In last night’s win over the Golden State Warriors, Chris Duhon had a franchise record 22 assists for the Knicks. Amazing. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to watch the game due to family obligations this holiday weekend. The best I could do was refresh the IPhone Sportstacular app every few minutes. I was amazed every time Duhon was credited with another assist (but grew increasingly more frustrated that I couldnt watch).
Tonight, I wanted to put Duhon’s career night into perspective.
1. 22 assists matches the most assists Steve Nash ever had in a game. According to NBAHoopsOnline, Nash had 22 assists against the Knicks on Jan 2, 2006. Guess who Nash’s coach was at the time? Yup – D’Antoni. The comparisons to Nash dont end there. Here is what Warriors coach Don Nelson had to say:
“I think Duhon is the story tonight. Wow, what a player,” Warriors coach Don Nelson said. “Been watching him on film and seeing him on videos, but seeing him in person is another story. Guy’s got the whole package. He looked like Steve Nash out there. Unbelievable performance.
“Whether we zoned him, switched him, it didn’t matter. He still found a way to hurt us. Really impressive performance.”
2. Scott Skiles holds the record for assists in a game with 30.
3. There were 11 games last night. How did Duhon’s night compare to the combined assists totals of the other 21 teams in action? 13 teams combined for less than 22 assists, 5 teams combined for 22 assists and only 3 teams had more than 22 assists.
- 15 Assists – Nets
- 17 Assists – Celtics, Kings
- 18 Assists – Bobcats, Grizzlies, Spurs
- 19 Assists – Magic, Thunder, Bucks
- 20 Assists – Timberwolves, Mavericks
- 21 Assists – Warriors, Jazz
- 22 Assists – Pacers, Wizards, Houston, Cavaliers, Clippers
- 23 Assists – Nuggets
- 24 Assists – Hawks
- 26 Assists – Heat
- 35 Assists – Knicks
Pretty impressive. Shame I couldnt watch the game….
on Dec 1st, 2008 at 9:33 am
Bravo! Bravo! Now’s that’s a real NBA post. Insightful and well thought out. You sure a ghost-blogger didn’t write this last post?
I noticed that you didn’t mention the fact that neither team played any defense…any thoughts on this? What about past games between D’Antoni and Nelson (neither are known for def)…how did the scoring fair in those games over the last 5 years?
on Dec 1st, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Rudy – no ghost blogging allowed.
You are right to point out that neither team played defense. That stat helps, but it still isnt easy to dish out 22 asssts.
I dont have any data on previous encounters with these coaches. can you provide?