Photo credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Former Duke Basketball Star Ties NBA Christmas Day Record
Two years ago, then-Brooklyn Nets guard Patty Mills set the NBA Christmas Day record with eight made 3-pointers in a game. This go-round, in the nightcap, Phoenix Suns guard Grayson Allen, a 2015 Duke basketball national champ and four-year Blue Devil treasure, and Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic each matched Mills' mark.
Doncic finished with 50 points, leading the Mavericks (18-12) to a 128-114 road win over the Suns (14-15). He had help from 2022-23 Blue Devil one-and-done and lottery pick center Dereck Lively II, who tallied the fifth double-double of his rookie campaign via 20 points and 10 rebounds across his 32 minutes as a starter.
But despite Phoenix's loss, Grayson Allen was impressive. The 28-year-old full-time starter posted a season-high 32 points, adding four rebounds, four assists, and one steal in 39 minutes on the floor. And his eight threes tied his career-high. He shot 12-for-22 from the field, including his 8-for-17 clip from deep.
He had 19 points in the third quarter alone, drawing the following shoutout from the Duke basketball program on social media:
Through his 24 outings this season, his first campaign with the Suns, Allen is putting up career-high numbers pretty much across the board: 13.0 points, 4.5 boards, 2.7 dimes, and 1.0 steals per contest while shooting 45.4 percent beyond the arc.
His 3-point percentage is the ninth-best in the NBA this season.
Allen and the Suns next travel to face the Houston Rockets (15-12) at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday.
Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI.com for more Duke basketball news.