There’s something special about Kemba Walker catching fire at Madison Square Garden.
1. LeBron becomes all-time Christmas Day scoring leader
Already the third-leading scorer in regular season history (35,969 points) and the leading scorer in playoff history (7,631 points), LeBron James became the all-time leader in Christmas Day scoring on Saturday in Los Angeles. In 16 career Christmas Day games (tied with Kobe Bryant for most ever), LeBron has scored 422 points (passing Kobe’s 395 for the most ever).
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LeBron entered Christmas Day 2021 with a stacked resume, ranking in the top 10 in nearly every category. While he took first place in scoring, he was unable to break a tie with former teammate Dwyane Wade for most Christmas Day wins as the Lakers were defeated by the Nets.
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2. Outstanding individual performances
Kemba Walker grabs his 10th rebound for his third career triple-double.
Near the end of November, Kemba Walker was removed from the Knicks rotation by head coach Tom Thibodeau. After three straight weeks of DNPs, Walker was back on the court for the Knicks, who were shorthanded due to Health and Safety Protocols.
Here are his first four games back: 29 points, 21 points, 44 points, triple-double). Walker’s 44-point night on Dec. 23 was vintage “Cardiac Kemba” as he had The Garden rockin’ like he was back at UConn in the Big East tournament. He followed that up with his first triple-double since 2013-14 to help the Knicks defeat the Hawks on Christmas.
Here are some notable performances from Week 10:
40+ point games:
• Stephen Curry: 46 pts in GSW’s win over MEM on 12/23
• Kemba Walker: 44 pts in NYK’s loss to WAS on 12/23
• Joel Embiid: 41 pts in PHI’s win over BOS on 12/20
Triple-Doubles:
There were three triple-doubles recorded on Christmas Day, including James Harden and Russell Westbrook becoming the first opponents with a triple-double in same Christmas Day game.
• Kemba Walker: 10 pts, 10 reb, 12 ast, NYK vs. ATL (W)
• Russell Westbrook: 13 pts, 12 reb, 11 ast, LAL vs. BKN (L)
• James Harden: 36 pts, 10 reb, 10 ast, BKN vs. LAL (W)
Here are the other three triple-doubles from Week 10:
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 27 pts, 11 reb, 12 ast, OKC vs. DEN on 12/22 (W)
• Dejounte Murray: 24 pts, 11 reb, 13 ast, SAS vs. LAC on 12/20 (W)
• Draymond Green: 16 pts, 11 reb, 10 ast, GSW vs. SAC on 12/20 (W)
20-20 games:
• Nikola Jokic: 26 pts, 22 reb, 8 ast, DEN vs. LAC on 12/26 (W)
• Nikola Jokic: 29 pts, 21 reb, 5 ast, DEN vs. CHA on 12/23 (L)
• Rudy Gobert: 23 pts, 21 reb, 2 ast, UTA vs. CHA on 12/20 (W)
3. Hall of Fame candidates announced
On Tuesday, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the list of eligible candidates for the Class of 2022, including notable first-time nominees Manu Ginobili, Tom Chambers and Lindsey Whalen, and candidates who have previously been on the ballot in Chauncey Billups and Swin Cash.
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Announces Newly Eligible Candidates for the Class of 2022. #22HoopClass
: https://t.co/QCITOO5LpK pic.twitter.com/ZdklJZa2uR
— Basketball HOF (@Hoophall) December 21, 2021
The Finalists from the North American and Women’s committee for the Class of 2022 will be announced during NBA All-Star Weekend in Cleveland in February. The entire Class of 2022, including those selected by the direct elect committees, will be unveiled during the NCAA Final Four in New Orleans, Louisiana, in early April.
4. Silver: NBA has ‘no plans’ to pause season
The past week has been filled with headlines on which NBA players were entering or exiting Health and Safety Protocols as the rise of COVID-19 cases has impacted not just the NBA but the entire country. During an interview with ESPN on Tuesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that the league has looked at multiple options but there are “no plans” to pause the season at this time.
