And just like that, the 2022-2023 National Association of Basketball regular season has been completed! And now we’re set to enter the 2022-2023 NBA Finals, but before we dive into the championship, let’s recap some of the season’s top moments.
The King claimed his crown as the NEW All-Time NBA Scoring Leader!
The night Lebron James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s career NBA scoring record comes in as our number-one moment of the season.
38,380 was the number to beat. With 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter, James hit a 21-foot turnaround shot to bring his total career points to 38,390, surpassing the fabulous Kareem. The crowd instantly stood on their feet as the game paused to celebrate one of the most anticipated nights of the season. This moment is even more worthy of the number one spot because Kareem’s record has been held for almost four decades.
If that isn’t legendary, we can’t wait to see what else the king can accomplish. 👑
Video credit: NBA via Youtube
     Luka Makes History With Stellar Triple Double Performance.
Video game stat turned reality!
On December 27, 2022, Luka went absolutely insane as he willed his team to a comeback victory against the New York Knicks in overtime, putting up a record-setting stat line of 60 points, 20+ rebounds, and 10 assists, being the only player in NBA history too.
Luka joins Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor as the third player to ever do so with 20+ rebounds and joins James Harden as the only two players in NBA history to record a 60-point triple-double. Not only is Luka currently the only NBA player to set the league record. He set a new franchise record for the Dallas Mavericks, topping Dirk Nowitzki’s previous franchise record 53 from December 2, 2004. Talk about an efficient masterclass.
Video credit: NBA via Youtube
The Battle of 71!
It’s always crazy when a player goes off in a game and even crazier when they drop over 60+ points, but for TWO players to score 71 in the same season is absolutely mindblowing and easily our third moment of the season.
First, Donovan Mitchell put on an insane masterclass against the Chicago Bulls. Mitchell recorded a career-high Cleveland Cavaliers franchise record of 71 points. What makes this moment even more insane is that he had scored 55 points before heading into overtime and continued to go bucket for bucket to secure them the win and have such a historical night for his first year as a Cavalier.
What time is it? It’s Dame time! A few weeks after Mitchell’s 71-point game, Damian Lillard matched the energy and set a new career-high with his own 71 points with 13 3PM, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. The last player to record a 70+ point game before both stars was the late and great Kobe Bryant, who scored 81 points in 2006.
You can say it was a night of shooting stars for the two.
Video credit: NBA via Youtube
The Sacramento Kings vs Los Angeles Clippers Insane Scoring Game!
Talk about going back to back! Our fourth moment belongs to the Los Angeles Clippers vs. Sacramento Kings game. This game was the 2nd highest-scoring matchup in NBA history, ending with 176-175 in double overtime. Malik Monk recorded a career-high 45 points for the Kings, and Mr. Clutch, De’Aaron Fox added 42 points and 12 assists in the victory.
The stars for the Clippers were Kawhi Leonard, who recorded a season-high of 44 points, Paul George contributed 34, and we got to witness Russell Westbrook’s debut as a Clipper, adding 17 points, 14 assists, and five rebounds. In all, there was just no cooling off for the kings!
Video credit: NBA via Youtube
Jayson Tatum’s Historic Game 7
“JT just got it going and get out of that man’s way,” Brown said. “He got it rolling, and there’s nothing they could do to stop him.”
It was a record-breaking season for the back-to-back all-NBA first-team Jayson Tatum. Setting a new NBA record for the most points scored in a Game 7, Jayson Tatum put on a masterclass vs. the Sixers to help his team win 121-87 and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals to play the Miami Heat. He dropped 51 points, breaking Stephen Curry’s record of 50 points for the most points in NBA history in a Game 7.Â
In the words of Drake, “Top 5, top 5, no debating”.
Video credit: via Youtube
While we wait for the 2022-203 NBA finals to begin, follow us on twitter, and tweet us your top 5 moments of the season!
