Dan Bruno recaps the week that was in the NBA, highlighting historic achievements, players finding their groove and all-around notable stat lines.
Another all-around great week of NBA action was highlighted by a couple of familiar names that seem to be continuously rewriting the history books. There was also the sustained performance of a number of players who have been at it all season, while a handful of guys that were off to slow starts look to have made steps towards reclaiming their better potentials. Finally, there were plenty of one-off performances that are worth noting, as some players stunned the competition by coming up bigger than usual, while others showed that they are still among the best, despite persistent battles through injury trouble.
Historic Achievements
On Thursday, LeBron James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (57,446) for first place in all-time regular-season minutes played. James finished the game with 19 points, six rebounds and seven assists, as the Lakers topped the Kings by a score of 113-110. James then followed up with 32 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals in his following outing on Saturday.
Victor Wembanyama became the sixth and youngest player in NBA history to record 30 points and 10 blocks in a game, and the only player to ever record 10 blocks and four three-pointers in a game, as he racked up 30 points, seven rebounds, three assists and 10 blocks in a win over the Trail Blazers on Saturday. He also drained his 200th career three-pointer in the game, reaching the milestone in just 94 appearances, which is faster than both Stephen Curry and James Harden.
Sustained Production
Norman Powell continues to shine in his increased role with the Clippers and put together a very impressive week, with at least 28 points in all three of his outings, while also contributing across the stat sheet with averages of 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
Tyrese Maxey opened the week with his second 40-point game of the season, as he finished with 40 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals in a win over the Hornets on Monday. He followed up with two more solid outings and averaged 30.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.0 steals over the three games.
Jayson Tatum has been stellar this season. Nothing exemplifies that more than his most recent performance, as he delivered season highs across the board, with 43 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in a win over the Bulls on Saturday. Tatum averaged 34.0 points, 12.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists over three games last week and remains on pace for one of the best seasons of his career.
Kevin Durant had only two games last week. Despite coming up winless, he put on an incredible show with a total of 80 points, 15 rebounds, 12 assists and three steals over the two outings. While his season has been disrupted by a bit of injury trouble, Durant is well on track to average over 25 points per game for the 13th time in his career. If the Suns can manage to escape the injury bug down the stretch of the season, they could emerge as a dark-horse contender, especially since the league has yet to see the squad firing on all cylinders.
Finding Their Groove
Malik Beasley averaged 24.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals over three games last week, including a season-high 28-point performance in a win over the Heat on Monday. After a modest start to the season, Beasley looks to be on the rise, with at least 20 points in 11 of his last 20 games.
Russell Westbrook has delivered a few impressive stretches already this season but is coming off one of his better weeks, as he averaged 19.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.0 blocks over three outings, including finishing one rebound shy of a triple-double with 18 points, nine rebounds, 10 assists and three steals in a win over the Kings on Monday.
Jamal Murray put together one of his most productive weeks of the season, averaging 26.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2.0 steals over three games. He tallied a minimum of 24 points in each outing, including a 24-point, 10 assist double-double in a loss to the Trail Blazers on Thursday.
Trey Murphy averaged 25.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals, as he topped 20 points in three consecutive appearances for the second time in 17 games since making his season debut on November 11. Unfortunately, he picked up an ankle injury and was forced to leave the game in the third quarter on Sunday after racking up 21 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals in 27 minutes of action.
Other Notable Statlines
Jimmy Butler delivered one of the best statlines of the season with 35 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists, four steals and one block in a loss to the Pistons on Monday.
Larry Nance set season highs in points and rebounds, as he finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in a loss to the Spurs on Thursday.
Zach LaVine scored a season-high 36 points, to go with six rebounds and four assists, as he led the Bulls to a win over the Celtics on Thursday.
Santi Aldama amassed 21 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block to help lead the Grizzlies to a 51-point win over the Warriors on Thursday.
On Friday, Joel Embiid tallied 34 points, five rebounds, nine assists, two steals and two blocks in his return from a one-game injury absence. He sat out the following game for rest but is expected to play on Monday.
Bobby Portis picked up the start in place of Giannis Antetokounmpo and produced 34 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, three steals and one block to lead the Bucks in a win over the Wizards on Saturday.
Cole Anthony totaled 35 points, eight rebounds, nine assists, one steal and one block, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 24 points, two rebounds, two assists and two blocks to lead the Magic to a win over the Heat on Saturday.
Kristaps Porzingis racked up 22 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in a win over the Bulls on Saturday. Porzingis is averaging 19.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.6 blocks over nine games since making his season debut on November 25.
Dillon Brooks topped 20 points in back-to-back games for the first time this season, as he turned in 26 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal in a win over the Pelicans on Thursday, and he followed up with 27 points, six rebounds, two assists and three steals in a win over the Raptors on Sunday.
