Turner Swats Hornets
Myles Turner scored a game-high 29 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and blocked four shots as the Indiana Pacers rallied to defeat the Charlotte Hornets 116-111. The Pacers have won six consecutive home games and eight of their last 10 games overall.
Turner helped preserve the victory with a key block on Hornets center Mason Plumlee with less than 13 seconds remaining in the game.
Turner shot 10-16 from the field (62.5%) and made eight of his 10 free throws.
The Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton produced 16 points, 13 assists, five rebounds, and three steals. Haliburton has recorded at least 10 assists 24 times this season, six more such games than any other player.
Haliburton — who committed just one turnover — has recorded nine points-assists double-doubles with one or fewer turnovers this season. Since the NBA began tracking individual turnovers in 1977-78, no player has produced more such games at the midway point of their team’s season:
9 — Muggsy Bogues, 1994-95
9 — Chris Paul, 2007-08
9 — Paul, 2014-15
9 — Tyrese Haliburton, 2022-23
Pacers rookie Andrew Nembhard put up another solid effort, scoring 19 points and recording four steals. He shot 7-11 from the field (63.6%), including 4-5 from 3-point range. Nembhard became the first rookie in franchise history to record at least four 3-pointers made and four steals in a game.
Harden Reaches Milestone
The Philadelphia 76ers’ James Harden recorded his 71st career triple-double, compiling 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 123-111 win over the Detroit Pistons.
Harden became the 27th player in NBA history to reach 24,000 career points. He’s one of only six players in that group to also record at least 6,000 assists:
LeBron James
Kobe Bryant
Oscar Robertson
John Havlicek
Jerry West
James Harden
The Sixers’ Montrezl Harrell started at center in place of the injured Joel Embiid, scoring 20 points on 8-11 shooting from the field (72.7%). Over his last three games — all of which Embiid has missed — Harrell has averaged 18.7 PPG with a field goal percentage of 75.0%.
Philadelphia’s Paul Reed had a productive game off the bench, recording 16 points, 12 rebounds, and three steals in just 24 minuets of playing time. Reed missed just one of his seven shots from the field and made all four of his free throws.
The Pistons’ Killian Hayes matched his career high with 26 points, adding six assists and three steals. Hayes shot 11-17 from the field (64.7%), including 4-8 from 3-point range.
Nets Beat Heat
Royce O’Neale hit a game-winning putback with 3.2 seconds remaining as the Brooklyn Nets beat the Miami Heat 102-101. The Nets have won 18 of their last 20 games. It’s the first time in franchise history — ABA seasons included — they have won at least 18 games in a 20-game span.
The Nets own the best record in NBA history through 40 games among teams who were below .500 through their first 20 games of a season:
27-13 — Brooklyn Nets, 2022-23
26-14 — San Antonio Spurs, 1992-93
25-15 — Milwaukee Bucks, 2000-01
Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 29 points and dished out six assists. Irving has averaged 26.7 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 5.1 APG over the Nets’ last 20 games*, with shooting percentages of 49.6% from the field, 40.1% from 3-point range, and 88.7% from the free throw line.
* Irving missed two of those games.
Teammate Kevin Durant scored 17 points to move past Dominique Wilkins and into 14th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Durant now has 26,684 career points and needs 27 points to pass the next player above him, Oscar Robertson. It wasn’t all good news for Durant, who left late in the third quarter with an apparent knee injury.
Nets center Nic Claxton recorded a double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Claxton also blocked three shots and made six of his eight shots from the field (75.0%).
Claxton has recorded at least three blocks 19 times this season, the most such games in the NBA. He ranks first in the NBA in blocks per game (2.6) and second in total blocks (96).
Thunder Tame Mavericks
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tallied 33 points, five rebounds, and five assists as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Dallas Mavericks 120-109. The Mavericks dropped to 0-4 when Luka Doncic does not play this season.
Gilgeous-Alexander now has 24 30-point games this season, second in the NBA to Doncic (28). No player in franchise history has recorded more such games through first 40 team-games of a season:
24 — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 2022-23
24 — Russell Westbrook, 2016-17
23 — Kevin Durant, 2013-14
22 — Durant, 2009-10
Gilgeous-Alexander shot 11-17 from the field (64.7%) and made 11 of his 13 free throws. It’s the 10th time he’s made at least 10 field goals and 10 free throws in a game, tying Joel Embiid for the league lead.
The Mavericks’ Christian Wood scored a team-high 27 points and snagged a game-high 16 rebounds in the loss. Wood made eight of his 13 field goal attempts (61.5%) and 10 of his 12 free attempts (83.3%).
Since becoming a full-time starter on December 17, Wood is averaging 20.3 PPG, 9.0 RPG, and 2.3 BPG in 12 games, shooting 53.7% from the field, 39.5% from 3-point range, and 80.0% from the free throw line.