NBA Game Notes (Jan. 2, 2026)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on Jan. 2, 2026.
Three Stars
Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games, with the “first star” considered the top performer.
First ⭐️
Ryan Rollins scored 29 points on 11-13 shooting from the field as the Milwaukee Bucks escaped with a 122-121 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. The red-hot Rollins sank six of his seven attempts from 3-point range. He added eight assists, four rebounds, a game-high three steals, and one block, committing just one turnover in 37 minutes played.
Second ⭐️
Deni Avdija scored a team-high 34 points to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 122-109 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Avdija went 10-19 from the floor (3-5 on threes) and 11-14 from the charity stripe. He also recorded a game-high 11 assists, seven rebounds, one steal, and one block in 38 minutes of action.
Third ⭐️
Zion Williamson scored a game-high 35 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Pelicans fell to the Trail Blazers. Williamson made 15 of his 26 attempts from the field. He also contributed eight rebounds, a team-high two steals (tied with Karlo Matkovic), and two blocks, committing just one personal foul and no turnovers in 31 minutes played.
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Milestones
The Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo (30 points, 10 rebounds, five assists) recorded his 158th career game with at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, breaking a tie with Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most such games in NBA history.
LeBron James (nine defensive rebounds) became just the seventh NBA player to reach 10,000 career defensive rebounds in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 128-121 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The league began tracking offensive and defensive boards in the 1973-74 season.
Russell Westbrook (17 points) increased his career point total to 26,711 in the Sacramento Kings’ 129-102 loss to the Phoenix Suns, surpassing Oscar Robertson to take over 15th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Westbrook (6-12 field goals) also climbed the NBA’s career leaderboard for field goals made with 9,616, passing Robert Parish to move into 19th place.
The Kings’ DeMar DeRozan (three assists) recorded his 5,000th career assist, becoming just the 14th player in NBA history to reach career totals of 25,000 points and 5,000 assists.
DeRozan (4-8 field goals) also moved into 23rd place on the NBA’s career leaderboard for field goals made with 9,295, passing Vince Carter.
The Denver Nuggets (17-47 on threes) tied the franchise record for most 3-pointers attempted in a game in a 113-108 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. It’s the fifth time they’ve launched 47 threes in a game.
Streaking
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (30 points) extended his streak of 20-point games to 106 as the Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Golden State Warriors 131-94. It’s the second-longest such streak in NBA history, trailing only a 126-game run by Wilt Chamberlain.
The Knicks’ Jalen Brunson (24 points) has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 13 games. He’s averaging 31.3 PPG and 6.6 APG with 48.5/40.5/83.7 shooting splits over that span.
Williamson has recorded three straight 30-point games, matching the longest such streak of his career. He also recorded three such games in a row April 9–12, 2021.
Jalen Johnson (18 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists) recorded his 15th straight double-double (and seventh triple-double of the season) in the Atlanta Hawks’ 111-99 victory over the New York Knicks. It’s the longest double-double streak by a Hawk since Kevin Willis’ 21-game run in the 1991-92 season.
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Indiana Pacers (11) and New Orleans Pelicans (six).
The Charlotte Hornets (18-40 on threes) set a franchise record by recording their 38th consecutive game with 10 or more 3-pointers made. They’ve hit at least 15 triples in each of their last six games, matching the longest such streak in franchise history.
Miscellany
Williamson was the night’s top scorer, netting 35 points. He was followed by Avdija (34 points), the Lakers’ Luka Doncic (34), the Nuggets’ Jamal Murray (34), the Suns’ Devin Booker (33), and the Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell (33).
The Knicks’ Ariel Hukporti was the chairman of the boards last night, hauling in a career-high 16 rebounds. The Trail Blazers’ Donovan Clingan and the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren were runners-up with 15 rebounds apiece.
Four players shared the nightly lead in assists with 11 each: Avdija, Johnson, the Grizzlies’ Ja Morant, and the Warriors’ Pat Spencer. The Bucks’ Kevin Porter Jr. also delivered double-digit dimes with 10.