Embiid Outduels Jokic
Joel Embiid outdueled Nikola Jokic in a battle of MVP candidates, compiling 47 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocks as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Denver Nuggets 126-119. The Sixers have won 20 of their last 24 games, including the last seven in a row.
Embiid now has 33 career games in which he’s recorded at least 40 points and 10 rebounds, tying Michael Jordan for the second-most such games since the ABA-NBA merger:
43 — Shaquille O’Neal
33 — Joel Embiid
33 — Michael Jordan
32 — Anthony Davis
31 — James Harden
It’s the third time Embiid has recorded at least 45 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists in a game, tied for the most such games since the ABA-NBA merger:
3 — Joel Embiid
3 — Luka Doncic
3 — Russell Westbrook
2 — Giannis Antetokounmpo
2 — James Harden
2 — Michael Jordan
Embiid shot 18-31 from the field — including 4-7 from 3-point range — and made seven of his 10 free throws. In the month of January, Embiid has recorded shooting percentages of 54.9% from the field, 42.9% from 3-point range, and 88.5% from the free throw line, averaging 35.4 PPG and 10.7 RPG.
Teammate James Harden scored 17 points, dished out a game-high 13 assists, and did not commit a turnover. Harden has 20 points-assists double-doubles this season, the fourth-most such games in the NBA.
The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic had 24 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists in the loss, shooting 8-12 from the field and making all six of his free throws. Jokic has recorded at least 10 points, five rebounds, and five assists while shooting 50% from the field in each of his last 30 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.
Over his last eight games, Jokic is averaging 24.5 PPG, 12.0 RPG, and 11.4 APG, shooting 70.6% from the field, 58.8% from 3-point range, and 88.9% from the free throw line. He’s recorded six triple-doubles in that span.
Irving Sets Franchise Mark
Kyrie Irving tallied 32 points, nine assists, and six rebounds to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 122-115 win over the New York Knicks. Irving has scored at least 30 points in each of his last six games, the longest such streak of his career. It’s also the longest such streak by a Net since the franchise joined the NBA in 1976.
Irving is averaging 36.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 7.8 APG over that span, with shooting percentages of 51.7% from the field, 47.5% from 3-point range, and 84.4% from the free throw line. He’s just the second player in franchise history to average at least 35 PPG, 5 RPG, and 5 APG over a six-game span, joining Kevin Durant (Dec. 10, 2021–Jan. 1, 2022).
Nets center Nic Claxton produced 13 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and three blocks. He made all six of his shots from the field and did not commit a turnover. Claxton has recorded multiple blocks in each of his last 16 games, the longest such streak in franchise history.
Over his last seven games, Claxton is averaging 20.6 PPG, 11.1 RPG, and 3.0 BPG, shooting 80.3% from the field. The last NBA player to average at least 20 PPG and 10 RPG with a field goal percentage of 80% over a seven-game span was Wilt Chamberlain (Feb. 13–March 1, 1967).
The Knicks’ Julius Randle had 19 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists in the loss. Randle has recorded 31 points-rebounds double-doubles this season, the second-most such games in the NBA to Domantas Sabonis (35). He’s produced a double-double in 21 of his last 24 games, averaging 27.5 PPG and 13.3 RPG over that span.
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson scored a team-high 26 points, making 10 of his 19 shots from the field and all six of his free throws. It’s the 19th time Brunson has scored at least 25 points in a game this season. He had 11 such games in his first four NBA seasons combined.
Brown Does It for Celts
Jaylen Brown scored a team-high 37 points, the last 11 coming in overtime, as the Boston Celtics edged the Los Angeles Lakers 125-121. Brown shot 13-23 from the field (56.5%) and made nine of his 11 free throws. He also grabbed nine rebounds.
Teammate Jayson Tatum scored 30 points and snagged 11 rebounds, but struggled from the field, making just 8 of his 25 attempts (32.0%). It’s the 20th time Brown and Tatum have each scored at least 30 points in the same game, 11 more such games than any other duo in franchise history. They are the 10th duo in NBA history to record at least 20 such games.
The Lakers’ LeBron James scored a game-high 41 points and also contributed nine rebounds and eight assists. James shot 15-30 from the field — including 6-12 from 3-point range — and made five of his six free throws.
This was James’ 100th 30-point game as a Laker, making him the first player in NBA history to record at least 100 30-point games for three different franchises. He produced 324 30-point games with the Cleveland Cavaliers and 106 30-point games with the Miami Heat.
James has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 32 games, matching the longest such streak in NBA history by a player age 35 years or older. James tied himself, as he also recorded 32 straight 20-point games from Dec. 19, 2021 through March 14, 2022. No other player in NBA history has recorded such a streak longer than 22 games after their 35th birthday.
James made his 14,000th career field goal, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (15,837) as the only players in NBA history to reach that mark. James is 117 points away from passing Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
Quick Hitters
Some other notes from around the NBA:
Three Chicago Bulls scored at least 25 points on 60% shooting from the field in their 128-109 victory over the Orlando Magic: DeMar DeRozan (32 PTS, 78.6%), Zach LaVine (32 PTS, 61.1%), and Nikola Vucevic (26 PTS, 61.1%). It’s just the second time in franchise history this has occurred. The first was Oct. 27, 1978, when Mickey Johnson, Wilbur Holland, and Artis Gilmore accomplished the feat.
Anthony Edwards scored a game-high 34 points with 10 rebounds and six assists as the Minnesota Timberwolves upended the Sacramento Kings 117-110. Edwards shot 14-21 from the field (66.7%), including 5-7 from 3-point range. Over his last seven games, Edwards is averaging 30.0 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 5.3 APG, shooting 50.0% from the field, 46.7% from 3-point range, and 81.8% from the free throw line. He’s just the third player in franchise history to average at least 30 PPG, 5 RPG, and 5 APG over a seven-game span, joining Kevin Garnett and Kevin Love.
Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high 32 points on 12-20 shooting from the field as the LA Clippers defeated the Atlanta Hawks 120-113 for their fifth consecutive win. Leonard has scored at least 25 points on 50% shooting from the field in each of his last seven games, the longest such streak of his career. He’s averaging 29.3 PPG over his last 10 games, with shooting percentages of 56.7% from the field, 46.2% from 3-point range, and 91.9% from the free throw line. Leonard has scored at least 24 points in each of those games.
Chris Paul scored 31 points and dished out 11 assists as the Phoenix Suns beat the San Antonio Spurs 128-110. Paul shot 12-20 from the field (60.0%), made all six of his free throws, and committed just one turnover. It’s the 12th time Paul has recorded a 30-point, 10-assist game with one or fewer turnovers, tying Damian Lillard for the most such games since the NBA began tracking individual turnovers in 1977-78.