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 ⭐️
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander produced game highs of 35 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists, and three steals (tied with two others) as the Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Atlanta Hawks 128-104. Gilgeous-Alexander shot 11-24 from the floor (3-8 on 3-pointers) and made 10 of his 11 free throw attempts. He also blocked three shots and committed just one turnover in 36 minutes of action.
Second ⭐️
Tyrese Maxey scored 24 of his game-high 45 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Philadelphia 76ers outlasted the Indiana Pacers 118-114. Maxey went 14-32 from the field — including 5-17 from 3-point range — and 12-15 from the free throw line. He added four rebounds, four assists, and a game-high two blocks in 48 minutes played.
Third ⭐️
Ivica Zubac scored a team-high 23 points (tied with James Harden) and hauled in a game-high 18 rebounds in the LA Clippers’ 112-104 victory over the Golden State Warriors. Zubac made 10 of his 19 shots from the floor, adding six assists, two steals, and one block. He was charged with just one personal foul in a game-high 38 minutes of playing time.
Milestones
The Warriors’ Stephen Curry dished out a game-high six assists, increasing his career total to 6,139. That was enough to pass Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen (6,135) and move into 37th place on the NBA’s all-time list.
Damian Lillard went 10-11 from the free throw line in the Milwaukee Bucks’ 115-102 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. Lillard now has 104 career games in which he’s made 10 or more free throws with a success rate of at least 90%, tying DeMar DeRozan for the 10th-most such games in NBA history.
Streaking
CJ McCollum scored a team-high 27 points in the New Orleans Pelicans’ ugly 125-103 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. It’s the 10th straight regular season game in which McCollum has scored at least 20 points, matching the second-longest such streak of his career.
The Trail Blazers’ Deandre Ayton scored 17 points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds. He’s the first Trail Blazer to post a double-double in each of his first three games of a season since Zach Randolph in 2004-05.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games (dating back to last season): Oklahoma City Thunder (eight).
Miscellany
Maxey led all scorers yesterday, pouring in 45 points. Gilgeous-Alexander (35) and the Nets’ Cam Thomas (32) also had 30-point outings.
Zubac was the day’s top board man, snagging 18 rebounds. Four more players collected at least a dozen boards: the Sixers’ Andre Drummond (17), the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo (12), Ayton (12), and the Sixers’ Caleb Martin (career-high-tying 12).
The LA Clippers’ James Harden was the only player to deliver double-digit dimes yesterday, recording 11 assists. Next was Gilgeous-Alexander with nine helpers, followed by the Pacers’ Andrew Nembhard and the Hawks’ Trae Young with eight apiece.
Harden scored 23 points to go with his 11 assists, his 234th career 20-point, 10-assist game. That’s the fifth-most such games in NBA history, trailing only Oscar Robertson (417), Magic Johnson (295), LeBron James (273), and Russell Westbrook (256).
Antetokounmpo recorded team-high figures of 22 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists. It’s the 165th game in which he’s led his team (either outright or tied) in all three categories, the third-most such games in NBA history behind LeBron James (233) and Nikola Jokic (172).
Young is averaging 30.7 PPG and 10.0 APG through three games. The only other players since the ABA-NBA merger to average at least 30 PPG and 10 APG through their first three games of a season are Michael Adams (1991-92), Russell Westbrook (2016-17), and James Harden (2020-21).
It wasn’t all good for Young, who matched his career high with 10 turnovers. It’s the third time he’s recorded double-digit errors in a game, the most such games by a Hawk since the NBA began tracking individual turnovers in 1977-78.
Maxey is shooting just 30-86 (34.9%) from the floor this season. Since the ABA-NBA merger, only two players have recorded a lower field goal percentage through their first three games of a season while attempting at least 75 shots: Allen Iverson (29.8%, 2001-02) and Michael Jordan (34.2%, 1997-98).