With a crazy scoring night during Friday’s schedule of games, Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid, and several other NBA stars gave the fans an early Christmas present. Only twice in NBA history have five players scored 40 or more points in a single game. Doncic and Embiid joined RJ Barrett, Tyrese Haliburton, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in tying the league’s single-day record.
With his historic 50-point performance for the Dallas Mavericks vs the Houston Rockets, Luka Doncic set the tone. He now holds the record for the most 45-point performances in Mavs history, and with six 40-point games in 2022–23, he also leads the NBA.
While this was going on, Joel Embiid scored 44 points to help the Philadelphia 76ers defeat the Los Angeles Clippers 119-114 and overturn their 20-point deficit.
Tyrese Haliburton, on the other hand, received his payback match against the Miami Heat. The Indiana Pacers guard scored 43 points on 14 of 20 shots after scoring just one point in their previous encounter. Haliburton finished the game with a team-high seven assists, helping Indiana win 111-108.
Despite their tremendous scoring night, RJ Barrett and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were the only players to lose their games. Barrett led the New York Knicks with 43 points, but a clutch bucket from DeMar DeRozan prevented them from winning.
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SGA assisted the Oklahoma City Thunder in forcing overtime against the New Orleans Pelicans, but his 44 points were insufficient to overcome Zion Williamson and the company’s evenly distributed scoring. But it’s a day the NBA will remember, and it may have served as a preview of what to expect from the Christmas Day games on Sunday.
