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OptaSTATS: Most combined points by opposing rookies in a regulation game, NBA history: 91 - Tiny Archibald & Pete Maravich (3/13/1971) 85 - Wilt Chamberlain & Johnny Green (2/21/1960) 83 - Cooper Flagg & Kon Knueppel (tonight)

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ESPN Insights: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points against the Pelicans Tuesday, marking his 118th consecutive game with at least 20 points. He is now just 8 games shy of matching Wilt Chamberlain's all-time record of 126 straight (1961-63).

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Immanuel Quickley had a night on Tuesday. Not just any other night, but a Wilt Chamberlain kind of evening. The former Kentucky Wildcats star put on a show in the Raptors’ 145-127 win over Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., leading Toronto with 40 points on 11-for-13 shooting from the field to go along with 10 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals in 34 minutes of action. Quickley’s performance made him just the second player in the history of the NBA to have at least 40 points and 10 dimes, while shooting 80% or better from the floor in a game. Chamberlain was the first one to do it, and he accomplished that monster stat line three times, according to ESPN Insights.

Larry Brown Sports

With 25 points on 10-for-10 shooting with 13 rebounds, Deandre Ayton became the first player this season to record at least 20 points on perfect shooting with at least 10 field goal attempts. After marveling at the Lakers’ championship tradition when he signed as a free agent this summer, the former No. 1 pick made his mark in the franchise record book as just the third Laker to shoot perfectly from the field on 10 or more attempts with at least 10 rebounds. The others are Wilt Chamberlain (March 11, 1969) and Mitch Kupchak (Nov. 20, 1981). “That’s a thing I never even thought I would be a part of,” said Ayton, who also had zero turnovers. “I’m definitely honored and appreciative, but I love this game, so hopefully I get more of those.”

Los Angeles Times

Jorge Sierra: Kevin Durant passed Wilt Chamberlain in scoring last night for No. 7 in NBA history. He's probably moving ahead of Michael Jordan and Dirk Nowitzki before the season is over. Also: Devin Booker moved ahead of Kevin McHale for No. 97 all-time.

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Kevin Durant passed Wilt Chamberlain for seventh on the NBA's career scoring list Friday night when he made a 3-pointer for the Houston Rockets in the third quarter of their 111-105 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. Durant needed 15 points going into the game to eclipse Chamberlain, who scored 31,419. Durant's jumper with 7:57 left in the third gave him 31,422. Dirk Nowitzki is sixth on the career list with 31,560 points. "To be amongst the greats is always an honor," Durant said after the game. "Wilt is somebody I studied and tried to look up to as much as I can, a player like that. Like I always say, he set a standard for NBA players and [I'm] grateful to reach that -- and inspired by what he produced for the game of basketball."

ESPN

Oh No He Didn't: Kevin Durant: "Wilt Chamberlain is somebody I studied and try to look up as much as I can on a player like that. He set a standard for NBA players and grateful to reach that and inspired by what he produced to the game of basketball. Portland is such a classy, classy city for recognizing me in that moment and honoring me"

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Jorge Sierra: Best scoring average on Christmas games (minimum: five games) Joel Embiid: 30.40 ppg Oscar Robertson 31.42 ppg Wilt Chamberlain: 31.67 ppg Jerry West: 32.17 ppg NIKOLA JOKIC: 32.50 ppg Jokic wasn't even Top 10 before this year

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NBA Stat: Jalen Johnson has recorded at least 7 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists in 17 consecutive games. In NBA history, only two players have recorded longer such streaks: Oscar Robertson (20 games, twice) and Wilt Chamberlain (19 games). (via CrazyStats)

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Notice the names that aren’t there. No Michael Jordan. No LeBron James. No Kobe Bryant (whose best scoring season was 45.6 points per 100 and best rTS% was 107). No Joel Embiid or Giannis Antetokounmpo. (Wilt Chamberlain led the league in points and field goal percentage simultaneously in four different seasons, so he likely would make the list, but we don’t have per-possession data from his heyday to know for sure).

HoopsHype

“You look at that list it’s like, there’s no way,” Harden said earlier this week in Atlanta when asked about his inclusion on a scoring list that includes all-time leader LeBron James, center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, power forward Karl Malone, power forward Dirk Nowitzki, center Wilt Chamberlain, small forward Kevin Durant, and center Shaquille O’Neal. “There’s no way that I’d get the opportunity to be a part of this list. It’s literally like a dream come true. The work that I literally put in is coming to fruition. So many things that this game has done for me. And I’m sure for all those guys as well, you know what I mean. Those names are still being talked about, you know, post basketball. So it’s literally a dream come true, and it’s an opportunity and honor to be a part of that list.”

New York Times

Royce Young: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander now sits alone for the second longest streak of games with 20 or more points with 93, passing Wilt Chamberlain. The longest streak: Wilt Chamberlain at 132 games.

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Q. You’re the sixth youngest, I believe the five to do it faster than you (21,000 career points) are a who's who of people in the history of basketball. Just to have your name alongside those names. Obviously, you have a long way to go to get to the top of those scoring lists in another seven, eight years or whatever it might be. But just to be in that conversation with those guys, what is that going to be? Giannis Antetokounmpo: First of all, we have to talk about who those guys are because I just saw those guys. Talk about Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kevin Durant. I think it's the GOATs of the GOATs. And I don't think anybody disagrees in this room. I don't think anybody in this world disagrees; just to be in that list with them is incredible. Have I accomplished as much as them? I don't think so. Do I have a lot of room to improve and room to grow in years to keep on writing my own legacy? Yes. And I think getting to the top of the scoring list is not six, seven, or eight years away. I think it's in my opinion I think it's four years away, four, five years away, four and a half years away I think when we are going to be 35 years old and sitting this year going to have a discussion of I am in the top list of all time in scoring and I've I would have that into existence and not just into existence because I believe that I'm going to do it, it's something that I want to do… But hey, again that's too far away. Four, five years from now, I might have four other kids [laughter]. I don't know if my wife might have left me. Who knows, maybe four, five years from now, four, five years before this, I had zero. I didn't have kids, and I have kids now. So I just have to worry about Monday against Washington and stay healthy.

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NBA History: With his 25th career 50-point game today, James Harden has tied Kobe Bryant for the third-most 50-point games in NBA history: Wilt Chamberlain: 118; Michael Jordan: 31; Kobe Bryant: 25; James Harden: 25; Elgin Baylor: 17

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