Randle, Brunson Power Knicks
Julius Randle scored a season-high 42 points and grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds as the New York Knicks beat the Detroit Pistons 117-104. The Knicks picked up their 25th win in their 44th game of the season, the earliest they’ve reached that mark since the 2012-13 season (38 games).
Randle is the first Knick to record at least 40 points and 15 rebounds in a regular season game* since Patrick Ewing on Jan. 19, 1996.
* Carmelo Anthony had 42 points and 17 rebounds in a playoff game of April 19, 2011.
Randle shot 15-24 from the field (62.5%) — including 4-7 from 3-point range — and made all eight of his free throws. He committed just one turnover, making him the first Knick to record a 40-point, 15-rebound game with one or fewer turnovers since the NBA began tracking individual turnovers in 1977-78.
Randle has recorded a double-double in each of his last 10 games, the longest such streak of his career. Randle is averaging 29.4 PPG and 14.4 RPG over that span. He has 26 double-doubles for the season, third in the NBA behind Domantas Sabonis (33) and Nikola Jokic (30).
Teammate Jalen Brunson scored 27 points on 9-17 shooting from the field, his sixth straight 25-point game. That’s the longest such streak by a Knicks guard since Walt Frazier recorded seven such games in a row in December 1971.
Brunson is just the third player in franchise history to record six straight 25-point games with an effective field goal percentage of at least 55%, joining Bernard King (February 1984) and Randle (December 2022).
Over his last eight games, Brunson is averaging 31.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 6.4 APG, with shooting percentages of 52.3% from the field, 48.9% from 3-point range, and 80.7% from the free throw line.
Embiid, Harden Lead Sixers
Joel Embiid scored 35 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Philadelphia 76ers hung on to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 113-112. Embiid has tallied at least 35 points and 10 rebounds in 10 of his 32 games played this season. No player since the ABA-NBA merger has recorded 10 such games in fewer games played.
Embiid has recorded five straight 30-point games, making at least 50% of his shots from the field in each of those games. Over that span, he’s averaging 34.6 PPG and 10.0 RPG with shooting percentages of 58.0% from the field and 89.3% from the free throw line.
Teammate James Harden had 24 points, 13 assists, and seven rebounds. Harden has recorded six consecutive points-assists double-doubles, the second-longest such streak in franchise history. Wilt Chamberlain recorded nine such games in a row in March 1968.
Over those six games, Harden is averaging 22.0 PPG, 12.7 APG, and 8.2 RPG, making 50.6% of his field goals, 47.7% of his 3-pointers, and 83.3% of his free throws.
The Lakers’ LeBron James produced 35 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds in the loss, shooting 15-23 from the field (65.2%). He became the second player in NBA history to reach 38,000 career points, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. James needs 364 points to suplant Abdul-Jabbar as the leading scorer in NBA history.
The 38-year-old James has compiled 500 points, 120 rebounds, and 113 assists over his last 15 games. He’s the first player in NBA history age 32 years or older to record at least 500 points, 100 rebounds, and 100 assists over a 15-game span.
The Lakers’ Russell Westbrook came off the bench to contribute 20 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists. Westbrook now has four triple-doubles coming off the bench this season. Since the NBA began tracking starters in 1970-71, no other player has recorded four such triple-doubles in their entire career.
Jokic Saves Nuggets
Nikola Jokic hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds remaining as the Denver Nuggets escaped with a narrow 119-116 victory over the Orlando Magic. The Nuggets have won each of their last 13 home games and 15 of their last 18 games overall.
Jokic recorded his league-leading 12th triple-double of the season, compiling 17 points, 14 assists, and 10 rebounds. He has 30 double-doubles this season, second in the NBA to Domantas Sabonis (33).
Jokic shot 8-11 from the field (72.7%), the 17th time he’s recorded a triple-double with a field goal percentage of at least 70%. The only player in NBA history with more such games is Wilt Chamberlain (27).
