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 ⭐️
Anthony Edwards compiled game highs of 36 points, 13 rebounds (also a season high), and seven assists in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 116-99 victory over the New York Knicks. Edwards shot 12-21 from the field, sinking eight of his 13 attempts from 3-point range. He was not charged with a personal foul in a team-high 38 minutes played.
Second ⭐️
Nikola Vucevic poured in a season-high 40 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Chicago Bulls fell to the Charlotte Hornets 125-123. Vucevic went 17-25 from the floor and made all four of his free throw attempts. He also grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds in 34 turnover-free minutes.
Third ⭐️
Austin Reaves scored a career-high 38 points, 15 of them coming in the fourth quarter, to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a narrow 102-101 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. Reaves shot 13-23 from the field (4-8 on 3-pointers) and a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line. He also swiped two steals and did not commit a turnover in a game-high 37 minutes of action.
Milestones
Nikola Jokic recorded his league-leading 17th triple-double of the season, scoring 24 points (9-12 field goals) to go with game highs of 12 rebounds and 10 assists as the Denver Nuggets routed the Miami Heat 133-113. It’s the 18th time he’s recorded a triple-double with a field goal percentage of at least 75%, tying Wilt Chamberlain for the most such games in NBA history.
Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert scored 10 points (5-6 field goals), reaching 10,000 for his career on an alley-oop dunk in the second quarter. Gobert is the 403rd player in NBA history to attain that milestone, but he’s the only one with a career field goal percentage of at least 60% (65.4%, to be exact).
Streaking
Victor Wembanyama tallied 19 points, 12 rebounds, and six blocks, but the San Antonio Spurs were blown out by the Memphis Grizzlies 140-112. He’s blocked at least one shot in 74 straight games, the longest such streak in Spurs history (by 13 games) and the second-longest such streak in the NBA this century (Josh Smith, 76).
Wembanyama also made three triples, the 31st consecutive game in which he’s recorded at least one 3-pointer made and one block. That’s the longest such streak in NBA history by 10 games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo produced game highs of 35 points and 13 rebounds in the Milwaukee Bucks’ 130-112 win over the Toronto Raptors. He’s recorded 12 straight double-doubles, averaging 29.0 PPG, 12.8 RPG, and 6.1 APG with a field goal percentage of 58.0% over that span.
Miscellany
Vucevic was the night’s leading scorer, bagging a season-high 40 points. He was followed by Reaves (career-high 38), Edwards (36), Antetokounmpo (35), the Denver Nuggets’ Jamal Murray (30), and the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum (30).
The Hornets’ Mark Williams was the top board man, hauling in a season-high 19 rebounds last night. The Pelicans’ Zion Williamson (season-high 14), Antetokounmpo (13), Edwards (season-high 13), Vucevic (13), Jokic (12), and Wembanyama (12) also collected at least a dozen boards apiece.
The Grizzlies’ Desmond Bane was the premier playmaker last night, handing out a season-high 14 assists. Also delivering double-digit dimes were the Utah Jazz’s Isaiah Collier (career-high 11); the Raptors’ Scottie Barnes (10) and RJ Barrett (10); and Jokic (10).
Wembanyama has blocked at least a half-dozen shots in nine games this season. No other player has recorded more than one such game.