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 ⭐️
LaMelo Ball, who had never scored more than 38 points in an NBA game, exploded for a career-high 50 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Charlotte Hornets fell to the Milwaukee Bucks 125-119. Ball went 17-38 from the field (6-17 on 3-pointers) and 10-13 from the free throw line. He also recorded a game-high 10 assists and five rebounds in 40 minutes of action.
Second ⭐️
Nikola Jokic produced game highs of 34 points and 13 rebounds as the Denver Nuggets routed the Los Angeles Lakers 127-102. Jokic shot 12-20 from the floor (3-7 on 3-pointers) and made seven of his eight free throw attempts. He added eight assists and a team-high two steals while posting a season-high rating of plus-39 points in 37 minutes played.
Third ⭐️
Lauri Markkanen scored a game-high 34 points in the Utah Jazz’s surprisingly easy 121-106 win over the New York Knicks, snapping Utah’s four-game losing streak. Markkanen went 11-15 from the field — including a 5-8 effort from 3-point range — and 7-8 from the free throw line. He also grabbed nine rebounds and posted a season-high rating of plus-30 points in 33 turnover-free minutes.
Milestones
Ball became just the second player in Charlotte Hornets history to record a 50-point game, joining Kemba Walker (twice). Ball is the first Hornet to produce a 50-point, 10-assist game, and at 23 years and 93 days old he’s the third-youngest player in NBA history to do so.
Ball set a franchise record for most field goals attempted in a game with 38. The previous mark of 34 tries was set by Walker on Nov. 17, 2018, when he scored a franchise-record 60 points.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to their fourth straight win, tallying team highs of 32 points (12-23 field goals), 11 rebounds, and six assists. He reached 19,000 career points in the second quarter, becoming the first player in franchise history and the 65th player in NBA history to attain that milestone.
Chris Paul recorded seven assists and zero turnovers in the San Antonio Spurs’ 104-94 win over the Golden State Warriors. It’s the 118th time Paul has delivered at least five assists in a game without committing an error, tying Muggsy Bogues for the most such games since the NBA began tracking individual turnovers in 1977-78.
Antetokounmpo (32 points) and Damian Lillard (31) each scored at least 30 points in the same game for the 12th time, breaking the franchise record for must such games by a duo. They had shared the previous mark of 11 with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bob Dandridge.
Head coach Michael Malone picked up his 433rd regular season victory with the Nuggets, breaking a tie with Doug Moe for the most wins in franchise history. Malone already held the franchise record for most playoff wins with 44.
Streaking
Antetokounmpo has scored at least 20 points on 50% shooting from the field in each of his 16 games this season, the longest such streak to open a season in NBA history. He’s averaging 32.4 PPG, 11.9 RPG, and 6.4 APG with a field goal percentage of 60.8% over that stretch.
Spurs center Victor Wembanyama compiled 25 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, and three blocks in his return from a three-game absence. It’s the 53rd consecutive game in which Wembanyama has blocked at least one shot, the third-longest such streak in franchise history behind runs of 61 and 55 games by David Robinson.
Miscellany
Ball led all scorers with his career-high 50 points yesterday. He was followed by Jokic (34), Markkanen (34), Antetokounmpo (32), the Hornets’ Brandon Miller (32), Lillard (31), the Memphis Grizzlies’ Scotty Pippen Jr. (career-high 30), and the Orlando Magic’s Franz Wagner (30).
The Portland Trail Blazers’ Donovan Clingan was the day’s leading board man, hauling in a career-high 19 rebounds. Also snagging at least a dozen rebounds were the Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns (16), the Jazz’s John Collins (13), Jokic (13), and the Magic’s Jonathan Isaac (12).
The Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook was the top playmaker yesterday, handing out 11 assists. The only other players to deliver double-digit dimes were Ball and Pippen Jr. with 10 apiece.
Pippen Jr. went 13-16 from the floor (81.3%) in his 30-point, 10-assist game versus the Chicago Bulls. He’s the first player in Memphis Grizzlies history to record a 30-point, 10-assist game with 80% shooting from the field.
Clingan was held scoreless in his 19-rebound effort. The last player to record at least 19 rebounds in a game without scoring a point was Omer Asik on Nov. 2, 2012 (also 19 rebounds).
Wagner had nine rebounds and eight assists to go with his 30 points. It’s the eighth time he’s recorded at least 25 points, five rebounds, and five assists in a game this season, one more such game than he had in his first three seasons combined.
Including the postseason, the Denver Nuggets have beaten the Los Angeles Lakers 13 times in their last 14 tries. Last night’s 25-point victory was the largest in that span, easily surpassing Denver’s 13-point win on Jan. 9, 2023.