On December 29th, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued with a total of 9 matchups scheduled for the day. The specific results are as follows: The Heat lost to the Hawks 110-120, the Thunder defeated the Hornets 106-94, the Knicks narrowly beat the Wizards 136-132, the Bucks narrowly lost to the Bulls 111-116, the Suns lost to the Warriors 05-109, the Pistons lost to the Nuggets 121-134, the 76ers narrowly beat the Jazz 114-111, the Mavericks lost to the Blazers 122-126, and the Kings lost to the Lakers 122-132. Stars such as Jalen Johnson, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Brunson, Josh Giddey, Jonathan Kuminga, Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Kyrie Irving, and Anthony Davis all had impressive performances. So, who will be awarded the title of today's best player? Let's take a look together.
In the game between the Mavericks and the Blazers, six players from the Blazers scored in double figures, including 22 points, 4 rebounds, and 8 assists from Anfernee Simons, 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists from Shaedon Sharpe, 21 points and 16 rebounds from Deandre Ayton, and 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists from Deni Avdija. They led the Mavericks by as many as 21 points and eventually won by a narrow margin of 4 points! Despite their efforts, the Mavericks were unable to secure the victory, but Kyrie Irving did his best. He played for 38 minutes, shooting 16 of 26 (5 of 12 from three-point range) and making all 9 free throws, scoring a comprehensive stat line of 46 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. Especially in the final quarter, Irving scored an incredible 20 points on his own, leaving the court with his head held high even in defeat. According to statistics, the 46 points set a new personal single-game scoring record for Irving this season!
In the game between the Pistons and the Nuggets, the Pistons had a total of six players score in double figures, with Cunningham, Ivey, and Doumbouya contributing a combined 46 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists. The Pistons' bench scored a total of 60 points, and they once narrowed the gap to single digits after trailing by 25 points, but unfortunately, they fell short. On the Nuggets' side, Murray scored 34 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Porter Jr. added 26 points and 3 rebounds. However, Jokic was even more unstoppable! He played for 37 minutes, shooting 11 of 17 (4 of 5 from three-point range) and making 11 of 14 free throws, scoring a luxurious stat line of 37 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists, with a field plus-minus value of +25, leading the game!
In the game between the Suns and the Warriors, Booker was out due to injury, Nurkic was suspended, and Durant and Beal combined for a comprehensive stat line of 59 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists, but they were still unable to secure the victory! On the Warriors' side, Curry returned and contributed 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists, while Kuminga was even more impressive! Coming off the bench, he played for 34 minutes, shooting 12 of 20 (2 of 5 from three-point range) and making 8 of 12 free throws, scoring a comprehensive stat line of 34 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal. In the first three quarters, Kuminga scored all 21 points for the Warriors' bench; in the decisive fourth quarter, he scored 13 points alone to help the team seal the victory! According to statistics, the 34 points tied Kuminga's career scoring record. Additionally, Kuminga is the third player in the Warriors' last 15 seasons to score 34 points in consecutive games with a shooting percentage above 55%, joining the ranks of Durant and Curry (10 times).
In the game between the Knicks and the Wizards, the two teams fought until overtime to determine the winner. A total of seven players from the Wizards scored in double figures, with Champagnie scoring 31 points and 10 rebounds, and Brogdon adding 22 points and 7 assists. However, they lost the good situation and suffered a reversal after leading by 11 points. On the Knicks' side, Towns scored 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 assists, while Bridges added 21 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. But they were not the best performers on the team; that honor goes to Brunson! Brunson played for 44 minutes, shooting 18 of 31 (3 of 11 from three-point range) and making 16 of 17 free throws, scoring a luxurious stat line of 55 points, 3 rebounds, and 9 assists. According to statistics, the 55 points set a new personal season-high for Brunson. This is also the third time Brunson has scored over 50 points in his Knicks career, tying Gallen for second place in team history, only behind Bernard King (5 times).
In addition to the above, Jalen Johnson from the Hawks scored 28 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from the Thunder easily took 22 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists, Josh Giddey from the Bulls contributed 23 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists, Joel Embiid from the 76ers scored 32 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, Tyrese Maxey scored 32 points and 6 assists, and Anthony Davis from the Lakers exploded for 36 points, 15 rebounds, and 8 assists. The performances of these stars have left a deep impression, but considering the outcome of the games and the individual data of the stars, Brunson's performance of leading the team to victory and breaking NBA records like a god descending to earth was simply too explosive. He ultimately won the title of NBA Player of the Day without any suspense, overshadowing stars like Irving, Jokic, Kuminga, and Davis. What do you think about this, basketball fans? Leave me a comment to discuss it.