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 ⭐️
Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high 31 points in the LA Clippers’ 132-100 rout of the Brooklyn Nets, the Clippers’ 10th win in their last 12 games. Leonard shot 10-14 from the field (5-6 on 3-pointers) and made all six of his free throw attempts. He added six rebounds, a game-high four steals, and a game-high two blocks (tied with Nic Claxton), committing just one turnover and zero personal fouls in 27 minutes of action.
Second ⭐️
Julius Randle scored a game-high 25 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves completed a four-game sweep of the Phoenix Suns this season with a 124-109 victory. Randle shot 9-15 from the field (2-4 on 3-pointers) and a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line. He also contributed a team-high eight assists, six rebounds, one steal, and one block in 32 turnover-free minutes.
Third ⭐️
Nikola Jokic produced game highs of 27 points and 14 rebounds despite sitting out the fourth quarter of the Denver Nuggets’ 129-93 blowout win over the Utah Jazz. Jokic shot just 8-18 from the floor (1-5 on 3-pointers), but went 10-12 from the charity stripe. He also dished out six assists and swiped a game-high four steals, and was not charged with a personal foul in 32 minutes played.
Milestones
The Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook (seven assists, three steals) moved up on the NBA’s all-time lists for assists and steals. He now ranks eighth with 9,892 assists (passing Oscar Robertson) and 16th with 1,947 steals (breaking a tie with Kobe Bryant).
Jokic surpassed 16,000 career points, becoming the first player from the 2018 NBA Draft class to attain that milestone. He’s just the ninth player in NBA history to reach totals of 16,000 points, 8,000 rebounds, and 5,000 assists, and is the fastest to do so by 60 games.
Clippers center Ivica Zubac (21 points, 12 rebounds, 9-9 field goals) recorded his 50th double-double of the season, the first time he’s reached mark. It’s his second career 20-point, 10-rebound game with a field goal percentage of 100%, making him the first player in franchise history to produce multiple such games.
The Detroit Pistons beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 133-122 to clinch their first winning record since the 2015-16 season. Detroit sits in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings, just 1.5 games behind the fourth-place Indiana Pacers.
The Cleveland Cavaliers (15-40 on threes) broke the franchise record for most 3-pointers attempted in a season with 3,052. The previous mark of 3,016 attempts was set last season.
The Utah Jazz dropped their 59th game of the season, tying the franchise single-season record. The Jazz also lost 59 games in 1974-75, the franchise’s inaugural season when they were located in New Orleans.
Streaking
Jokic recorded his 12th straight 20-point game, including 25 or more points in each of his last six contests. He’s averaging 33.8 PPG, 11.7 RPG, and 7.0 APG with a field goal percentage of 57.6% over the latter span.
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Brooklyn Nets (six) and Utah Jazz (five).
The Cavaliers have made 10 or more 3-pointers in 79 consecutive regular season games, the third-longest such streak in NBA history. They are the only team in league history to hit double-digit triples in each of their first 74 games of a season.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have scored at least 100 points in 50 straight games, the longest such streak in franchise history by 10 games. They are averaging 115.5 PPG over that stretch.
Miscellany
The Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell led all scorers with 38 points last night. Joining him in the 30-point club were the Pistons’ Tim Hardaway Jr. (season-high 32), the New York Knicks’ OG Anunoby (31), Leonard (31), and the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo (30).
The Knicks’ Josh Hart, Jokic, and the Charlotte Hornets’ Tidjane Salaun shared nightly rebounding honors with 14 apiece (a career high for Salaun). The Pistons’ Jalen Duren, the Jazz’s Kyle Filipowski, and the Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert were next in line with 13 boards each.
The Suns’ Collin Gillespie, the New Orleans Pelicans’ Elfrid Payton, and the Pistons’ Dennis Schroder were the night’s top playmakers, each distributing 10 assists (a career high for Gillespie).
The Nets’ Drew Timme (11 points, 10 rebounds) became just the fifth player in franchise history to record a double-double in his NBA debut. He joins Calvin Natt, Buck Williams, Derrick Coleman, and Terrence Williams.