Monte Morris), and two blocks as the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled away in the fourth quarter of a 101-86 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. Towns went 8-17 from the field (4-8 on 3-pointers) and a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line.
Second ⭐️
Jalen Brunson produced game highs of 34 points and nine assists, but it wasn’t enough as the New York Knicks fell to the Boston Celtics 116-102. Brunson shot 12-25 from the field — including 4-9 from 3-point range — and hit all six of his free throws.
Third ⭐️
Jaylen Brown scored a team-high 30 points in the Celtics’ win over the Knicks, making 13 of his 24 shots from the floor. He also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and did not commit a turnover in 35 minutes played.
Milestones
The Celtics’ Jrue Holiday dished out a team-high six assists (tied with two others). He increased his career total to 6,119 assists, passing John Havlicek (6,114) and moving into 38th place on the NBA’s all-time list.
The Timberwolves picked up their 40th win of the season, improving to 40-17. The only season they reached 40 wins in fewer games was 2003-04 (55 games), when they finished with the best record in the Western Conference and reached the conference finals.
Streaking
Brunson has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 17 games, the longest such streak of his career. He’s averaging 31.8 PPG and 7.1 APG with 50/36/86 shooting splits over that span.
Teams with winning streaks of five or more games: Boston Celtics (eight).
Teams with losing streaks of five or more games: Detroit Pistons (five).
Miscellany
Brunson led all scorers with 34 points last night, followed by Brown (30), Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards (29), Towns (28), and Detroit’s Cade Cunningham (26).
The Pistons’ Jalen Duren hauled in 11 rebounds, the most on the night. The Orlando Magic’s Wendell Carter Jr. was the only other player to record double-digit boards with 10.
Brunson was also the night’s leader with nine assists. Brooklyn’s Mikal Bridges was next with a season-high eight dimes, followed by Detroit’s Jaden Ivey and Orlando’s Cole Anthony with seven apiece.
The Celtics scored at least 110 points for the 46th time this season, tying the Indiana Pacers and the Phoenix Suns for the second-most such games in the NBA. The Milwaukee Bucks lead all teams with 47 110-point games.
The Timberwolves held their opponent to less than 100 points for the 17th time this season. That’s the most such games in the NBA, two more than the Knicks and three more than the Magic.