Three Stars
Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games, with the “first star” considered the top performer.
First ⭐️
Stephen Curry scored a game-high 41 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to their seventh straight win, a 126-119 overtime victory over the Orlando Magic. The efficient Curry shot 13-19 from the field (5-10 on threes) and a perfect 10-10 from the free throw line. He also recorded six rebounds and six assists in 36 minutes played.
Second ⭐️
Victor Wembanyama scored a game-high 29 points as the San Antonio Spurs blew out the Portland Trail Blazers 125-103 to pick up their eighth straight win. Wembanyama went 9-13 from the floor (3-6 on 3-pointers) and 8-9 from the charity stripe. He added seven rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block in just 24 minutes of action.
Third ⭐️
Karl-Anthony Towns recorded a double-double, scoring 29 points to go with a game-high 13 rebounds in the New York Knicks’ 109-97 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Towns shot 11-21 from the field (2-4 on threes) and 5-5 from the free throw line. He also contributed three assists and a game-high two steals (tied with two others) in 34 turnover-free minutes.
Milestones
Curry has recorded 77 career 40-point games, tying Oscar Robertson for eighth place on the NBA’s all-time list. He’s produced 16 of those games since turning 35 years old, breaking a tie with LeBron James for the most such games in league history.
Curry has scored at least 35 points in a game 170 times, tying Dominique Wilkins for 12th place on the NBA’s career leaderboard. He also tied Wilkins for the 12th-most 20-point games in league history with 756.
Curry recorded his 5,000th career rebound, becoming the 14th player in NBA history to accumulate at least 25,000 points, 5,000 rebounds, and 5,000 assists. With a listed height of 6 feet 2 inches, he’s the shortest player in that group.
Pascal Siakam scored 23 points to reach 13,000 for his career in the Indiana Pacers’ 114-102 loss to the Denver Nuggets. He’s the second player from the 2016 NBA Draft class to attain that milestone, joining Jaylen Brown.
The Orlando Magic tied the franchise record for most field goals attempted in a game with 113, the third time they’ve reached that mark. They missed 36 shots from beyond the arc to set a franchise record for most 3-pointers missed in a game.
Streaking
Curry has made at least one 3-pointer in 100 straight games, breaking a tie with Jordan Clarkson for the seventh-longest such streak in NBA history. He’s one of only five players to record a 3-point streak of at least 100 games, and the only one to do so more than once (three times).
Curry has made multiple 3-pointers in 39 consecutive games, breaking a tie with Fred VanVleet for sixth place on the NBA’s all-time list. He already owns the top three spots on that list with streaks of 69, 53, and 50 games.
Curry has scored at least 25 points with five 3-pointers made in each of his last five games, tied for the seventh-longest such streak in NBA history. He’s the only player to record at least five such games in a row after his 30th birthday, having done so four times.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 114-75 demolition of the Washington Wizards. He’s scored at least 15 points in each of his last 160 regular-season games, the seventh-longest such streak in NBA history.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: San Antonio Spurs (eight) and Golden State Warriors (seven).
Miscellany
Day’Ron Sharpe recorded his first career triple-double in the Brooklyn Nets’ 124-121 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, compiling 12 points, 10 rebounds, and a career-high 13 assists.
The Spurs are just the second team in NBA history to win eight consecutive games after starting a season 0-2. The 2017-18 Boston Celtics also accomplished the feat, with their winning streak eventually reaching 16 games.
The Warriors joined the 1950-51 Boston Celtics as the only teams in NBA history to win seven straight games after opening a season 0-3. They’ve outscored their opponents by average of 12.0 PPG over that span.