With so many rosters in flux, teams have looked toward the NBA G League and to established veterans to help fill out their rosters during the hardship. That has not only led to some unique lineups on the court, but the return of some favorite players that have been out of the league for a while. Joe Johnson received a standing ovation in his first game in Boston after signing a 10-day contract with the team that drafted him back in 2001. Johnson had gone 19 years and 308 days since his last game with Boston on Feb. 16, 2002. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that is the longest span between appearances for the same team in league history.
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A few other notable veterans have returned to the league, including Darren Collison coming out of retirement to sign with the Lakers, and Lance Stephenson joining the Hawks.
5. Posters of the week
Check out the best dunks from Week 10.
Here’s a quick story in two highlights from Wednesday’s Bucks vs. Rockets game. First, Milwaukee’s Jordan Nwora shook Houston defender Armoni Brooks before stepping back for a 3-pointer with 6:30 remaining in the second quarter. After splashing the three, Nwora mimicked sliding back on skates as he headed back on defense.
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One quarter later …
With 8:35 remaining in the third quarter, Houston’s Christian Wood exacted some revenge on behalf of his fallen teammate as he threw down a monster dunk on Nwora for an and-one.
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Here are some other notable dunks from the past seven days:
• Nic Claxton on LeBron James to seal the Nets win on Christas Day
• Zach LaVine vs. Pacers
• DeAaron Fox vs. Grizzlies
• Robert Williams‘ putback over Giannis Antetokounmpo
• Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s spin move vs. Celtics
• Obi Toppin‘s breakaway vs. Hawks
• Xavier Tillman vs Warriors
• Miles Bridges vs. Denver
• Jordan Clarkson vs. Timberwolves
• Jeff Green’s alley-oop vs. Hornets
• Karl-Anthony Towns‘ pump fake and drive to rock rim
6. Injury report
There was good news and bad news on the injury front this week. The good news is that players like Ja Morant (12 games), Jimmy Butler (eight games) and Zach LaVine (15 days, two games) returned this week. The Grizzlies went 10-2 without Morant and enter Week 11 in fourth place in the West. Butler finished with 17 points and 11 boards in his first action in three weeks. LaVine scored 32 points in his first game back as the Bulls have been hit hard by Health and Safety Protocols.
Unfortunately, a few key players were also lost this week. Clippers swingman Paul George will be out for a month due to an elbow injury, while Knicks veteran Derrick Rose is expected to miss eight weeks following ankle surgery. Bulls guard Alex Caruso is out a week with a foot sprain while Jazz star Donovan Mitchell will miss at least two games due to a back injury.
7. Let the (All-Star) voting begin!
All-Star voting tipped off on Christmas Day as fans will have until Jan. 22, 2022 to cast their votes to send their favorite players to the NBA All-Star game in Cleveland in February.
Fans can vote daily — on NBA.com, the NBA App or on Twitter — including these five days when each vote is counted twice:
• Sunday, Dec. 25, 2021
• Friday, Jan. 7, 2022
• Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022
• Monday, Jan. 17, 2022
• Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022
8. Stats leaders
For games played Dec. 20-26, with a minimum of two games played
• Points: LeBron James (LAL) and Stephen Curry (GSW): 36.3 ppg each over 3 games (LeBron 0-3, Curry 3-0)
• Rebounds: Nikola Jokic (DEN): 16.7 rpg over 3 games (1-2)
• Assists: D’Angelo Russell (MIN) and Dejounte Murray (SAS): 13.0 apg over 2 games each (Russell 0-2, Murray 2-0)
• Steals: Paul George (LAC): 4.0 spg over 2 games (1-1)
• Blocks: Onyeka Okongwu (ATL): 3.0 bpg over 2 games (1-1)
• 3-pointers made: Malik Beasley (MIN): 6.5 3pg over 2 games (0-2)
9. Plays of the week
"A Christmas Day gift!"
Counting down the TOP-10 plays from Week 10 of the #NBA75 season! pic.twitter.com/WXeoWxtOUP
— NBA (@NBA) December 27, 2021
10. Proposal of the season
There have been plenty of proposals done at sporting events, but this one is one of the best.
For this Utah Jazz dancer, a nightmare scenario (an unexpected change in music and choreography in the middle of a routine) turned into an incredible moment.
This Utah Jazz dancer noticed the routine was changed and was caught off guard with a surprise ❤️ pic.twitter.com/RglQtf6M2n
— ESPN (@espn) December 21, 2021
