Lakers Record Run
On this day in 1972, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Atlanta Hawks 134-90 in what would turn out to be the final game of their NBA-record 33-game winning streak. It’s still the longest winning streak in NBA history:
33 — Los Angeles Lakers (Nov. 5, 1971–Jan. 7, 1972)
28 — Golden State Warriors (April 9, 2015–Dec. 11, 2015)
27 — Miami Heat (Feb. 3, 2013–March 25, 2013)
22 — Houston Rockets (Jan. 29, 2008–March 16, 2008)
20 — Washington Capitols (March 13, 1948–Dec. 4, 1948)
20 — Milwaukee Bucks (Feb. 6, 1971–March 8, 1971)
The Lakers average margin of victory during the streak was 16.0 PPG, with 23 of the 33 wins coming by double figures.
Durant Starts Streak
On this day in 2014, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant scored 48 points in a loss to the Utah Jazz. It was the first of 41 straight 25-point games for Durant, the third-longest such streak in NBA history:
106 — Wilt Chamberlain (Oct. 19, 1961–Dec. 14., 1962)
47 — Oscar Robertson (Dec. 25, 1963–Oct. 17, 1964)
41 — Kevin Durant (Jan. 7, 2014–April 6, 2014)
40 — Michael Jordan (Dec. 16, 1986–March 11, 1987)
40 — Jordan (March 8, 1988–Dec. 6, 1988)
40 — James Harden (Dec. 8, 2018–March 8, 2019)
Kobe Sets Franchise Mark
On this day in 2003, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant scored 45 points and made a franchise single-game record 12 3-pointers in a 119-98 win over the Seattle SuperSonics. This is one of four career games in which Bryant made at least nine 3-pointers. No other player in franchise history has recorded even one such game.
Bryant shot 16-28 from the field — including 12-18 from 3-point range — and made his only free throw. He’s one of only five players in NBA history to record a 45-point game while attempting fewer than two free throws:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Jan. 25, 1973) — 48 PTS, 0 FTA
Hakeem Olajuwon (Jan. 30, 1997) — 48 PTS, 0 FTA
Kobe Bryant (Jan. 7, 2003) — 45 PTS, 1 FTA
Stephen Curry (Feb. 25, 2016) — 51 PTS, 1 FTA
Jamal Murray (Feb. 19, 2021) — 50 PTS, 0 FTA
Ironmen
On this day in 1951, all five Indianapolis Olympians starters played 48 minutes in a loss to the Tri-Cities Blackhawks. This occurred just one day after the Olympians beat the Rochester Royals in a marathon six-overtime game, the longest in NBA history.
Here’s the story according to the Indianapolis Star:
The players from the Hoosier capital won a 75-73 six-overtime period scrap at Rochester Saturday night which wasn’t concluded until after 11 o’clock, Eastern Time.
The team couldn’t make train connections to Chicago and had to go to Detroit. The players slept only from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m., then started trying to get transportation from Chicago to Moline.
A commercial airline was able to provide five seats and Coach Cliff Barker selected Alex Groza, Ralph Beard, Malcolm McMullen, Leo Barnhorst, and Paul Walther to make the trip. They played all of the game and the rest of the squad did not arrive in a chartered plane until five minutes after the tilt was over.
It’s the first of two times in NBA history a team used only five players in a game. The second occurrence came on Feb. 10, 1952, when all five starters for the Baltimore Bullets went the distance in an 82-77 win over the Fort Wayne Pistons.
Big Game for Ewing
On this day in 1990, the New York Knicks’ Patrick Ewing tallied 44 points, 22 rebounds, and seven blocks in a 110-109 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Since the NBA began tracking blocks in 1973-74, Ewing is the only Knick to record at least 40 points, 20 rebounds, and five blocks in a game. Since Ewing, the only NBA player to reach those marks in a game is Shaquille O’Neal on Feb. 16, 1993.
This was one of 22 career 40-point, 10-rebound games for Ewing. No other player in franchise history has recorded more than nine such games.