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 ⭐️
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded team highs of 36 points, 16 rebounds, eight assists, and three steals as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Atlanta Hawks 122-113. Antetokounmpo went 12-22 from the field and made 12 of his 16 free throw attempts.
Second ⭐️
Bogdan Bogdanovic scored a game-high 38 points and snagged a career-high 10 rebounds in the Hawks’ loss to the Bucks. Bogdanovic shot 12-23 from the field — including 5-9 from 3-point range — and made nine of his 10 free throws.
Third ⭐️
Khris Middleton tallied 21 points, six rebounds, and six assists in the Bucks’ victory over the Hawks. Middleton made nine of his 10 shots from the floor, including all three of his 3-point attempts. He committed just one turnover in 36 minutes played.
Milestones
CJ McCollum scored 24 points in the New Orleans Pelicans’ 104-92 loss to the Boston Celtics, reaching 14,000 for his career. His total now stands at 14,005 (and counting).
Streaking
Antetokounmpo has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 18 games. He’s averaging 30.8 PPG, 12.4 RPG, and 6.8 APG with a field goal percentage of 63.1% over that span.
Jayson Tatum scored a team-high 23 points in the Celtics’ win over Pelicans. Tatum has scored at least 20 points in 10 straight games, averaging 29.7 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 5.3 APG with 47/42/85 shooting splits over that span.
Bogdanovic has made at least one 3-pointer in each of his last 81 regular season games, the second-longest such streak in Hawks history and the 10th-longest such streak in NBA history.
Miscellany
Bogdanovic led all scorers with 38 points last night. Antetokounmpo (36) and the Pelicans’ Zion Williamson (25) also had 25-point efforts.
Antetokounmpo was the night’s top board man, hauling in 16 rebounds. Four more players recorded at least 10 rebounds: the Orlando Magic’s Wendell Carter Jr. (13), the Memphis Grizzlies’ Jordan Goodwin (11), Bogdanovic (career-high 10), and the Celtics’ Kristaps Porzingis (10).
The Hawks’ Dejounte Murray was the only player to deliver double-digit dimes, recording 12 assist last night. Antetokounmpo was next in line with his eight, followed by the Magic’s Paolo Banchero and the Celtics’ Jrue Holiday with seven apiece.