Jokic has recorded at least 10 points, five rebounds, and five assists while shooting 50% from the field in each of his last 26 games, by far the longest such streak in NBA history. Wilt Chamberlain ranks second with a streak of 13 such games in a row in February 1967.
Teammate Aaron Gordon scored a game-high 25 points on 9-13 shooting from the field (69.2%), adding eight rebounds and five assists. It’s the sixth time Gordon has scored at least 25 points with an effective field goal percentage of 75% this season, tied for the most such games in the NBA.
Giddey Up
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Josh Giddey continued his recent stellar play, producing 28 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists in a 112-102 win over the Brooklyn Nets. The Thunder have won three straight games, all on the road, and six of their last eight games overall.
Giddey has compiled 91 points, 38 rebounds, and 33 assists over his last four games. He’s just the sixth player in NBA history to record at least 90 points, 30 rebounds, and 30 assists over a four-game span before his 21st birthday:
Magic Johnson
Antoine Walker
LeBron James
Luka Doncic
LaMelo Ball
Josh Giddey
Teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander matched Giddey’s game-high 28 points, shooting 8-17 from the field and 11-14 from the free throw line. It’s the 20th time Gilgeous-Alexander has made at least 10 free throws in a game this season, the most such games in the NBA. He’s just the fourth guard in NBA history to record at least 20 such games through his first 40 games of a season (a total of eight instances):
Oscar Robertson (4 times)
James Harden (2 times)
Jerry West
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Brooklyn’s Nic Claxton had 17 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks, shooting 7-10 from the field (70.0%). It’s the 10th time Claxton has recorded a double-double with a field goal percentage of at least 70% this season, tied with Domantas Sabonis for the most such games in the NBA.
Kings Take Offense
The Sacramento Kings’ potent offense delivered once again, scoring 132 points in a 13-point win over the San Antonio Spurs. The Kings are the first NBA team to record five straight 130-point games since the Denver Nuggets in April 1988.
The Kings’ Domantas Sabonis stretched his double-double streak to 20 games, scoring 18 points and snagging 18 rebounds. It’s the longest such streak by a King (nee Royal) since Jerry Lucas recorded 55 such games in a row in 1968.
Sabonis also handed out eight assists. It’s the seventh time he’s recorded at least 15 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists in a game this season, the most such games in the NBA.
Over his last 25 games, Sabonis is averaging 20.0 PG, 13.6 RPG, and 7.7 APG, shooting 62.6% from the field. The only other players in NBA history to average at least 20 PPG, 10 RPG, and 7 APG with a field percentage of 60% over a 25-game span are Wilt Chamberlain and Nikola Jokic.
Sacramento’s Harrison Barnes scored a game-high 29 points, shooting 8-11 from the field — including 4-6 from 3-point range — and 9-11 from the free throw line. It’s the third time in the last four games Barnes has scored at least 25 points with an effective field goal percentage of 75%:
Jan. 9 — 30 PTS, 107.7 eFG%
Jan. 13 — 27 PTS, 75.0 eFG%
Jan. 15 — 29 PTS, 90.9 eFG%
No other player in franchise history has recorded three such games in a four-game span.
Quick Hitters
Some other notes from around the NBA:
The Chicago Bulls’ Nikola Vucevic had 43 points, 13 rebounds, and four steals in a 132-118 win over the Golden State Warriors. Vucevic has recorded at least 10 points and 10 rebounds in each of his last 12 games, the longest such streak of his career and tied for the third-longest such streak in franchise history.
Damian Lillard scored a game-high 40 points and dished out a team-high six assists as the Portland Trail Blazers routed the Dallas Mavericks 140-123. Lillard shot 10-17 from the field (58.8%) and made all 16 of his free throws. Over his last five games, Lillard is averaging 38.0 PPG and 6.4 APG, shooting 53.1% from the field and 91.2% from the free throw line.