Three Stars
Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games, with the “first star” considered the top performer.
First ⭐️
Paul George poured in a game-high 36 points as the Boston Celtics routed the Philadelphia 76ers 123-101. George shot 14-22 from the field, sinking six of his 11 attempts from 3-point range. He also grabbed five rebounds and committed just one turnover in 30 minutes played.
Second ⭐️
Franz Wagner scored a game-high 33 points in the Orlando Magic’s 107-100 win over the Sacramento Kings. Wagner went 11-23 from the floor and a perfect 10-10 from the charity stripe. He added a game-high seven assists, seven rebounds, and two steals in 38 minutes of action.
Third ⭐️
Giannis Antetokounmpo produced game highs of 30 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Miami Heat to a 115-109 victory over the Utah Jazz. Antetokounmpo made 12 of his 21 attempts from the field. He also dished out four assists and committed just one turnover in 31 minutes played.
Milestones
Antetokounmpo increased his career total to 21,836 points, passing Gary Payton to take over 39th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Antetokounmpo recorded his 315th career 30-point game, breaking a tie with Adrian Dantley for the 15th-most such games in NBA history.
Jalen Brunson scored 23 points in the New York Knicks’ 117-85 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, reaching 11,000 points for his career. He’s one of only four active players drafted in the second round to attain that milestone.
Damian Lillard became the Portland Trail Blazers’ career leader in field goals attempted in their 123-103 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. He went 8-15 from the floor to raise his franchise total to 14,435 attempts, 10 more than Clyde Drexler.
Streaking
The Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tallied 26 points, the 161st consecutive games in which he’s scored at least 15 points. It’s the seventh-longest such streak in NBA history.
Kings rookie Darius Acuff Jr. registered 29 points and six assists for his seventh straight 20-point, 5-assist game. It’s the longest such streak by a rookie since Allen Iverson’s 11-game run in 1996-97.
The Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and 16 rebounds for his 10th consecutive double-double to open the season. The only other player in franchise history to record a double-double in each of his first 10 games of a season is Willis Reed in 1970-71.
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Utah Jazz (nine) and Milwaukee Bucks (seven).
Miscellany
Acuff Jr. has scored 288 points in 11 games. The only player since the ABA-NBA merger with more points through the first 11 games of their career is Michael Jordan with 289 points.
The Sacramento Kings fell to 1-10 to match the worst 11-game start in franchise history. They also opened the 1990-91 season with 10 losses in their first 11 games.
The Bucks fell to 1-10 as well, tying the worst record through 11 games in franchise history. They also started the 1974-75 and 1993-94 campaigns with 10 losses in their first 11 games.
It’s still quite early, but Western Conference teams have a record of 26-8 in matchups versus Eastern Conference foes. The West has an average point differential of plus-11.0 PPG in those contests.