NBA Game Notes (March 16, 2026)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on March 16, 2026.
Three Stars
Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games, with the “first star” considered the top performer.
First ⭐️
Nickeil Alexander-Walker poured in a career-high 41 points as the Atlanta Hawks beat the Orlando Magic 124-112 to extend their winning streak to 10 games. Alexander-Walker shot 12-21 from the field (9-14 on threes) and 8-9 from the free throw line. He also contributed seven rebounds, five assists, and a game-high two steals (tied with two others) in 37 minutes played.
Second ⭐️
Jaylen Brown scored 18 of his game-high 41 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Boston Celtics to a 120-112 victory over the Phoenix Suns. Brown went 10-20 from the floor and 19-21 from the charity stripe. He added a game-high seven rebounds (tied with two others), a team-high six assists (tied with two others), one steal, and one block, and was not charged with a personal foul in 40 minutes of action.
Third ⭐️
Kristaps Porzingis matched his season high with 30 points in the Golden State Warriors’ 125-117 win over the Washington Wizards. Porzingis shot 8-13 from the field and 13-14 from the free throw line. He also recorded five rebounds, four assists, a game-high three blocks, and a team-high two steals (tied with three others) in just 26 minutes played.
Milestones
Josh Giddey (16 points, 15 rebounds, 13 assists) recorded his 30th career triple-double as the Chicago Bulls routed the Memphis Grizzlies 132-107. He’s the fourth-youngest (23 years, 157 days) and the sixth-fastest (326 games) player in NBA history to attain that milestone.
The Hawks’ Jalen Johnson (24 points, 15 rebounds, 13 assists) produced his 15th career triple-double. He’s the ninth-fastest (245 games) and the ninth-youngest (24 years, 88 days) player in NBA history to reach that mark.
Alexander-Walker made his 200th 3-pointer of the season, the first time he’s reached that mark. He’s the sixth player (ninth instance) in Atlanta Hawks history to attain that milestone.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr recorded his 600th career regular season win. He reached that mark in 943 games, fourth fastest in NBA history behind Phil Jackson (805 games), Pat Riley (832), and Gregg Popovich (887).
The San Antonio Spurs defeated the LA Clippers 119-115 to reach 50 wins for the first time since the 2016-17 season. It’s their 28th 50-win campaign since joining the NBA in 1976, the most by any franchise over that span.
Streaking
Luka Doncic (36 points) recorded his 14th consecutive 20-point game in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 100-92 win over the Houston Rockets. He’s also produced 11 straight 25-point games and six straight 30-point games.
The Suns’ Devin Booker (40 points) has scored at least 25 points in each of his last seven games, a stretch in which he’s averaged 32.9 PPG with 48.1/39.2/92.3 shooting splits.
Giddey is the first Chicago Bull to produce five straight 10-assist games since Michael Jordan recorded a franchise-record 12 such games in a row from March 24 to April 14, 1989.
Giddey registered back-to-back triple-doubles for the third time this season. The only other player in franchise history to record consecutive triple-doubles is Jordan, with streaks of seven and three games.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: Atlanta Hawks (10) and Los Angeles Lakers (six).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Washington Wizards (12) and Memphis Grizzlies (eight).
The Hawks have won 10 consecutive games, all decided by nine or more points. That’s one shy of the NBA record of 11 such wins in a row held by the Washington Capitols (Nov. 30 to Dec. 30, 1946).
Miscellany
Alexander-Walker and Brown led the nightly scoring brigade, each bagging 41 points (a career high for Alexander-Walker). They were followed by Booker (40 points), Doncic (36), the Dallas Mavericks’ Naji Marshall (32), and Porzingis (30).
Giddey and Johnson were the night’s top board men, snagging 15 rebounds apiece. Next in line were the Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama (13), the Hawks’ Dyson Daniels (career-high 12), and the Rockets’ Amen Thompson (12).
Giddey and Johnson were also the leading playmakers last night, each handing out 13 assists. The only other player to deliver double-digit dimes was the Clippers’ Darius Garland with 10.
It's mind-boggling that such a record predates the shot clock era.
The 1946/47 Capitols also share the double-digit win streak with 10 (equaled thrice, most recently by the Cavs last year). Funnily enough the last of these was in OT.
If we lower the threshold to 8, their streak goes up to 15 (out of 17 straight, the single season NBA record until the 1969/70 Knicks won 18 in a row).