On This Day (Feb. 14)
Notable events from NBA history that occurred on February 14.
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Double-Trouble
On this day in 1960, the Philadelphia Warriors’ Wilt Chamberlain recorded 25 points and 19 rebounds in a loss to the Boston Celtics. It was his first of 220 consecutive double-doubles, the second-longest such streak in NBA history. Chamberlain also owns the longest (227) and third-longest (133) such streaks.
Chamberlain recorded a double-double in 968 of his 1,045 career games (92.6%), the highest such percentage in NBA history. Through his first nine seasons, Chamberlain had just four games in which he failed to record a double-double:
Feb. 10, 1960 — 5 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST
Jan. 20, 1963 — 6 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST
Dec. 5, 1964 — 8 PTS, 18 REB, 2 AST
Nov. 18, 1967 — 8 PTS, 33 REB, 6 AST
Chamberlain played just nine and four minutes, respectively, in the first two games above, as he was injured in the first game and ejected in the second game.
Westbrook’s Record Streak
On this day in 2019, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook compiled 44 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists in a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. It was his last of 11 consecutive triple-doubles, the longest such streak in NBA history by two games:
11 — Russell Westbrook (Jan. 22–Feb. 14, 2019)
9 — Wilt Chamberlain (March 8–20, 1968)
7 — Oscar Robertson (Jan. 1–12, 1961)
7 — Michael Jordan (March 25–April 6, 1989)
7 — Westbrook (Nov. 25–Dec. 9, 2016)
7 — Westbrook (March 22–April 4, 2017)
Westbrook went on to avergae a triple-double for the third straight season, one of four times overall he accomplished the feat. The only other player in NBA history to record even one such season is Oscar Robertson (1961-62).
Unique Totals for Wilt
On this day in 1968, the Philadelphia 76ers’ Wilt Chamberlain produced 35 points, 24 rebounds, and 15 assists in a 149-125 win over the Seattle SuperSonics. He became the first (and still only) player in NBA history to record at least 35 points, 20 rebounds, and 15 assists in a game.
This was one of 16 career games in which Chamberlain recorded at least 30 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists, more than double that of the next-closest player:
16 — Wilt Chamberlain
7 — Oscar Robertson
4 — Elgin Baylor
2 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
2 — Nikola Jokic
2 — Luka Doncic
Bol Block Party
On this day in 1991, the Philadelphia 76ers’ Manute Bol blocked 10 shots in a loss to the Sacramento Kings. Bol shares the franchise single-game record for blocks with Harvey Catchings (March 21, 1975) and Dikembe Mutombo (Dec. 1, 2001).
This was one of 18 career games in which Bol recorded at least 10 blocks, tied for the most such games since the NBA began tracking the statistic in 1973-74:
18 — Manute Bol
18 — Mark Eaton
13 — Dikembe Mutombo
11 — Hakeem Olajuwon
10 — David Robinson
10 — Shawn Bradley
Bol holds or shares the single-game record for blocks for three franchises (Wizards, Warriors, and 76ers). He and Mutombo (Nuggets, 76ers, and Knicks) are the only players to accomplish this feat.
DeRozan Matches Wilt
On this day in 2022, the Chicago Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan scored 40 points on 16-24 shooting from the field in a 120-109 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. It was the sixth straight game in which DeRozan scored at least 35 points with a field goal percentage of 50%, tying Wilt Chamberlain for the longest such streak in NBA history.
DeRozan broke the tie with Chamberlain in his next outing, scoring 37 points while making 15 of his 21 attempts from the field. The streak was eventually snapped at eight games, which is still the NBA record:
Feb. 6 — 45 PTS, 60.0 FG%
Feb. 7 — 38 PTS, 59.3 FG%
Feb. 9 — 36 PTS, 68.4 FG%
Feb. 11 — 35 PTS, 63.6 FG%
Feb. 12 — 38 PTS, 50.0 FG%
Feb. 14 — 40 PTS, 66.7 FG%
Feb. 16 — 38 PTS, 59.3 FG%
Feb. 24 — 37 PTS, 71.4 FG%
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Marc Stein, “Recommended by Marc Stein”