Top Stat Lines Of NBA Week 8

Let's talk numbers, shall we? And put figures to facts, or the other way round.

Stats enthusiast or no, this piece will keep you informed about some of the best performances seen in the league each week. Interesting data points are mentioned as well, not just single game stats. Facts ~~and~~ with figures.

Find out if the player you think will be MVP is stuffing the stat sheet like he should.

Boxscore figures mentioned here will be chosen based on points, rebounds, etc. as well as home/away, opposition, history, among others. Performances here are not sorted by ranking, simply written about so they receive deserved appreciation. The readers are requested to rank them at their own discretion.

My readers are welcome to let me know of any performances they think were deserving of a mention here. I would gladly welcome such debate and discussions in the comments section.

Take that for data!

#5 Booker scores season-high 46 against the 76ers

Devin Booker started the game shooting cold, going 2 of 11 from the field in the first quarter. Then he heated up and scored 10, 13 and 19 in the remaining three quarters. The Phoenix Suns beat the Philadelphia 76ers 115-101.

His stat line for the game:

46 pts, 8 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl, 17-32 FG, 5-8 3P FG, 7-8 FT

It was his 10th 30-point game of the season. And he's just 21 years old.

The match was always in the Suns' control, but the Sixers played hard to close the gap to 99-94 with 5 minutes to go. Three successive 3-pointers, one by Ulis and two by Booker, pulled the Suns ahead to 108-94 while the Sixers had three missed 3-point attempts and two crucial turnovers in the same stretch.

He suffered a right adductor strain the next night against Toronto Raptors, the second game of the back-to-back. He's likely to be out for the next 2-3 weeks. We can expect him to put up more such performances once he gets back on the court.

#4 Bradley Beal scores career-high 51 points after suffering 49-point loss

Detroit Pistons v Washington Wizards — Bradley Beal

The Washington Wizards powered past the Portland Trail Blazers 106-92 on the back of Beal's career night. The previous night they had the second-largest loss margin (47) in franchise history, losing 69-116 to Jazz on the road.

In John Wall's absence, who's been out with a knee injury, Beal took over to lead his team to the win. The shooting guard finished the game with this stat line:

51 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast, 21-37 FG, 5-12 3P FG, 4-5 FT, 12 +/-

His 21 made field goals were also a career high. He was determined to make amends for the team's performance the previous night when the Wizards were found guilty of lack of effort. Beal, 24, is averaging 23.8 points this season through 26 games and aiming to make his first All-Star game. He certainly is playing like one.

#3 Cousins has monster game; scores 42 and grabs 22 boards

The New Orleans Pelicans knocked off the visiting Denver Nuggets 114-123 and DeMarcus Cousins became the first player since Patrick Ewing in 1989-90 to have multiple 40/20 games in a season.

Boogie dominated the game with Anthony Davis out due to injury. He had his second 40 and 20 game of 2017-2018, and we're not even halfway through the season. No one else in the league has had a 40/20 performance in the season. His stat line for the game:

40 pts, 22 reb, 4 ast, 4 blk, 12-25 FG, 2-6 3P FG, 14-21 FT

He is shooting 46.7% from the field and 34.1% from range while attempting a career-high 6.6 3-pointers per game. His ability to stretch the floor creates problems for the opposition, especially with Anthony Davis playing alongside him. Two elite bigs stretching the floor at will are a tough proposition to deal with. The Pelicans have a lot of potential in this league. They have a 14-13 record and sit on the 7th spot in the Western Conference.

#2 Oladipo stars as Pacers snap the Cavs 13-game winning streak

Victor Oladipo had an amazing night on Friday, leading his team to a 102-106 win over the red-hot Cavaliers. His stat line for the game:

33 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl, 11-24 FG, 6-13 3P FG, 5-10 FT

It may not be the most explosive stat line of the week but the circumstances and magnitude of the game make it hard for me to exclude this performance. The visiting Cleveland Cavaliers came in riding on a win streak of 13 games. Oladipo wasn't bothered with that and had some clutch plays down the stretch to lead Indiana home.

He just wants to get better every single game after a not-so-great season in Oklahoma. He is quickly becoming the leader of this young team, which was supposed to be in rebuilding phase. The 25-year old is in contention for his first All-Star selection and Most Improved Player. The Pacers now sit on 5th spot in the Eastern Conference with a 16-11 record.

#1 James Harden torches Blazers for 48 points

The shooting guard had his third 40-point game of the season en route to helping the Houston Rockets beat the Portland Trail Blazers 124-117 on the road. His stat line for the game:

48 pts, 8 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl, 16-29 FG, 4-7 3P FG, 12-14 FT, 2 TO, 9 +/-

The Rockets started the 4th quarter down 14 points. They made it a close match with the score at 114-113 and 2:06 left on the game clock. The next possession, Harden called for an isolation after getting Lillard to be switched on D to guard him. He drove in to the lane to get the bucket and drew the foul on Lillard, converting the and-1 opportunity. Blazers got a basket back and Harden again attacked the lane and finished a reverse layup to get his 47th point. The Blazers missed the opportunities they had on the offensive end in the final minutes of the 4th quarter while the Rockets didn't. Harden had a clutch performance to lead his team to a 9th consecutive win.

He scored 56 points against Utah earlier and has scored 48 on two occasions, including this one, this season. And we're not even halfway through the season yet. MVP worthy? Very likely.