Three Stars
Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games, with the “first star” considered the top performer.
First ⭐️
Luka Doncic continued his torrid scoring run, pouring in a game-high 53 points in the Los Angles Lakers’ 124-118 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Doncic shot 17-33 from the field (5-15 on threes) and 14-18 from the free throw line. He also contributed a team-high five assists, five rebounds, and one steal in 38 minutes played.
Second ⭐️
Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 34 points as the Boston Celtics routed the Charlotte Hornets 119-80. Tatum went 9-16 from the floor (5-8 on 3-pointers) and a perfect 11-11 from the charity stripe. He added a game-high nine assists, a team-high eight rebounds (tied with Luka Garza), one steal, and one block in 29 minutes of action.
Third ⭐️
Ajay Mitchell scored a career-high 35 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 128-97 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Mitchell made 14 of his 20 attempts from the field, including a 4-7 effort from 3-point range. He also recorded five assists and a game-high rating of plus-33 points in 30 minutes played.
Milestones
Doncic recorded his 11th career 50-point game, tying Allen Iverson for 10th place on the NBA’s all-time list. He’s the first player to produce multiple 50-point games within his first nine games of a season since Michael Jordan in 1988-89.
Doncic scored at least 45 points in a game for the 25th time in his career. He’s just the 10th player in NBA history to reach that mark.
Doncic recorded his 68th career 40-point game, tying George Gervin for 13th place on the NBA’s all-time list. Only two players have recorded more 40-point games before their 28th birthday: Wilt Chamberlain (214) and Michael Jordan (103).
Streaking
Doncic has compiled at least 35 points, five rebounds, and five assists in each of his last seven games, tying Oscar Robertson for the longest such streak in NBA history.
Doncic has scored at least 40 points in four consecutive games, the longest such streak of his career. He’s produced four straight 40-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist games, tying Elgin Baylor for the longest such streak in NBA history.
Doncic has made at least five 3-pointers in each of his last seven games. The only players in NBA history with a longer such streak are James Harden and Stephen Curry (twice).
The Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points to extend his run of 15-point games to 159, the seventh-longest such streak in NBA history.
Rookie Darius Acuff Jr. recorded his fifth straight 20-point, 5-assist game, tallying 22 points and eight assists in the Sacramento Kings’ 124-109 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. The only rookie with a longer such streak this century is Trae Young (six in a row).
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: San Antonio Spurs (seven).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Utah Jazz (seven), Charlotte Hornets (six), and Milwaukee Bucks (five).
Although the Hornets shot just 11-50 from beyond the arc, it was their 49th consecutive game with 10 or more 3-pointers made. That’s the longest such streak in franchise history, surpassing a 48-game run from April 8, 2025 to Jan. 18, 2026.
Miscellany
Doncic became just the second player in NBA history to record at least 300 points, 50 rebounds, and 50 assists over a seven-game span, joining James Harden.
Doncic is averaging 40.1 PPG in nine games this season. The only other player in NBA history to average at least 40 PPG through his first nine games of a season is Wilt Chamberlain (twice).
LeBron James was held to eight points in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 119-95 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. It’s just the 10th time in 1,630 career regular-season games he’s failed to score in double figures.
Acuff Jr. has scored 227 points in nine games this season, the highest such total through the first nine games of a player’s NBA career since Michael Jordan in 1984-85 (246 points).
The Hornets are just the fourth team in NBA history—and the second team this season—to suffer three 30-point losses in their first 10 games of a season. They join the 1990-91 Denver Nuggets, 2025-26 New Orleans Pelicans, and 2026-27 Chicago Bulls.
The Bucks lost to the Toronto Raptors 121-107 to fall to 1-8 on the season. That matches the worst nine-game start in franchise history (1974-75 and 1993-94).
The Sacramento Kings also fell to 1-8, matching the worst nine-game start in franchise history. It’s the sixth time they’ve opened a season with eight losses in their first nine games.