On This Day (March 15)
On This Day (March 15)
Notable events from NBA history that occurred on March 15.
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Rare Bird
On this day in 1992, the Boston Celtics’ Larry Bird scored 49 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and dished out 12 assists in a 152-148 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. The 35-year-old Bird became the oldest player in NBA history to record a 40-point triple double, a distinction he still holds (age in years-days):
35-099 — Larry Bird (March 15, 1992)
34-048 — Elgin Baylor (Nov. 3, 1968)
33-097 — LeBron James (April 6, 2018)
33-079 — James (March 19, 2018)
33-006 — Bird (Dec. 13, 1989)
This was the last of three career 40-point triple-doubles for Bird. No other player in franchise history has recorded even one such game.
Bird would go on to play just nine more regular season games in his NBA career, as chronic back problems led him to announce his retirement on August 18, 1992. No player in NBA history has recorded a 40-point triple-double with fewer games remaining in their career.
Greek Streak
On this day in 2021, the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo produced 31 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 133-122 victory over the Washington Wizards. It was Antetokounmpo’s third straight triple-double, the longest such streak in franchise history.
Antetokounmpo shot at least 60% from the field in each of those triple-doubles. The only other players in NBA history to record at least three such triple-doubles in a row are Nikola Jokic (three times) and Wilt Chamberlain (twice).
This was Antetokounmpo’s 25th career triple-double, making him the first player in franchise history and 21st player in NBA history to reach that mark.
Gallatin Sets Franchise Mark
On this day in 1953, the New York Knicks’ Harry Gallatin closed out the regular season by scoring 30 points and grabbing a franchise single-game record 33 rebounds in a loss to the Fort Wayne Pistons. Gallatin’s rebound mark was later matched by Willis Reed (Feb. 2, 1971), but has never been surpassed.
Gallatin averaged 12.4 PPG and 13.1 RPG in 70 games that season, his third of eight consecutive seasons in which he appeared in every game and averaged a double-double. The only player in NBA history with a longer such streak is Dolph Schayes (nine straight seasons).
Career High for Kyrie
On this day in 2022, the Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving scored a career-high and franchise-record 60 points in a 150-108 rout of the Orlando Magic. Irving saw 35 minutes of action, the sixth-fewest minutes played in NBA history by a player in a 60-point game:
29 — Klay Thompson (Dec. 5, 2016)
31 — James Harden (Nov. 30, 2019)
33 — George Gervin (April 9, 1978)
33 — Karl Malone (Jan. 27, 1990)
33 — Kobe Bryant (Dec. 20, 2005)
35 — Kyrie Irving (March 15, 2022)
Irving shot 20-31 from the field — including 8-12 from 3-point range — and made 12 of his 13 free throws. This was the second time in three games Irving scored at least 50 points with a true shooting percentage of 80%. He’s the only player in NBA history to record two such games in a three-game span.
A Final Appeal
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Marc Stein, “Recommended by Marc Stein”