Keegan Murray, forward of the Sacramento Kings, starred in one of the most outstanding performances of the day in the NBA by scoring 12 three-pointers in his team’s win against Utah Jazz (125-104).

The 2.01m 23-year-old forward became the youngest player in history to make at least 12 three-pointers in a game and he did it with a superlative shooting percentage (12/15), falling two shy of the NBA record, held by Klay Thompson, who scored 14/24 in the Golden State Warriors’ win against the Chicago Bulls in 2018.

He was just one away from the personal record of Stephen Curry, who was amazed to learn of Murray’s score.

“It’s crazy what he’s doing,” he said at a press conference when informed of it.

Murray, the seventh player in NBA history to make at least 12 three-pointers in a game, finished with 47 points and eight rebounds and came close to tying Thompson’s record, as he had already made 12 three-pointers in the third quarter, but missed the two he attempted in the final quarter.

“It kind of reminded me of my senior year in college,” Murray said of his performance.

“I got hot, went into a trance for a moment and everything was going in.

“That’s kind of what happened in the third quarter.”

His coach, Mike Brown, highlighted the way his pupil hit that sensational score.

“I thought Keegan was playing the right way. There was nothing really forced,” he explained.

“Our guys didn’t really force anything on him. They just got the ball to him when he was open.”

More disgruntled was Jazz coach Will Hardy, who experienced Murray’s scourge first-hand.

“Keegan never let us off the hook. Every time we made a mistake, he hit it,” Hardy reflected.

“The percentages will say that’s not very realistic either, but it was one of those nights.

“He’s obviously a very good young player and hats off to him.”

Holmgren impresses

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Sensational performance by Chet Holmgren (17 points, 11 rebounds and 9 blocks) in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 117-118 win over the Denver Nuggets.

The young 2.16m 21-year-old center was a colossus in his team’s victory, becoming the first rookie to achieve similar records since the legendary Alonzo Mourning did it in 1993.

In addition, the Thunder giant is only the third center in NBA history to score at least 15 points, 10 rebounds, nine blocks and a three-pointer in a game.

The two who had done it so far were Anthoni Davis and Brook Lopez.

The Thunder won thanks to a last-second basket by Shai Gilgeous Alexander, who broke Nikola Jokic’s (24+6+12) Nuggets’ streak of three consecutive victories.

Embiid on fire

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Joel Embiid’s outstanding display to lift the Philadelphia 76ers in their visit to the Charlotte Hornets (82-135).

The Philadelphia center was absolutely unstoppable with 42 points (18/22 t2, 0/1 t3), 15 rebounds, three assists and two blocks in the 30 minutes he was on the court.

Maxey (21+2+7) and Harris (15+5+4) were the best lieutenants of the Cameroonian center.

The 53-point deficit is the largest loss ever for the Hornets, surpassing the 137-87 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Jan. 10, 2000.

“I mean, the overall story of the game would be more about the guys who didn’t play than the guys who did,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said.

Charlotte played without three starters (LaMelo Ball, Gordon Hayward and Mark Williams), without two key reserves (P.J. Washington and Cody Martin), and then lost its leading scorer, Terry Rozier, in the third quarter after taking an elbow to the nose.

37 points for Curry

Stephen Curry charla con Cam Thomas tras el partido.LAPRESSE

The ‘Splash Brothers’ led the Warriors’ to a tight 124-120 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

Stephen Curry scored 37 points and was decisive in signing a perfect last quarter with 16 flawless points (7/7 t2 and 2/2 t3) and no turnovers and Klay Thompson scored 24 points with 4/9 three-pointers.

Between them they scored 22 of the Warriors’ 29 points in that last quarter.

Curry and Thompson had to work hard to neutralize the formidable game of Cam Thomas, unstoppable with 41 points (10/11 t2, 5/13 t3 and 6/6 tl), five rebounds and two assists in the 37 minutes he was on the court.

It was a sensational performance that was not enough for the Nets to win the game.

Towns proved too much for the Pacers
In Minnesota, a cyclone named Karl-Anthony Towns overpowered the Indiana Pacers (127-109).

The Dominican center scored 40 points, 12 rebounds and 3 steals to lead his team, which also had a sensational performance by Anthony Edwards (37+2+4).

Between them they scored 77 of their team’s 127 points to shatter a very erratic Pacers who saw how the game slipped away from them in a disastrous third quarter (38-23).

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Saturday’s results in full
Portland Trail Blazers-Dallas Mavericks: 120-131
Charlotte Hornets-Philadelphia 76ers: 82-135
Milwaukee Bucks-Detroit Pistons: 146-114
Cleveland Cavaliers-Atlanta Hawks: 127-119)
Miami Heat-Chicago Bulls: 118-116
Minnesota Timberwolves-Indiana Pacers: 127-109
Sacramento Kings-Utah Jazz: 125-104
Los Angeles Clippers-New York Knicks: 144-122
Denver Nuggets-Oklahoma City Thunder: 117-118
Golden State Warriors-Brooklyn Nets: 124-120