Interesting Stats from 3/19/10 NBA Games

• Amare Stoudemire scored 44 points on just 16 FGAs in the Suns win over the Jazz.  Since 1986, that is the second most points a player has scored in a game in which he had 16 or fewer FGAs.  Gilbert Arenas had 46 in a game in 2006 on 16 FGAs.
• LeBron James passed the 15,000 point plateau in route to scoring 29 in the Cavs' win over the Bulls.  James broke Kobe Bryant's records for being the youngest and quickest to 15,000 points.  He reached the mark at 25 while Bryant was 27 and James accomplished the feat in 117 fewer games.
• The Spurs scored 147 points against the Warriors which is the most they've scored in the Tim Duncan-era.  You would have to go back to a 1990 game vs. Denver to find the last time they scored more (161).
• Speaking of Duncan, two days after having the worst shooting game of his career vs. Orlando (1 for 10), Duncan had the best shooting game of his career vs. the Warriors by going 8 for 8 from the field.
• Corey Maggette scored 30 points against San Antonio on only 14 field goal attempts.  It's the fourth time this season he's gone for at least 30 on 14 or fewer FGAs.  Dwight Howard has done it twice but no other player in the league has done it more than once.
• Tracy McGrady went 0-7 in the Knicks win over the 76ers to give him the worst shooting game of his career.  McGrady went scoreless in 29 minutes of action which is also the most minutes he's played in a game without scoring.
• Marcus Camby pulled down 19 rebounds in the Trail Blazers win over the Wizards, but he scored just 2 points.  Since 2000 this is just the sixth time a player has had at least 19 rebounds but 2 or fewer points in a game.  Camby's now done it twice, Ben Wallace did it three times and Reggie Evans did it once.

Q: How does the NBA spell efficiency? A: M-A-G-G-E-T-T-E

I've always loved how Corey Maggette can go off for 30 points on any given night and do it in just 12-15 shots. That kind of efficiency is usually only seen in post players who are fouled often and go to the line 6+ times per game. In fact, nearly all of his points come from either driving to the hoop and finishing or driving to the hoop, getting fouled, and sinking his free throws (84%). Thus, I decided to look at all the players who primarily play the 1, 2, or 3 and chart their points per shot (PPS) compared to their height.

Interesting Stats from 1/18/10 NBA Games

• David Lee has played in 328 career games and has dished out at least 5 assists in 18 of those games. Of those 18, half of them have come in the last 15 games after he did it vs. the Pistons on MLK day.
• In that same game and for just the second time in the last 23 years, the Detroit Pistons took at least 12 three-point attempts in a game without making a single one. The only other time was in a game in 1999 when they went 0-13.
• Jon Brockman played 30 minutes in the Kings' loss to the Bobcats and pulled down 14 rebounds. However, he did not score a point which makes him the only player this season to grab at least 14 boards without scoring a single point. By the way Dennis Rodman accomplished this 10 times in the 93-94 season.
• Three days after scoring 32 points on just 14 shots, Corey Maggette did the exact same thing against the Bulls. Maggette now has 3 of the 5 instances this year in which a player has scored at least 32 on 14 or fewer shots. Efficiency is spelled M-A-G-G-E-T-T-E.
• Monta Ellis attempted 39 field goals against the Bulls and finished with 36 points. Since 1986 only one player has attempted at least 39 shots in a game while scoring fewer than Ellis' 36. Michael Jordan scored 29 points on 39 shots vs. the Spurs in a 1997 double-OT game.
• After scoring just 11 points in the Lakers' win over Orlando, Kobe Bryant has scored 16 or fewer points 5 times this month. From 2005-2007 he did it just 4 times total.
• Joe Johnson is 6'8", a great athlete, and often guards PGs who are half a foot shorter than him. But for the life of him, he can't block a shot. He has just 2 on the year which is the same number that 5'11" Ty Lawson has even though he's played over 600 fewer minutes than Johnson.

Interesting Stats from 1/15/10 NBA Games

• Samuel Dalembert was 7-7 from the field and finished with 17 points ans 12 rebounds. The native Haitian has been playing with a heavy heart since the earthquake in his native land and since that disaster, Dalembert is 13-15 from the field with 29 points and 33 rebounds in 2 games.
• Allen Iverson played 34 minutes against the Kings but still finished without any rebounds, steals, or blocks. This was the third time this season Iverson has posted donuts in those 3 categories in the same game; in his previous 13 seasons in the league, Iverson did that just four times total.
• Antwan Jamison played 55 minutes in the Wizards double-overtime loss to the Bulls without making a single turnover. Since 1986 that is the third most minutes a player has played in a game without committing a turnover. Popeye Jones did it in 56 minutes in a game in 1996 and Dan Majerle also did it in 1996 when he played 58 minutes in a game.
• For just the third time since 1986, a team committed 6 or fewer turnovers in a double-overtime game. The Wizards did so against the Bulls in their double OT loss on Friday night.
• Serge Ibaka and Hasheem Thabeet have played a combined 858 minutes this season. After each player went assist-less last night; they still have only combined for 4 assists this year (2 for each player). Yinka Dare watch out.
• Kevin Durant had 8 turnovers against the Mavericks but contributed 0 assists. A lack of assists isn't always one player's fault (his teammates have to make the shots) but that is a weird stat. 8 turnovers and 0 assists in a game has only been accomplished 3 times this season (Durant, Al Jefferson, Tyson Chandler).
• Corey Maggette was amazingly efficient against the Bucks in scoring 32 points on just 14 field goal attempts. It was the second time this year he's gone for at least 32 on 14 or fewer shot attempts; the rest of the NBA has combined to do it just twice as well.
• Though his team got shellacked by 40 points by the Lakers, Sebastian Telfair came off the bench to dish out 11 assists in just 20 minutes. It's the first time this year a player had at least 10 assists in 20 or fewer minutes.