LeBron James, who received All-NBA honors for the 19th consecutive season on Wednesday, is the best 38-year-old player of all time. He averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists, shooting 58.0% on 2-pointers. He also broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record with a fadeaway jumper over Kenrich Williams and the Oklahoma City Thunder in February. The Lakers (43-39) were 30-25 with James in the lineup. He is the third 38-year-old to make an All-NBA team. Abdul-Jabbar made the first team in 1986, Tim Duncan the third team in 2015 and James the third team this season.
— Kevin Brewer
Scoreboards tilted. Dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria.
Donovan Mitchell and Damian Lillard each scored 71 points in a game. The Sacramento Kings beat the Los Angeles Clippers 176-175 in the second-highest scoring game of all time. And Ol’ Man River just keeps rolling along: LeBron James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record with a fadeaway over Kenrich Williams and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
If you’re scoring at home, a record six players averaged 30-plus points: Lillard, Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum. A record 43 players averaged 20 points — and that doesn’t include LeBron, Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, Anthony Davis and a few others who played less than the qualifying 58 games.
There were 25 individual 50-point games. Doncic had four, including a 60-point triple-double. Lillard, Embiid and Antetokounmpo had three, Curry and Booker two.
>> Nikola Jokic was the league’s top player for the third straight season. Possibly the greatest, most creative passer of all time, the Nuggets center was 12 total assists shy of averaging a triple-double. He shoots like a guard, rebounds like a center. He led the league in virtually all advanced metrics, and my personal eye test.
>> The Brooklyn Nets trashed their four-year championship plan, trading Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and splitting up with Steve Nash — and they still made the playoffs.
>> Klay Thompson led the league in 3-pointers made and attempted in his first full season back from knee and Achilles injuries.
— Kevin Brewer
TEAMS
Best record >> Milwaukee Bucks, 58-24
Worst record >> Detroit Pistons, 17-65
Home team >> Golden State Warriors
Road team >> Sacramento Kings
Best offense >> Sacramento Kings
Best defense >> Cleveland Cavaliers
Fastest pace >> Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs
On the final day of the regular season, when Rudy Gobert fought Kyle Anderson on the Timberwolves bench, Bones Hyland fought Mason Plumlee on the Clippers bench, Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels broke his hand by punching a wall, the Warriors scored a record 55 points in the first quarter, Stephen Silas coached his last game with the Rockets, and Dwane Casey coached his last game with the Pistons …
Udonis Haslem, 42 years old, in his 20th season, all with Miami Heat, scored 24 points, including three 3-pointers, in the final game of his career as the Heat beat the Orlando Magic 123-107.
It was Haslem’s highest scoring game since he had 28 points against the Nets on Nov. 14, 2009, when they were in New Jersey, and Dwyane Wade led the league in scoring.
Haslem, who played just seven games this season and just 102 games over the past eight seasons, has mostly been a solid-as-oak locker room presence late in his career. He averaged double figures four times and earned a reputation as one of the better post defenders in the league. He was a part of three NBA championship teams and three more NBA finals teams.
Undrafted out of Florida (where he played with Mike Miller and David Lee), Haslem entered the league with Wade and future teammates Chris Bosh and LeBron James, who is four years younger than Haslem.
In fact, Haslem played with more than 150 teammates.
He played with a King (LeBron James) and a Barron (Earl).
He played with a Cook (Daequan), Waiters (Dion) and three Butlers (Jimmy, Caron, Rasual).
He played with a Herro (Tyler) and Justice (Winslow). He played with a Person (Wesley) and a Guy (Kyle).
He played with a Birdman (Chris Andersen) and a Dedmon (Dewayne). He played with two Walkers (Antoine, Henry) and a Parker (Smush).
He played with a Nunn (Kendrick) and a Bimbo (Coles).
He played with a House (Eddie) and a Shaq (O’Neal). He played with Banks (Marcus) and a Penny (Hardaway).
He played with a Head (Luther) and a bust (Greg Oden).
He played with all sizes and colors: White (Chocolate), Brown (Shannon) and Green (Gerald).
