Artis Gilmore and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were the others.
If that’s not impressive and surprising enough, try this: George is the first player since 2005 to post at least 24 points, six rebounds, five assists and three blocks in a season opener. It was a continuation of George’s progression into an elite all-around player, but that’s not even the main reason that this should shock you.
The last player to achieve that feat was Darius Miles. Who saw that one coming?
An Ode to Xavier Henry
Entering the Los Angeles Lakers’ season opener against the rival Clippers, Xavier Henry had played in a grand total of 133 games in three seasons. In that time, he scored 10-plus points in 14 games.
In his first game in purple and gold, Henry scored a career-high 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-4 from the arc. It was just the fourth time in Henry’s career that he topped 15 points and the first time he had eclipsed the 20-point plateau. Before you write him off, remember one important thing about this supposed draft bust: Henry is still just 22 years old.
The Lakers finished with 76 total bench points—its highest mark since Apr. 24, 1988, per ESPN Stats & Info.
Additional Notes
- LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh combined for 46 points on 16-of-35 shooting during the Miami Heat’s 107-95 win over the Chicago Bulls. Miami was minus-4 with the Big Three on the court and plus-16 when at least one was on the bench.
- Ray Allen, Shane Battier, Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole all scored in double figures to make up for what was a statistically confusing night from the Big Three.
- Speaking of Chalmers, he added a team-high five steals—his highest total since March 20, 2012 and the sixth time he has achieved the feat.
- Carlos Boozer led all scorers from opening night with 31 points on 13-of-18 shooting. It was the 42nd time in his career that he topped 30 points and the first time since Jan. 7, 2011 that he topped 30 points on a shooting percentage above 70.0 percent. He’d done it 18 previous times.