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 ⭐️
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recorded his third 50-point game in the last seven contests, pouring in a game-high 50 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder blew out the Phoenix Suns 140-109. Gilgeous-Alexander shot 18-29 from the field (3-7 on 3-pointers) and 11-12 from the free throw line. He added eight rebounds, a team-high five assists, two steals, and one block, posting a rating of plus-42 points in 34 minutes played.
Second ⭐️
Michael Porter Jr. matched his career high with 39 points in the Denver Nuggets’ 144-119 rout of the New Orleans Pelicans. Porter Jr. went 16-23 from the floor, sinking five of his nine 3-point attempts. He also recorded game highs of 12 rebounds and three steals (tied with Christian Braun) in 37 minutes of action.
Third ⭐️
Anthony Edwards bagged a game-high 49 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 127-108 victory over the Chicago Bulls. Edwards shot 13-28 from the field (6-14 on 3-pointers) and made 17 of his 18 free throw attempts. He also contributed nine rebounds, one steal, and one block in 37 minutes of playing time.
Milestones
Gilgeous-Alexander is the ninth different player in NBA history to produce at least three 50-point games in a seven-game span. He joins Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, James Harden, Damian Lillard, and Luka Doncic.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s 34 minutes played are the fewest in Oklahoma City Thunder history by a player in a 50-point game. The previous mark of 36 minutes was held by Russell Westbrook (March 7, 2017).
Edwards recorded his 13th career 40-point game, tying Karl-Anthony Towns for the most such games in Minnesota Timberwolves history. Edwards also joined Towns as the only players in franchise history to make at least 15 free throws and five 3-pointers in a game.
De’Aaron Fox had an impressive debut with his new team, registering 24 points, 13 assists, and three steals as the San Antonio Spurs edged the Atlanta Hawks 126-125. He’s the first Spur to record a 20-point, 10-assist game in his franchise debut.
Porter Jr. (39 points, 12 rebounds) and Nikola Jokic (38 points, 10 assists) became the first duo in Denver Nuggets history to each record a 35-point double-double in the same game.
The Oklahoma City Thunder improved to 40-9 on the season, the fewest games needed to reach 40 wins in franchise history. The previous mark of 51 games was set in 2013-14. They’ve won 32 of those games by double figures, tying the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers for the second-most such wins in NBA history by a team through its first 49 games of a season (2015-16 San Antonio Spurs, 33).
The Memphis Grizzlies routed the Toronto Raptors 138-107, outscoring the Raptors 85-48 after halftime. It’s the highest-scoring second half in franchise history, surpassing an 80-point effort on Dec. 2, 2021 versus the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Streaking
Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 20 points in 44 straight games, the longest such streak of his career and the third-longest such streak in Oklahoma City Thunder history. He’s averaging 33.5 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 6.0 APG with 54.5/36.3/89.9 shooting splits over that span.
The Philadelphia 76ers’ Tyrese Maxey had 31 points, five assists, and four steals in a 108-101 loss to the Miami Heat. He’s recorded 16 straight 25-point games and seven consecutive 30-point games, both of which are the longest such streaks of his career.
Three more players have double-digit 20-point game streaks: the Orlando Magic’s Franz Wagner (16 games, career high), the Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham (14, career high), and Edwards (12).
The Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr. has recorded three straight 30-point games for the first time in his career, scoring a game-high 32 points on 10-16 shooting from the floor. The only player in franchise history to record a longer such streak is Ja Morant (twice).
Spurs center Victor Wembanyama tallied 24 points, 12 rebounds, and one block. He’s blocked at least one shot in 81 straight games, the longest such streak in franchise history (by 20 games) and the longest such streak in the NBA this century.
Wembanyama also went 2-5 from beyond the arc, the 37th consecutive game in which he’s recorded at least one 3-pointer made and one block. It’s the longest such streak in NBA history by 16 games.
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: New Orleans Pelicans (seven) and Charlotte Hornets (six).
The Cleveland Cavaliers shot 16-38 from 3-point range in a 118-115 victory over the Detroit Pistons, the last triple coming on a 31-foot bomb by Darius Garland at the buzzer. It’s the 56th consecutive game in which they’ve made 10 or more threes, breaking a tie with the Houston Rockets (Oct. 25, 2017 to Feb. 25, 2018) for the third-longest such streak in NBA history.
Miscellany
Gilgeous-Alexander paced all scorers last night, netting 50 points. He was one of 14 players to score at least 30 points, the others being Edwards (49), Porter Jr. (career-high-tying 39), Cunningham (38), Jokic (38), the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (32), the Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr. (32), the Hawks’ Trae Young (32), the Utah Jazz’s Jordan Clarkson (season-high 31), Maxey (31), Wagner (31), the Heat’s Tyler Herro (30), the Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley (30), and the Hawks’ Onyeka Okongwu (career-high 30).
The Jazz’s Walker Kessler was the night’s top board man, hauling in a season-high 18 rebounds. The Milwaukee Bucks’ Bobby Portis was next in line with 17 boards, followed by the Grizzlies’ Zach Edey and the Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert with 15 apiece.
Fox was the leading playmaker, handing out a season-high-tying 13 assists last night. Also delivering double-digit dimes were the Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon (career-high-tying 12); the Bucks’ Damian Lillard (12); Young (12); the Jazz’s Isaiah Collier (career-high-tying 11); the Washington Wizards’ Bilal Coulibaly (career-high 11) and Bub Carrington (career-high 10); and Jokic (10).
Coulibaly recorded his first career triple-double, compiling 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists in the Wizards’ 119-102 win over the Brooklyn Nets. At 20 years and 194 days old, Coulibaly is the second-youngest player in franchise history to achieve the feat (John Wall, 20 years and 65 days).