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Every year, certain NBA stars shine bright at the beginning of the season and post some jaw-dropping numbers. Kyrie Irving dropped 50 points in his Brooklyn Nets debut in 2019, while Anthony Davis scored 50 in the New Orleans Pelicans' season opener in 2016. More recently, Russell Westbrook posted a triple-double in his Washington Wizards debut this season.
5 NBA Players with the top scoring performances in Week 1
We had plenty of nail-biter games and blowout victories in the first week of NBA action and five NBA stars stood out this week with their individual performances. Surprisingly, only one out of the five players' efforts led to a victory. Let's review the top 5 NBA scoring performances in the first week.
No. 5 - Bradley Beal's 39 vs Orlando Magic
The Washington Wizards and Orlando Magic met twice in the opening week, and the first game saw a 39-point performance by the Wizards' Bradley Beal. Beal consistently scored from the opening tip, dropping 16 points in the first half. The Wizards were trailing the Magic until Beal made a tough layup in the third quarter and tied the game at 77.
The game was close for a long time and Bradey Beal stayed hot, but unfortunately, his efforts were in vain as the Orlando Magic went on a run in the last two minutes of the game. It was a run the Wizards could not recover from in a 130-120 loss. He also grabbed seven rebounds, dished five assists, and made two steals in the game.
No. 4 Terry Rozier's 42 vs Cleveland Cavaliers
Terry Rozier had a very quiet night despite dropping an NBA career-high 42 points. The Charlotte Hornets were trailing by an average of 15 points for a majority of the game and Rozier's points weren't able to gather any momentum. Rozier's buckets were not enough for the victory as the Cleveland Cavaliers won their season opener by 7 points.
Terry Rozier had a very uninspiring first half as he only scored six points. However, he went on a shooting streak in the second half recording 36 points. He also hit a career-high 10 3-pointers in an effort to win the game.
No. 1 (tie) James Harden's 44 vs Portland Trail Blazers
Another player whose efforts were in vain is James Harden, who dropped a whopping 44 points and made17 assists in his season debut against the Portland Trail Blazers. Unfortunately, Portland lost the game by 2 points in overtime.
James Harden was extremely clutch in this game, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers in overtime to give the Houston Rockets the lead. However, the Blazers' CJ McCollum's game-winner sealed Houston's fate.
No. 1 (tie) Ja Morant's 44 vs San Antonio Spurs
Ja Morant dropped a career-high 44 points against the San Antonio Spurs in the season opener. Unfortunately, Morant's performance was unable to shift the momentum of the game as the Spurs led the entire second half.
Ja Morant was one assist shy of a double-double and he also made two steals and blocked a shot. He tried his best to get the lead in the third quarter, but the Grizzlies were unable to answer back to the Spurs' runs.
No. 1 CJ McCollum's 44 vs Houston Rockets
The only player on this list whose scoring led to victory is CJ McCollum of the Portland Trail Blazers. The game in which James Harden dropped 44 is the game CJ McCollum did so, too. Not only did he contribute huge numbers, but he also hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 10 secs left in overtime to cap the Portland Trail Blazers' win.
CJ McCollum shot 52% from beyond the arc and made a career-high nine 3-pointers. He was two assists shy of a double-double and also had three rebounds and a steal.
Also Read: NBA Power Ranking: 5 Rookies who impressed the most in Week 1
