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Three Stars
Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games, with the “first star” considered the top performer.
First ⭐️
Victor Wembanyama scored a game-high 32 points as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Chicago Bulls 124-116 to pick up their 10th straight win. Wembanyama made 13 of his 18 attempts from the field. He also contributed a game-high nine rebounds, a game-high five blocks, and two steals in 32 minutes played.
Second ⭐️
James Harden scored a season-high 32 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 115-107 victory over the New York Knicks. Harden shot 9-14 from the field (5-7 on threes) and 9-11 from the free throw line. He also recorded four assists and a game-high two steals (tied with three others) in 33 minutes of action.
Third ⭐️
Jamal Murray scored a game-high 30 points in the Denver Nuggets’ 123-118 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Murray went 12-19 from the floor, hitting four of his seven 3-point attempts. He added a game-high eight assists (tied with Nikola Jokic), four rebounds, and a game-high two blocks (tied with Aaron Gordon) in 32 minutes played.
Milestones
Harden recorded his 345th career 30-point game, tying Allen Iverson for the 11th-most such games in NBA history.
Kevin Durant went 8-17 from the floor in the Houston Rockets’ 115-108 win over the Golden State Warriors. He increased his career total to 11,136 field goals made, passing Shaquille O’Neal to take over seventh place on the NBA’s all-time list.
The Knicks’ Jalen Brunson made his 1,000th career 3-pointer. He’s the 10th player selected in the 2018 NBA Draft to reach that mark, tied for the most ever from a single class.
Streaking
The Warriors’ Stephen Curry made one 3-pointer before leaving the game with an abdominal injury in the first quarter. He’s hit at least one triple in each of his last 102 games, the seventh-longest such streak in NBA history.
Luka Doncic tallied 32 points, five rebounds, and five assists as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 123-112. He’s produced nine straight 30-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist games, tying Oscar Robertson (twice) and himself (three other times) for the longest such streak in NBA history.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 118-108 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. It was his 162nd consecutive 15-point game, the seventh-longest such streak in NBA history.
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and 11 rebounds for his 11th double-double in 11 games this season. He tied Willis Reed (1970-71) for the longest such streak to open a season in franchise history.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: San Antonio Spurs (10), Los Angeles Lakers (seven), and Boston Celtics (five).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Utah Jazz (10), Chicago Bulls (eight), Milwaukee Bucks (eight), and Washington Wizards (five).
The Bulls joined the 1983-84 Denver Nuggets as the only teams in NBA history to allow at least 120 points in each of their first 10 games of a season. They’ve given up at least 120 points in 12 straight games dating back to last season, the longest such streak in franchise history and tied for the second-longest such streak in league history.
The Memphis Grizzlies went 17-41 from beyond the arc, extending their streak of games with 10 or more 3-pointers made to 49. That ties the Charlotte Hornets for the ninth-longest such streak in NBA history.
Miscellany
Wembanyama has produced figures of 36.6 PPG, 13.0 RPG, and 5.0 BPG over his last five games. He’s the first player to average at least 35 PPG, 10 RPG, and 5 BPG over a five-game span since the NBA began tracking blocks in 1973-74.
Doncic has scored 425 points in 11 games this season. The only player in NBA history with more points through his first 11 games of a season is Wilt Chamberlain in 1961-62 (530 points) and 1962-63 (574).
Murray and teammate Nikola Jokic (27 points, eight assists) have each recorded at least 20 points and five assists in the same game 130 times. That’s by far the most such games by a duo since the ABA-NBA merger, 39 more than the second-place tandem of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.
The Spurs joined the 2017-18 Boston Celtics as the only teams in NBA history to win 10 consecutive games after starting a season 0-2. The Celtics’ winning streak eventually reached 16 games.
The reeling New Orleans Pelicans were blown out by the Brooklyn Nets 145-111. They’ve been outscored by 85 points over their last two games, the largest such difference in franchise history by 11 points.