NBA scores 2018: The wildest stat from C.J. McCollum’s 50-point game, and 9 more things from Wednesday

There’s one correlation in the NBA that almost never fails: if you score 50 or more points, then you have played more than 30 minutes. It’s a well, duh stat — a 50-point game means you’re playing well, so your coach will keep you on the floor. It’s hard to score 50 points, too, so the more time on the court the better.

Every single player who has ever scored 50-plus points has played 30-plus minutes, in fact, except for two. One was Klay Thompson in his still-absurd 60-point explosion last season, and the other happened Wednesday.

That’s right — C.J. McCollum had the stellar line of 50 points, 18-of-25 shooting, 6-of-9 shooting from deep, and 8-of-8 shooting from the free-throw line, all in 29 minutes. HE DIDN’T PLAY THE FOURTH QUARTER! It was one of the most efficient — both percentage wise, and in terms of time — 50-point games we’ve ever seen.

It’s almost impossible to do what McCollum did. Hell, there was only 15 instances before Wednesday of a player having a 50-point game while playing 35 minutes or fewer. On two more of them happened in fewer than 33 minutes — Damian Lillard in 2016, and Kobe Bryant in 2003.

We watched James Harden record a 60-point triple-double over the weekend, and his 46 minutes played doesn’t detract from that stupendous performance one bit. But it’s worth noting McCollum easily could have gone for 60 points on Wednesday, and maybe even more.

The journeyman guard snapped his ankle clean in half on a gruesome, Gordon Hayward-like injury. It was disgusting, and this look on Devin Booker’s face says it all.

We’re wishing the best for Canaan — that it’s a clean break without any ligament damage and with a quick recovery time. We know these things happen in professional sports, but they’re never any easier to digest.

Let’s give one shoutout to Canaan’s teammate, Jared Dudley.

Sorry, no disrespect to Carroll, who was my favorite random Charlotte Bobcats shooter of all time. But on Wednesday, Charlotte saw Walker bury nine three-pointers on just 13 shot attempts, finishing with 38 points on 20 total shots.

Nice.

Reaction: Monroe probably ends up in Boston, and they’ve already been reported to have interest. But San Antonio intrigued me, as does Oklahoma City. Monroe is a useful backup big in this league and I’m interested to see where he ends up.

Reaction: Mirotic will absolutely get traded, although the New Orleans talks seem dead in the water.

Reaction: New York is trying to trade the extremely overpaid athlete. Good luck!

Pacers 105, Grizzlies 101 (Indy Cornrows recap | Grizzly Bear Blues recap)

Magic 127, Lakers 105 (Orlando Pinstriped Post recap | Silver Screen & Roll recap)

Hornets 123, Hawks 110 (At the Hive recap | Peachtree Hoops recap)

Nets 116, 76ers 108 (Nets Daily recap | Liberty Ballers recap)

Cavaliers 91, Heat 89 (Fear the Sword recap | Hot Hot Hoops recap)

Celtics 103, Knicks 73 (Celtics Blog recap | Posting & Toasting recap)

Trail Blazers 124, Bulls 108 (Blazer’s Edge recap | Blog a Bull recap)

Suns 102, Mavericks 88 (Bright Side of the Sun recap | Mavs Moneyball recap)