Three Stars
Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games, with the “first star” considered the top performer.
First ⭐️
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his 58th career triple-double, producing game highs of 31 points and 18 rebounds to go with 10 assists as the Miami Heat routed the Indiana Pacers 145-125. Antetokounmpo was very efficient from the field, making 13 of his 19 attempts. He also blocked one shot and committed just one turnover in 31 minutes played.
Second ⭐️
Jamal Murray scored a game-high 39 points to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 127-120 victory over the Phoenix Suns. Murray went 10-18 from the floor (7-9 on threes) and 12-15 from the charity stripe. He added eight rebounds, five assists, one steal, and one block in 37 minutes of action.
Third ⭐️
Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 35 points in the Dallas Mavericks’ 116-111 win over the previously undefeated Houston Rockets. Irving shot 12-19 from the field (5-8 on threes) and 6-6 from the free throw line. He also contributed a game-high nine assists and four rebounds in 35 minutes played.
Milestones
Antetokounmpo recorded his 313th career 30-point game, tying Shaquille O’Neal for 16th place on the NBA’s career leaderboard. He’s shot at least 60% from the field in more than half of those games (167, to be exact).
Stephen Curry scored 31 points as the Golden State Warriors rallied to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 112-95. He raised his career total to 26,674 points, passing Dominique Wilkins to take over 18th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Curry recorded his 753rd career 20-point game, breaking a tie with Jerry West for 14th place on the NBA’s career leaderboard. He also broke a tie with West for the fifth-most such games with a single franchise.
Nikola Vucevic made his 1,000th career 3-pointer in the Orlando Magic’s 121-114 win over the Toronto Raptors. He’s just the third player in NBA history to reach career totals of 10,000 rebounds and 1,000 3-pointers made, joining Dirk Nowitzki and LeBron James.
The Golden State Warriors won by 17 points despite trailing by 23 points at the end of the first quarter. That’s the largest margin of victory in NBA history by a team that trailed by 20 points or more after one quarter.
The Charlotte Hornets couldn’t shoot straight in a 95-79 loss to the Washington Wizards, going 30-101 from the field and 12-56 from beyond the arc. They set franchise records for most field goals missed in a game (71) and most 3-pointers missed in a game (44).
Streaking
Curry went 8-14 from beyond the arc, extending two significant 3-point streaks. He’s hit at least one triple in 97 straight games (eighth longest in NBA history) and multiple triples in 36 straight games (also eighth longest).
Tyrese Maxey scored 27 points in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 98-93 win over the New York Knicks, his sixth straight 25-point game. The only other players in franchise history to open a season with at least six such games in a row are Allen Iverson (2005-06) and Maxey himself (2025-26).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games (dating back to last season): Brooklyn Nets (eight).
Miscellany
Antetokounmpo became the third player in Miami Heat history to record at least 30 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists in a game, joining Lamar Odom (March 6, 2004) and Jimmy Butler III (Dec. 16, 2024).
Curry has made at least eight 3-pointers in a game 94 times. That’s by far the most such games in NBA history, one more than the next four closest players combined.
The Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg scored 33 points, his 13th career 30-point game. The only teenager in NBA history with more such games is LeBron James with 20.
The Brooklyn Nets lost to the Detroit Pistons 110-94 to drop to 0-5 on the season. It’s the second consecutive season and the fifth time overall they’ve opened a campaign with five straight losses.