Three Stars
The three stars in ice hockey are the three best players in a game, with the “first star” considered the best of the three players, similar to the player of the match in other sports. Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games.
First ⭐️
Nikola Jokic produced game highs of 35 points, 18 rebounds, and eight assists (tied with Cason Wallace) to power the Denver Nuggets to a 140-127 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Jokic made 15 of his 20 attempts from the field and shot 4-5 from the free throw line. He also recorded one steal and one block, committing just one turnover in 40 minutes played.
Second ⭐️
Deni Avdija registered game highs of 34 points and 16 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough as the Portland Trail Blazers fell to the surging Golden State Warriors 130-120. Avdija went 11-15 from the floor (5-7 on 3-pointers) and a perfect 7-7 from the charity stripe. He also dished out six assists and swiped two steals in 41 minutes of court time.
Third ⭐️
Miles Bridges scored a game-high 35 points as the Charlotte Hornets rallied from a 17-point first-half deficit to defeat the Miami Heat 105-102. Bridges shot 12-19 from the field (5-11 on 3-pointers) and sank all six of his free throw attempts. He added five rebounds, five assists, and a game-high two blocks (tied with two others) in 37 minutes of action.
Milestones
Jokic has recorded game highs (either outright or tied) in points, rebounds, and assists 75 times, making him the first player in NBA history to reach that mark. LeBron James ranks second with 68 such games.
Jokic became the 82nd player in NBA history to reach the 8,000-rebound mark. He ranks eighth in that group with 5,286 career assists.
The Warriors’ Stephen Curry (5-11 on threes) made his 250th 3-pointer of the season, the 11th time he’s attained that milestone. No other player in NBA history has recorded more than five such seasons. Curry is two triples away from reaching 4,000 for his career.
Nikola Vucevic (11 points, 11 rebounds) recorded his 195th career double-double with the Chicago Bulls in a 121-103 rout of the Indiana Pacers. Vucevic broke a tie with Horace Grant for the third-most such games in franchise history.
Sam Hauser (33 points, 9-19 on threes) became the fourth Boston Celtics player to make at least nine 3-pointers in a game this season in a 114-108 win over the Utah Jazz. He joins teammates Jayson Tatum, Payton Pritchard, and Derrick White. No other team in NBA history has produced four such players in a single season.
The Toronto Raptors broke the franchise record for most rebounds in a game, collecting 73 in a 119-104 win over the Washington Wizards. The previous mark of 65 rebounds was set on March 21, 1999. Led by Scottie Barnes with 13, four Raptors recorded double-digit rebounds, a franchise first.
The Washington Wizards set a franchise single-game record by launching 55 threes, surpassing the previous mark of 53 set on Dec. 31, 2023. The Wizards misfired on 39 of those attempts, the most 3-pointers missed in a game in franchise history.
Streaking
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (25 points) has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 59 games, the second-longest such streak in franchise history and the 12th-longest such streak in NBA history. He’s averaging 33.2 PPG on 53.2/38.3/90.0 shooting splits over that span.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic (22 points, 3-10 on threes) has scored at least 10 points with one 3-pointer made in each of his last 104 games, the longest such streak in NBA history. Points aside, his 104-game 3-point streak ranks sixth on the all-time list.
Dyson Daniels swiped two steals in the Atlanta Hawks’ 132-123 victory over the reeling Philadelphia 76ers, the 36th consecutive game in which he’s recorded at least one theft. It’s the longest such streak by a Hawk since Mookie Blaylock’s 41-game run in the 1996-97 season.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: Boston Celtics (five) and Golden State Warriors (five).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Utah Jazz (six).
The Memphis Grizzlies edged the Phoenix Suns 120-118, becoming just the fifth team in NBA history to open a season with 65 straight 100-point games. They join the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers, the 1979-80 San Antonio Spurs, the 1981-82 Denver Nuggets, and the 2023-24 Indiana Pacers.
The Grizzlies have a streak of 67 consecutive 100-point games dating back to last regular season, tying three other teams for the 19th-longest such streak in NBA history.
Miscellany
Bridges, the Suns’ Kevin Durant, the Sixers’ Quentin Grimes, and Jokic all tied for the nightly lead in points, netting 35 apiece. That quartet was followed by Avdija (season-high 34), the Nuggets’ Jamal Murray (34), Hauser (career-high 33), the Raptors’ A.J. Lawson (career-high 32), and the Trail Blazers’ Anfernee Simons (32).
Jokic was the chairman of the boards last night, hauling in 18 rebounds. The Houston Rockets’ Steven Adams placed second with a season-high 17 boards (in only 23 minutes played), while Avdija ranked third with a season-high 16.
The Jazz’s Collin Sexton led seven players with double-digit dimes, matching his career high with 13 assists. He was joined by Doncic (12), the Grizzlies’ Ja Morant (12), the Hornets’ LaMelo Ball (10), the Warriors’ Jimmy Butler III (season-high-tying 10), the Lakers’ Austin Reaves (10), and the Celtics’ Derrick White (10).
Doncic (22 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists) recorded his 82nd career triple-double, but made just eight of his 26 field goal attempts and committed a game-high five turnovers.
Butler III (15 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) recorded his 18th career triple-double and first as a Warrior. Golden State is now 12-1 in the 13 games Butler III has suited up, posting an average differential of plus-13.5 PPG.
Jokic recorded his second career 30-point, 15-rebound game with 75% shooting from the field. The only other Denver Nugget to record such a game since the franchise joined the NBA in 1976 is George McGinnis on Dec. 11, 1979.
The Raptors' 73 boards weren't just a franchise record, but the highest mark in a regulation game since the Knicks grabbed 75 vs the Hornets in 1992.
In fact, only once since the merger did a team collect more than 75 in a regulation game - 79 by the Jazz (back then still in NO) in 1977, the first post-merger season.