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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 ⭐️
Cade Cunningham poured in a career-high 52 points as the Detroit Pistons outlasted the Washington Wizards 144-140 in double overtime. Cunningham shot 16-25 from the field (3-5 on threes) and 17-18 from the free throw line. He added a team-high 11 assists, five rebounds, one steal, and one block in 48 turnover-free minutes.
Second ⭐️
Trae Young scored a season-high 37 points, but it wasn’t enough in the Wizards’ loss to the Pistons. Young went just 8-23 from the floor (4-8 on threes), but sank all 17 of his attempts from the charity stripe. He also dished out a game-high 14 assists in 45 minutes of action.
Third ⭐️
Devin Booker scored a game-high 30 points to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 101-96 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. Booker shot 12-20 from the field, hitting four of his eight attempts from 3-point range. He also contributed a game-high seven assists (tied with Oso Ighodaro), a game-high three steals, and one block in 35 minutes played.
Milestones
Cunningham became the first player to record a 50-point, 10-assist game without committing a turnover since the NBA began tracking individual errors in 1977-78.
Cunningham is just the fifth player since 1977-78 to record a 50-point double-double with zero turnovers, joining Michael Jordan (twice), Moses Malone, Carmelo Anthony, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Cunningham is the first player in Detroit Pistons history to record at least 50 points and 10 assists in a game. He’s the third player in franchise history to record a 50-point double-double, joining George Yardley (twice) and Blake Griffin.
Young broke the Washington Wizards record for most free throws made in a game without a miss with 17. The previous mark of 16 was set by Bojan Bogdanovic on March 7, 2017.
Streaking
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: Minnesota Timberwolves (five).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Washington Wizards (six).
The Charlotte Hornets hit 14 triples, the 50th consecutive game in which they’ve made 10 or more 3-pointers. That breaks a tie with the Memphis Grizzlies for the ninth-longest such streak in NBA history.
Miscellany
The Pistons’ Ausar Thompson recorded his first career triple-double, compiling 17 points, 11 rebounds, and a career-high 11 assists.
Booker’s 240 career 30-point games rank eighth among active players. He has 150 more 30-point games than any other player in Phoenix Suns history.
Cunningham and Thompson are the first duo in Detroit Pistons history to record a 50-point game and a triple-double, respectively, in the same game.
Three players scored at least 30 points for the Washington Wizards: Young, Anthony Davis, and Alex Sarr. It’s the third time in franchise history — and the first time since Nov. 18, 1969, when they were known as the Baltimore Bullets — they’ve had three 30-point scorers in the same game.
The Timberwolves routed the Dallas Mavericks 133-94 for their fifth straight win. They own a point differential of plus-161 points through 12 games this season, the largest such figure in franchise history by 50 points.