Curry Grills Pelicans
Stephen Curry scored a game-high 42 points in just 30 minutes of action as the Golden State Warriors blew out the New Orleans Pelicans 130-102. It’s the sixth time Curry has scored at least 40 points in a game in which he played 30 or fewer minutes, the most such games in NBA history.
Curry shot 15-22 from the field — including 7-13 from 3-point range — and made five of his seven free throws. It’s the 119th time Curry has made at least seven 3-pointers in a game, a whopping 73 more such games than any other player in NBA history (Klay Thompson, 46).
Curry has made 24 3-pointers this season, the most through the first four games of a season in NBA history:
24 — Stephen Curry, 2023-24
22 — Curry, 2018-19
22 — CJ McCollum, 2020-21
21 — Curry, 2015-16
21 — Kemba Walker, 2018-19
Curry’s 134 total points (33.5 PPG) are easily the most in NBA history by a player age 35 years or older through his first four games of a season:
134 — Stephen Curry, 2023-24
117 — Karl Malone, 2000-01
104 — LeBron James, 2021-22
102 — Malone, 1998-99
101 — Regggie Miller, 2000-01
101 — James, 2022-23
Curry and Karl Malone (1998-99 and 2000-01) are the only players in NBA history age 35 years or older to open a season with four consecutive 20-point games.
El Matador Está en Llamas
Luka Doncic continued his hot start, producing game highs of 35 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists in the Dallas Mavericks’ 125-110 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. It’s the 23rd time Doncic has been a game’s outright leader in all three categories, the most such games in NBA history by a player before his 25th birthday.
Doncic now has 58 career triple-doubles, moving him within one of Larry Bird for ninth place on the NBA’s all-time list. Doncic has recorded 32 career 30-point triple-doubles, the fifth-most such games in NBA history.
Doncic shot 11-22 from the field — including 6-12 on 3-pointers — and made seven of his 10 free throws. Doncic has connected on 15 threes over his last two games, the most he’s ever made in a two-game span.
Doncic is just the third player in NBA history to record multiple 30-point triple-doubles in his first three games of a season, joining Oscar Robertson (1961-62) and Russell Westbrook (2016-17). Those three are also the only players to record at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in each of their first three games of a season, and Doncic is the only one to also shoot at least 50% from the field in each game.
Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane scored 30 points apiece to lead the Grizzlies. Jackson Jr. shot 10-20 from the field and recorded team highs of nine rebounds and two blocks, while Bane shot 12-17 from the floor with six rebounds and three steals.
The Mavericks are off to a 3-0 start for just the fifth time in franchise history, and the first time since the 2004-05 season. On the other hand, the Grizzlies have lost their first four games of a season for the first time since the 2004-05 campaign, and their fifth time overall.
Nuggets Remain Undefeated
The Denver Nuggets improved to 4-0 on the season with a 110-102 victory over the Utah Jazz. The Nuggets are the first defending champions to start a season with four straight wins since the 2016-17 Cleveland Cavaliers (who won their first six games).
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic scored 27 points on 12-16 shooting from the field, adding 10 rebounds and 11 assists. It’s the 107th triple-double of Jokic’s career, moving him into a tie with Jason Kidd and LeBron James for fourth place on the NBA’s all-time list.
Jokic has recorded 14 triple-doubles in which he’s shot at least 75% from the field, the second-most such games in NBA history:
18 — Wilt Chamberlain
14 — Nikola Jokic
6 — Giannis Antetokounmpo
5 — Magic Johnson
5 — Domantas Sabonis
Jokic has recorded at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists with 75% shooting from the floor in each of his last two games. The last player to produce two such games in a row was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on March 14 & 16, 1976.
Teammate Jamal Murray scored 18 points and dished out a game-high 14 assists, one shy of his career high. It’s the fourth time Jokic and Murray have each produced at least 10 points and 10 assists in a game, the second-most such games in franchise history by a duo (Fat Lever and Michael Adams recorded six such games).
The Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon scored 21 points, making 10 of his 12 shots from the field. Six of Gordon’s made field goals were dunks, and nine of his 10 makes came in the restricted area.
Utah’s Lauri Markkanen tied Jokic for game-high scoring honors with 27 points, snagged a game-high 14 rebounds, and handed out five assists. Markkanen shot 10-24 from the field, including 5-13 from 3-point range.
Jazz center Walker Kessler scored 22 points, missing just one of his 11 attempts from the field. Kessler also hauled in 13 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.
Quick Hitters
Some other notes from around the NBA:
The Brooklyn Nets’ Cam Thomas scored a game-high 33 points in a 133-121 win over the Charlotte Hornets, shooting 10-17 from the field and 12-14 from the free throw line. At 22 years and 17 days old, Thomas is the second-youngest player in NBA history to start a season with three straight 30-point games, trailing only Shaquille O’Neal (21 years, 248 days).
Jalyen Brown scored a game-high 36 points and Jayson Tatum chipped in with 33 as the Boston Celtics routed the Washington Wizards 126-107. It’s the 23rd time Brown and Tatum have each scored at least 30 points in the same contest, the ninth-most such games in NBA history by a duo. Brown shot 13-24 from the field with eight 3-pointers made, while Tatum went 14-21 and made four threes.
Dejounte Murray matched his career high with 41 points as the Atlanta Hawks came back from a 19-point halftime deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 127-113. Murray scored 22 of his points in the third quarter, a period in which the Hawks outscored the Timberwolves 38-19. Murray shot 17-24 from the floor for the game, adding seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
Anthony Davis had a huge game, compiling 26 points, 19 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks as the Los Angeles Lakers edged the Orlando Magic 106-103. Davis made 12 of his 18 attempts from the field. Teammate D’Angelo Russell scored a game-high 28 points on 10-14 shooting from the field, also distributing a game-high eight assists (tied).