Three Stars
Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games, with the “first star” considered the top performer.
First ⭐️
Stephen Curry poured in a game-high 44 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 119-114 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Curry shot just 11-27 from the field (6-16 on threes), but sank all 16 of his free throw attempts. He added eight rebounds, a team-high six assists (tied with two others), and a team-high two steals (tied with Georges Niang), and was not charged with a personal foul in 32 minutes played.
Second ⭐️
Victor Wembanyama registered game highs of 36 points and 14 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs outlasted the Utah Jazz 117-111 in overtime. Wembanyama went 14-25 from the floor, hitting four of his 10 attempts from 3-point range. He also contributed five assists, a game-high three steals (tied with two others), and a game-high two blocks (tied with Jaxson Hayes) in 39 turnover-free minutes.
Third ⭐️
Jalen Brunson scored a game-high 38 points in the New York Knicks’ 133-127 win over the Chicago Bulls. Brunson shot 13-25 from the field (6-10 on threes) and 6-8 from the charity stripe. He also dished out seven assists and swiped a game-high two steals (tied with two others) in 35 minutes of action.
Milestones
Nikola Jokic recorded his 200th career triple-double, compiling 21 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in the Denver Nuggets’ 104-91 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. He’s just the second player in NBA history to reach that mark, joining Russell Westbrook.
Curry produced his 752nd career 20-point game, tying Jerry West for 14th place on the NBA’s all-time list. He and West are also tied for the fifth-most such games with a single franchise.
Kevin Durant went 6-7 from the charity stripe as the Houston Rockets routed the the Milwaukee Bucks 132-100. He increased his career total to 8,777 free throws attempted, passing Michael Jordan to take over 12th place on the NBA’s all-time leaderboard.
Bam Adebyao became the Miami Heat’s career leader in rebounds in a 129-117 win over the Atlanta Hawks. He grabbed nine boards to raise his career total to 5,794, three more than Udonis Haslem.
The Heat’s Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his 1,000th career steal. He’s one of only five active players to accumulate at least 1,000 steals and 1,000 blocks, the others being Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James.
Streaking
Curry extended two significant 3-point streaks: he’s hit at least one triple in 96 straight games (eighth longest in NBA history) and multiple triples in 35 straight games (also eighth longest).
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tallied 21 points in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 120-96 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, the 155th consecutive game in which he’s scored at least 15 points. It’s the seventh-longest such streak in NBA history.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games (dating back to last season): Houston Rockets (six).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games (dating back to last season): New Orleans Pelicans (six).
Miscellany
At 38 years and 228 days old, Curry is just the sixth player in NBA history to record a 40-point game at the age of 38 or older. He joins LeBron James (10 times), Michael Jordan (eight), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (three), Karl Malone, and Jamal Crawford.
Curry set a personal record for most free throws made in a game without a miss with 16. His previous best was 14-14 on Dec. 11, 2015.
The Houston Rockets have started a season 5-0 for just the sixth time in franchise history, and the first time since the 2014-15 campaign.