Kings Tie Long-Range Mark
The Sacramento Kings tied an NBA record by making 12 3-pointers in just 13 attempts in the first quarter of a 133-100 rout of the Memphis Grizzlies. The Kings matched the record for most 3-pointers made in a quarter shared by the Phoenix Suns (April 12, 2021) and Portland Trail Blazers (May 10, 2021).
The Kings have won seven of their last eight games to improve their record to 27-19, good for third place in the Western Conference standings. The Kings have scored at least 130 points in 11 games this season, three more such games than any other team. It’s the first time since 1970-71 the Kings (nee Royals) have produced 11 such games in a season.
The Kings’ Trey Lyles scored a game-high 24 points on 8-11 shooting from the field, including 6-8 from 3-point range. Lyles also had seven rebounds, three blocks, and two steals in his 25 minutes played.
Teammates Harrison Barnes and Keegan Murray each scored 20 points, with Barnes making six 3-pointers and Murray five. Lyles, Barnes, and Murray are just the third trio in franchise history to each score at least 20 points with five 3-pointers made in the same game.
Kings center Domantas Sabonis recorded his sixth triple-double of the season, tallying 14 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds. Sabonis has recorded 23 straight double-doubles, the longest such streak by a King in the Sacramento era. He’s averaging 20.2 PPG, 14.2 RPG, and 8.3 APG over that span, shooting 61.5% from the field.
Sabonis is averaging a triple-double over his last nine games (18.6 PPG, 12.9 RPG, and 10.1 APG). He’s the first King (nee Royal) to average a triple-double over a nine-game span since Oscar Robertson in January 1966.
Giannis, Middleton Return
The Milwaukee Bucks celebrated the returns of All-Stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton in style, scoring 49 first-quarter points in a 150-130 blowout win over the Detroit Pistons. The Bucks fell just two points shy of the NBA record for most points scored in an opening quarter shared by the Golden State Warriors (Jan. 15, 2019) and Charlotte Hornets (Jan. 6, 2023).
Antetokounmpo had 29 points and 12 rebounds in just 27 minutes played. He scored 20 of his points in the first quarter, making all six of his shots from the field. Antetokounmpo has recorded 21 games with at least 25 points and 10 rebounds this season, four more such games than any other player.
The Bucks’ Bobby Portis came off the bench to produce 18 points and 10 rebounds in only 23 minutes of action, his 29th double-double of the season. The only players with more double-doubles this season are Domantas Sabonis (36) and Nikola Jokic (32). Portis has recorded 19 of those double-doubles coming off the bench, five more such games than any other reserve.
The Pistons’ Bojan Bogdanovic scored a game-high 33 points in just 28 minutes in the loss. Bogdanovic shot 11-15 from the field — including 6-7 from 3-point range — and made all five of his free throws. It’s the second time Bogdanovic has scored at least 30 points with an effective field goal percentage of 90% as a Piston. No other player in franchise history has recorded multiple such games.
Teammate Jalen Duren scored 23 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, shooting 9-13 from the field (69.2%). It was Duren’s 10th career triple-double, making him the second-youngest player in NBA history to reach that mark (age in years-days):
19-030 — Dwight Howard
19-066 — Jalen Duren
19-088 — LeBron James
19-101 — Andrew Bynum
19-110 — Josh Giddey
Green Ignites Rockets
Jalen Green recorded his third career 40-point game, scoring a career-high 42 points as the Houston Rockets downed the Minnesota Timberwolves 119-114 to snap a 13-game losing streak. The 20-year-old Green is just the sixth player in NBA history to record at least three 40-point games before his 21st birthday:
8 — LeBron James
5 — Anthony Edwards
4 — Kevin Durant
4 — Luka Doncic
3 — John Drew
3 — Jalen Green
It’s the second time Green has scored at least 40 points in his last three games. The only other player in NBA history to record two such games in a three-game span before turning 21 years old is Luka Doncic (November 2019).
Green shot 15-25 from the field (60.0%) with six 3-pointers made. He’s the youngest player in NBA history to score at least 40 points on 60% shooting from the field twice in a three-game span.
Rockets center Alperen Sengun had 21 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists, making eight of his 12 shots from the field (66.7%). Sengun has recorded at least 10 points, five rebounds, and five assists with a field goal percentage of 50% in each of his last seven games. No other player in NBA history has recorded seven such games in a row before their 21st birthday.
The Timberwolves’ starting backcourt of Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell scored 31 and 30 points, respectively. It’s just the fourth time in franchise history both members of the starting backcourt scored at least 30 points in a game.
Quick Hitters
Some other notes from around the NBA:
The Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each scored 26 points in a loss to the Orlando Magic. It’s the 25th time in 48 team games Tatum and Brown have each scored at least 25 points in the same game. The only duo in NBA history to reach that mark in fewer team games is the Los Angeles Lakers’ Elgin Baylor and Jerry West in 1962-63 (44 team games).
Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic compiled 14 points, 17 rebounds, and seven assists in a 111-100 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Vucevic has recorded 11 straight double-doubles, the second-longest such streak of his career. Teammate DeMar DeRozan appeared in his 1,000th regular season game, scoring a game-high 26 points with six assists and three steals.
Damian Lillard broke out of a shooting slump, scoring 37 points on 12-19 shooting from the field (including 7-11 from 3-point range) as the Portland Trail Blazers demolished the San Antonio Spurs 147-127. Lillard also recorded a game-high 12 assists for his third straight 20-point, 10-assist game. Teammate Jusuf Nurkic produced 25 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, and three steals in just 27 minutes played. Nurkic made 10 of his 14 shots from the field (71.4%).