The 2020-21 season may have started technically on Tuesday, but started for real on Wednesday with a robust roster of 13 games. It quickly became a 12-game slate after the confrontation between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets was delayed due to the fact that the Rockets are unable to accommodate the required eight players.
We are not sure if this is the first time an NBA game has been delayed due to a team not having enough players, but that would not be the only piece of history we saw on Wednesday night. Since most teams made their debut this season, we had an incredible performance after an incredible performance on one of the most fun early season nights in recent NBA memory.
Here’s a look at some of the most notable statistical achievements that went into the books on Wednesday night.
Morant wins Shaq
The title rookie of the year missed nothing in his season debut, scoring points that resulted in 44 points, the career record, along with nine assists and just one turn, in the Grizzlies’ 131-119 defeat by the Spurs. It’s the second highest total points of all time for the opening game of a sophomore season, behind Elgin Baylor’s 52-point performance in 1959. Morant did it in style, making it one of the most impressive highlights of the young season for throwing himself into a dead end of the table in midair. The 21-year-old also stole the record from none other than Shaquille O’Neal, becoming the youngest player to score 40 or more points in his team’s opening game.
LaMelo goes without goals
After being chosen as No. 3 overall in the 2020 draft, LaMelo Ball’s NBA career did not have a great start on Wednesday, as he was goalless in giving three assists and committing three turns in 16 minutes on team 121 -114 loss to the Cavaliers. He joined a dubious list as he became only the fourth choice of the first three to lose the score on his NBA debut, and the first since Otto Porter Jr. in 2013.
Ball is not exactly known as a top scorer, as his talent is clearly in his passes and plays, but he certainly would have liked to get his first NBA basket on Wednesday. Instead, he will have to wait until Saturday to get out of the schneid.
Hawks scores 83 points in the first half
The Atlanta Hawks’ first game after a few major off-season moves was a huge success, eliminating the Chicago Bulls 124 to 104 for the first win of the year. The Hawks led by up to 40 points during the game and set a record for the Atlanta franchise by scoring 83 points in the first half.
As you can imagine, there were some strong statistical performances in this one too …
Young scores 37 points from 12 shots
Another wild statistic from the Hawks’ game: point guard Trae Young scored 37 points in just 12 shots, going 5 to 6 in the 3-point range, 10 to 12 on the field and 12 to 14 in the free-throw line. And he did everything in less than 26 minutes. According to Stathead, no player has scored at least 37 points in 12 or fewer shots since the 1982-83 season (as far as his database goes).
Only 10 other players during that period scored at least 37 points in 26 minutes or less.
Brown and Tatum make history at Celtics
Whenever you can record your names in the Boston Celtics’ history books, it’s an accomplishment. Jaylen Brown scored 33 points, while Jayson Tatum added 30 in the Celtics’ opening night 122-121 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. It was the first time in the history of the Celtics that two players scored 30 or more each in the first game of the season.
Tatum also secured a 3-point victory with 0.4 seconds remaining, which was already a rare feat. It was the 3 most recent green points at the season opener the past 25 seasons, and it was the first last second, decisive field goal in opening the season in more than 10 years.
Rozier drills 10 points out of 3 points
Terry Rozier got off to a slow start in the Charlotte Hornets’ 121-114 defeat on the opening night to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but man he got hot quickly. Rozier scored just six points in the interval, sinking two of his three attempts in the 3-point range. He scored four more points out of 3 in the third quarter … and another four in the fourth period, giving him a career record of 42 points and 10 of 3 points in the night. It is the highest number of 3 points an NBA player has ever given at the opening of his team’s season.
Westbrook triple-double at Wizards debut
Russell Westbrook always brings energy to the court, but you knew he would have a little extra energy for his first game in a Wizards uniform. The capital’s newest star wasted no time, becoming the first player in 25 years to put a triple-double in the first three quarters of your team’s season opening game. Westbrook finished with 21 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds in the 113-107 loss to the 76ers, becoming only the sixth player in NBA history to score a triple-double in his debut with a new team.
We are assuming that it will not be the last.
Butler wins seven robberies
Current Eastern Conference champion Heat did not get the start he wanted, suffering a 113-107 loss to the Orlando Magic at the start of the season, but Jimmy Butler’s tremendous defense was on full display. The tenth-year winger stole seven steals, the best of his career, including five in the first half. He joins Dwyane Wade, Mario Chalmers, Tim Hardaway and LeBron James as the only Heat players to have multiple halves of five or more thefts. Yes, it’s a complicated statistic, but five halves is not an easy task.
Turner takes eight strokes
Pacers center Myles Turner was in a bad mood in his team’s 121 to 107 victory over the New York Knicks, drawing the best of his career with eight blocks in the night. Turner had already achieved the feat in February and was one of only four players last season to have eight or more blocks in a game, along with Brook Lopez, Anthony Davis and Hassan Whiteside.
Challenge of the blazers in the first ball possession
We are not sure if this is an NBA record, but if it is not, then it should be closed. Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts challenged a decision just 30 seconds into the 2020-21 NBA season, after Damian Lillard was called in for a blocking foul while trying to take a load of Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert.
The decision was upheld, sending Gobert to the free throw line and depriving the Blazers of his only challenge in the game. It didn’t matter much, as Jazz moved away to a 120-100 victory. It’s hard to imagine that a coach’s challenge was used so quickly in a team’s first game of the season – or in any game, for that matter.