On This Day (Feb. 2)

Notable events from NBA history that occurred on February 2.

Feb 02, 2023

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Career High for Moses

On this day in 1982, the Houston Rockets’ Moses Malone scored a career-high 53 points and grabbed 22 rebounds in a 122-106 win over the San Diego Clippers. Malone is one of only five players since the ABA-NBA merger to record at least 50 points and 20 rebounds in a game:

Moses Malone (Feb. 2, 1982)
Shaquille O’Neal (March 6, 2000)
Chris Webber (Jan. 5, 2001)
Anthony Davis (Feb. 21, 2016)
Luka Doncic (Dec. 27, 2022)

Malone has seven career 40-point, 20-rebound games, three more such games than any other player since the ABA-NBA merger:

7 — Moses Malone
4 — Shaquille O’Neal
4 — Anthony Davis

Malone currently ranks 10th and fifth, respectively, on the NBA’s all-time lists for points and rebounds.

Wilt Compiles 20/20/20

On this day in 1968, the Philadelphia 76ers’ Wilt Chamberlain compiled 22 points, 25 rebounds, and 21 assists in a 131-121 win over the Detroit Pistons. Chamberlain became the first player in NBA history to record at least 20 points, 20 rebounds, and 20 assists in a game, a feat that has only been matched by Russell Westbrook (April 2, 2019).

Chamberlain’s 21 assists set a franchise single-game record, a mark he now shares with Maurice Cheeks (Oct. 30, 1982) and James Harden (Dec. 23. 2022). Chamberlain is the only listed 7-footer in NBA history to record a 20-assist game.

This was the last of four straight games in which Chamberlain recorded a 20-rebound triple-double. Chamberlain had five streaks of three or more 20-rebound triple-doubles in a row. No other player in NBA history has recorded a streak of three such games in a row.

Raptors Dynamic Duo

On this day in 2021, the Toronto Raptors’ Fred VanVleet scored a franchise-record 54 points while teammate Kyle Lowry tallied 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 123-108 victory over the Orlando Magic. They are one of only four backcourt duos in NBA history to record a 50-point game and a triple-double in the same game (a total of five instances):

Reggie Miller & Pooh Richardson (Nov. 28, 1992)
James Harden & Russell Westbrook (Oct. 30, 2019)
Harden & Westbrook (Dec. 3, 2019)
Fred VanVleet & Kyle Lowry (Feb. 2, 2021)
Bradley Beal & Russell Westbrook (May 8, 2021)

VanVleet shot 17-23 from the field — including 11-14 from 3-point range — and made all nine of his free throws. He’s one of only three players in NBA history to record a 50-point game with a true shooting percentage of at least 100%:

101.1% — Kyrie Irving (March 8, 2022)
100.1% — Fred VanVleet (Feb. 2, 2021)
100.0% — Jamal Murray (Feb. 19, 2021)

VanVleet also set the NBA record for most points scored in a game by an undrafted player, surpassing Moses Malone’s 53 points.

Kidd Reaches Milestone

On this day in 2009, the Dallas Mavericks’ Jason Kidd had 13 points, eight assists, five rebounds, and four steals in a 105-95 win over the Magic. Kidd surpassed 15,000 career points on a bank shot with 6:26 remaining in the third quarter.

Kidd became just the second player in NBA history to reach career totals of 15,000 points, 10,000 assists, and 5,000 rebounds, a group that now includes four players:

Magic Johnson (1995-96)
Jason Kidd (2008-09)
Chris Paul (2021-22)
LeBron James (2021-22)

Kidd concluded his career with totals of 17,529 points, 12,091 assists, and 8,725 rebounds. His assist total ranks second in NBA history to John Stockton (15,806). Kidd’s 2,684 steals are also second only to Stockton (3,265).

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