Here are the top performers on March 26 and the stats to highlight their impact.
BEST PLAYER OF THE DAY:
Nikola Jokic DEN C 23 PTS | 21 REB | 19 AST | 78.7 FPS (vs. DAL)
By his standards, Joker’s scoring output has been fairly modest lately, but he’s made up for it by stuffing the stat sheet, recording three straight elite triple-doubles. However, today’s performance was even more impressive. He was especially dominant inside the paint, recording his fifth 20-20 game of the season—no other player has more than one. He was also outstanding as a playmaker, becoming the only center in NBA history to reach 6,000 career assists.
BREAKOUT:
Jamal Murray DEN PG 53 PTS | 6 REB | 4 AST | 62.2 FPS (vs. DAL)
The star guard has had some rough offensive performances lately but remained a dependable scoring presence over his previous four games. However, he was on a completely different level today, shooting 19-for-28 from the field while hitting nine threes for a season-best performance and his second 50-point outing. Only two other players have recorded multiple 50-point games this season.
SLEEPER:
Gui Santos GSW PF 31 PTS | 3 REB | 2 STL | 40.1 FPS (vs. BKN)
The third-year forward continues to lead the charge for the undermanned Warriors, posting a full stat line while recording a career-best scoring output on a highly efficient shooting performance. He has emerged as a steady and reliable contributor lately and should continue to be a major part of the team moving forward.
ELITE ASSET:
Jaylen Brown BOS SF 31 PTS | 8 REB | 8 AST | 53.6 FPS (vs. OKC)
The star forward delivered once again and helped snap the Thunder’s 12-game winning streak. He was nearly flawless at the line, connecting on 12-of-14 attempts for his 33rd 30-point performance of the season. He’s been mostly excellent throughout the year but he’s found a new gear lately, scoring at least 29 points while maintaining elite rebounds and assists numbers in six of his last seven games.
CATEGORY SPECIALIST:
Ausar Thompson DET SF 18 PTS | 5 AST | 4 STL | 44.3 FPS (vs. ATL)
Thompson has been racking up numbers across the board, averaging 10.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 3.3 steals and 1.3 blocks over his last four games.
PLAYER TO WATCH:
Jaden McDaniels MIN PF 25 PTS | 2 STL | 2 BLK | 38.4 FPS (vs. HOU)
Earlier this month, McDaniels went through a rough patch, providing little production across the board and scoring fewer than 10 points in four games. But he’s found his groove lately, averaging 18.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.2 stocks in his last five games.
STREAMER:
Paul George PHI SF 28 PTS | 6 REB | 4 STL | 56.2 FPS (vs. CHI)
In his first game back from a 25-game suspension, George immediately made his presence felt with a dominant two-way performance. Offensively, he nailed six threes and recorded his seventh 20-point game of the year. Defensively, he posted a game-high in steals. With the time off, he should be in much better shape for the remainder of the season.
FLOPPER:
Evan Mobley CLE PF 8 PTS | 5 REB | 4 AST | 18.0 FPS (vs. MIA)
Mobley has been a consistent double-double threat while also being a major defensive presence throughout the month. But he turned in a lackluster performance today, failing to score in double figures for the first time in three months while making a limited impact overall.
