Porzingis Leads Celtics
Kristaps Porzingis led all players with 32 points and five blocks in the Boston Celtics’ 116-107 victory over the Houston Rockets. The Celtics rebounded from their first home loss of the season Friday night versus the Denver Nuggets, improving to an NBA-best 33-10 on the season.
Porzingis shot 11-21 from the field, making six of his 11 attempts from 3-point range. It’s the third time Porzingis has recorded at least 30 points, five blocks, and five 3-pointers made in a game. The only other player in NBA history to produce multiple such games is Raef LaFrentz with two.
The Celtics’ Jaylen Brown recorded his third career triple-double, tallying 13 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, and three steals. The second member of Boston’s dynamic duo, Jayson Tatum, scored 18 points but was held to 4-17 shooting from the floor.
Celtics guard Derrick White registered his first career 20-point, 10-rebound game, scoring 21 points and grabbing a career-high 11 rebounds. White also blocked two shots, the 12th time he’s recorded multiple blocks in a game this season.
Rockets center Alperen Sengun compiled 24 points (10-18 field goals), 12 rebounds, and 10 assists for his third career triple-double. Sengun has scored at least 18 points in each of his last 17 games, averaging 25.3 PPG and 9.5 RPG with a field goal percentage of 55.0% over that span.
Dillon Brooks led the Rockets in scoring, bagging 25 points in 40 turnover-free minutes. It’s the most playing time Brooks has ever logged in a game without committing a turnover.
Houston rookie Amen Thomson recorded his second double-double of the season, posting career highs of 15 points and 14 rebounds. He also dished out five assists, shooting 5-10 on field goals and 5-6 on free throws.
Jokic Carries Nuggets
Nikola Jokic compiled 42 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists in 36 turnover-free minutes to carry the Denver Nuggets to a 113-104 win over the hapless Washington Wizards. Washington dropped to 7-35 with the loss, the worst 42-game start in franchise history and the second-worst record in the NBA this season.
Jokic continued his sublime shooting, going 15-20 from the field and 12-14 from the free throw line. Over his last 12 games, Jokic is averaging 25.4 PPG with shooting percentages of 74.9% from the field, 57.1% from 3-point range, and 85.5% from the free throw line. The only player in NBA history to record a higher field goal percentage over a 12-game span in which he averaged at least 25 PPG is Wilt Chamberlain (November–December 1966).
Since the NBA began tracking individual turnovers in 1977-78, the only other Nugget to record a 40-point, 10-rebound game with zero turnovers is Alex English on Dec. 13, 1983. Leaguewide, the only other player to record such a game while shooting at least 75% from the field is Giannis Antetokounmpo on Feb. 8, 2022.
The Nuggets’ Jamal Murray had 19 points, seven assists, and five rebounds, but misfired on 16 of his 23 shots from the floor. Michael Porter Jr. also scored 19 points for Denver, making eight of his 14 field goal attempts, while Aaron Gordon recorded a double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks).
Kyle Kuzma scored a team-high 17 points for the Wizards, adding seven assists and six rebounds. Point guard Tyus Jones scored 15 points and handed out a game-high 13 assists, committing just one turnover and no personal fouls in 31 minutes played.
Clippers Run Stuns Nets
The LA Clippers closed the game with a 22-0 run to stun the Brooklyn Nets 125-114, improving to 19-4 in the months of December and January. The Clippers trailed by 15 points entering the fourth quarter, but outscored the Nets 41-15 in the final period.
The Clippers’ James Harden scored a team-high 24 points and distributed a game-high 10 assists, shooting 6-11 from the field and 9-9 from the free throw line. Harden now has 228 career 20-point, 10-assist games, moving within one of tying Chris Paul for the fifth-most such games in NBA history:
417 — Oscar Robertson
295 — Magic Johnson
260 — LeBron James
256 — Russell Westbrook
229 — Chris Paul
228 — James Harden
Russell Westbrook came off the bench to produce 23 points, nine rebounds, and six assists for the Clippers, sinking 10 of his 16 field goal attempts. Teammate Kawhi Leonard scored 21 points, 14 of them in the final five minutes of the game. Leonard had missed nine of his 11 shots from the field before his ending flourish.
Mikal Bridges led the Nets with 26 points, adding six rebounds and five assists. He shot 9-17 from the floor with four 3-pointers made. Cam Thomas came off the bench to score 20 points and dish out six assists, while Nic Claxton (7-10 field goals) and Spencer Dinwiddie (6-9 field goals) scored 16 points apiece. Dinwiddie also recorded a team-high seven assists.
Quick Hitters
Additional odds and ends on yesterday’s contests:
The Orlando Magic shut down the Miami Heat in a 105-87 win, holding Miami to its lowest point total of the season. Paolo Banchero had team highs of 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Magic, while Franz Wagner returned from an eight-game absence to produce 19 points and a team-high five assists. The Heat’s Bam Adebayo compiled game highs of 22 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists, the first time he’s been the outright leader in all three categories in a game.
The Phoenix Suns won their fifth consecutive game, knocking off the Indiana Pacers 117-110. The Suns’ Kevin Durant scored a game-high 40 points to go with nine rebounds and three blocks, making 18 of his 25 shots from the field. Durant did not attempt a free throw, the first time he’s recorded a 40-point game without making a trip to the charity stripe. It’s also the first time in franchise history a player has recorded such a game. Suns guard Devin Booker contributed 26 points, a game-high eight assists, and six rebounds, while backcourt mate Bradley Beal scored 25 points on 11-16 shooting from the floor. Buddy Hield led six Pacers in double figures with 18 points, going 6-10 from the field with five 3-pointers made. Hield now has 142 career games with at least five 3-pointers made, the fifth-most such games in NBA history.
The Los Angeles Lakers evened their season record at 22-22, routing the Portland Trail Blazers 134-110. The Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell scored a game-high 34 points and dished out a team-high eight assists, shooting 14-21 from the field with six 3-pointers made. In his five games since being reinstated as a starter, Russell is averaging 27.2 PPG and 6.4 APG with 56/54/100 shooting splits. Teammate LeBron James chipped in with 28 points, five rebounds, and five assists, going 8-16 from the field and 9-10 from the free throw line. Lakers center Anthony Davis had 14 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, and did not commit a turnover or a personal foul in 26 minutes played. Malcolm Brogdon scored 23 points to lead the Trail Blazers, also recording a game-high nine assists and a team-high seven rebounds (tied with Jabari Walker).