NBA Game Notes (Jan. 9, 2026)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on Jan. 9, 2026.

Three Stars

Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games, with the “first star” considered the top performer.

First ⭐️

Trey Murphy III bagged a game-high 35 points as the New Orleans Pelicans routed the Washington Wizards 128-107 to snap a nine-game losing skid. Murphy III shot 13-24 from the field, hitting seven of his 16 attempts from 3-point range. He added eight rebounds, four assists, and a game-high four steals, committing just one turnover and one personal foul in 36 minutes played.

Second ⭐️

Jalen Johnson scored a game-high 29 points to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 110-87 blowout win over the shorthanded Denver Nuggets. Johnson went 12-18 from the floor, sinking five of his six 3-point attempts. He also contributed nine rebounds, six assists, one steal, and one block in 35 minutes of action.

Third ⭐️

James Harden netted a game-high 31 points in the LA Clippers’ 121-105 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. Harden shot a sizzling 10-13 from the field (3-4 on threes) and 8-8 from the free throw line. He added a game-high six assists (tied with Michael Porter Jr.), four rebounds, two blocks, and one steal in 35 minutes played.

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Milestones

• Kevin Durant (30 points) passed Wilt Chamberlain to move into seventh place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list in the Houston Rockets’ 111-105 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. He increased his career total to 31,435 points, 16 more than Chamberlain.

• Durant (12 rebounds) also pulled down his 8,000th career rebound in that contest. He’s the 13th active player and the 83rd player in NBA history to reach that mark.

• Paul George (18 points) reached 19,000 career points in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 103-91 win over the Orlando Magic. He’s the 11th active player and the 67th player in NBA history to attain that milestone.

• LeBron James (eight defensive rebounds) moved into sixth place on the career leaderboard for defensive rebounds in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 105-101 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. He raised his career total to 10,027 defensive boards, six more than Dirk Nowitzki. Note that offensive and defensive rebounds have been tracked since the 1973-74 season.

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Streaking

• The Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard (26 points) recorded his 19th consecutive 20-point game, the second-longest such streak of his career. He’s averaging 29.9 PPG, 6.8 RPG, and 2.1 SPG with 49.6/36.3/95.1 shooting splits over that span.

• Jalen Brunson (27 points) extended his streak of 20-point games to 17 in the New York Knicks’ 112-107 loss to the Phoenix Suns. It’s the third-longest such streak of his career, a stretch in which he’s averaged 30.4 PPG and 6.0 APG with 49.2/42.6/84.4 shooting splits.

• Durant has scored 20 or more points in each of his last 13 games, a span in which he’s averaged 28.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 5.3 APG with 55.5/41.2/89.6 shooting splits.

• Stephen Curry (27 points) produced his 10th straight 20-point game as the Golden State Warriors routed the reeling Sacramento Kings 137-103. He’s scored at least 25 points in each of the last seven of those contests.

• Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: Portland Trail Blazers (five).

• Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Sacramento Kings (seven).

• The Golden State Warriors (19-45 on threes) have made 10 or more 3-pointers in 49 straight games, breaking a tie with the Toronto Raptors (Feb. 2, 2020 to Feb. 10, 2021) for the seventh-longest such streak in NBA history.

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Miscellany

• Murphy III was the night’s top bucket getter, scoring 35 points. He was followed by the Suns’ Devin Booker (31 points), Harden (31), the Pelicans’ Zion Williamson (31), and Durant (30).

• The Pelicans’ Derik Queen was the chairman of the boards, hauling in a career-high 16 rebounds last night. The Trail Blazers’ Donovan Clingan was runner-up with 15 rebounds, while the Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson placed third with 14.

• The Toronto Raptors’ Immanuel Quickley was the nightly leader in assists, delivering 13 dimes. Also recording double-digit helpers were Queen (career-high 12 assists), the Memphis Grizzlies’ Cam Spencer (11), Curry (10), the Hawks’ Dyson Daniels (10), James (10), and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Jalen Williams (10).

• Queen produced his second career triple-double, scoring 14 points to go with his 16 rebounds and 12 assists. He and Chris Paul are the only rookies in Pelicans history to record multiple triple-doubles.

• Daniels recorded his first career triple-double, compiling 17 points, 11 rebounds (matching his career high), and 10 assists. He also swiped a game-high four steals.