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 ⭐️
Kevin Durant scored a game-high 38 points as the Phoenix Suns edged the Milwaukee Bucks 108-106 for their fourth straight victory. Durant shot 11-21 from the field (7-9 on 3-pointers) and 9-10 from the free throw line. He also grabbed eight rebounds, dished out five assists, and blocked a game-high three shots in 37 minutes of playing time.
Second ⭐️
Tyrese Haliburton produced game highs of 24 points and 11 assists to lead the Indiana Pacers to their fifth straight win, a 119-103 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Haliburton went 9-16 from the floor, hitting three of his seven 3-point attempts. He also recorded one steal and one block, committing just one turnover and no personal fouls in 29 minutes played.
Third ⭐️
Coby White scored a game-high 37 points as the Chicago Bulls won for the eighth time in their last 10 games, beating the Denver Nuggets 129-119. White shot 11-22 from the field (5-10 on 3-pointers) and 10-11 from the free throw line. He added four assists, two steals, and one block, committing just one turnover and one personal foul in 40 minutes of action.
Milestones
The Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook (14 points) moved into 20th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 26,083 career points, displacing Kevin Garnett (26,071).
Durant increased his career total to 10,519 field goals made, passing John Havlicek (10,513) to take over 12th place on the NBA’s all-time list.
The Washington Wizards’ Marcus Smart (1-2 on threes) reached 1,000 career 3-pointers made in a 112-104 loss to the Toronto Raptors. His success rate of 32.4% ranks 157th out of the 162 players to attain that milestone.
Streaking
Haliburton has recorded at least 10 assists with two or fewer turnovers in 11 consecutive games, the longest such streak since the NBA began tracking individual turnovers in 1977-78. No other player has produced more than seven such games in a row.
Haliburton has posted 11 straight points-assists double-doubles, the longest such streak in Indiana Pacers history and the longest such streak in the NBA since Russell Westbrook in 2018-19 (also 11 games).
The Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic (32 points, 4-10 on threes) extended his NBA-record streak of games with at least 10 points and one 3-pointer made to 110 in a 118-106 loss to the Orlando Magic. Points aside, he tied Bogdan Bogdanovic for the fifth-longest 3-point streak in league history.
Jayson Tatum (25 points) recorded his 105th consecutive 15-point game in the Boston Celtics’ 113-95 win over the Sacramento Kings. It’s the longest such streak in franchise history and the 17th-longest such streak in NBA history.
The Magic’s Paolo Banchero (30 points) has produced 13 straight 20-point games, the longest such streak of his career by five games. He’s averaging 30.5 PPG and 7.4 RPG with 50.0/38.8/82.1 shooting splits over that span.
White has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 13 games, the longest such streak of his career by seven games. Over that stretch, he’s averaging 29.3 PPG on 49.4/35.0/89.9 shooting splits.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: Boston Celtics (six) and Indiana Pacers (five).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Philadelphia 76ers (five) and Washington Wizards (five).
The Chicago Bulls scored at least 110 points for the 18th consecutive game, the longest such streak in franchise history by nine games. Chicago has a record of 10-8 over that span, with a scoring average of 120.9 PPG.
Miscellany
Durant led the nightly scoring brigade, netting 38 points. He was followed by White (37), Doncic (32), the Magic’s Franz Wagner (32), the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo (31), and Banchero (30).
The Nuggets’ DeAndre Jordan and the Kings’ Domantas Sabonis were the chairmen of the boards, each snagging 17 rebounds last night (a season high for Jordan). The Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert was next in line, collecting 16 boards.
The Charlotte Hornets’ Elfrid Payton was the night’s leading playmaker, handing out 14 assists. Also delivering double-digit dimes were the Suns’ Devin Booker (12), the Mavericks’ Spencer Dinwiddie (season-high-tying 12), Haliburton (11), the Kings’ DeMar DeRozan (season-high-tying 10), and the Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook (10).
Antetokounmpo (31 points, 10 rebounds, five assists) has been the Bucks’ leader (either outright or tied) in points, rebounds, and assists in 178 regular season games. The only players in NBA history with more such games are LeBron James (240) and Nikola Jokic (194).
Over his last 11 games, Haliburton is averaging 21.5 PPG, 12.1 APG, and 2.5 SPG with 54.9/47.4/94.3 shooting splits. He’s committed just 12 turnovers and 10 personal fouls in that span.
The Philadelphia 76ers fell to the New Orleans Pelicans 112-99 in last night’s featured Tankathon matchup. The Sixers rested Quentin Grimes, presumably because he’s been scoring too much (eight straight 25-point games), while the Pelicans sat Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum. Philadelphia has lost 20 of its last 23 games, with an average scoring differential of minus-10.2 PPG over that stretch.