Marcus Smart 21 points vs Nuggets (Mar 14, 2026): season-best Game Score
21 PTS · 8-of-15 FG · 5-of-12 3P · 35:18 MIN
Usual before this game: 9.4 PTS · 7.7 FGA · 28.4 MIN, from 55 regular-season games
Best Game Score of 56 games this season: 21.3 against a usual 7.2 (+14.1)
above usual
No more than 2 in 100 games by players at this level finish this far above their usual.
For a player who plays every game, a game this far above the usual comes about once or twice a season.
How the score worksWhy did Marcus Smart score 21 points?
Marcus Smart scored 21 points against the Nuggets on Mar 14, 2026 in 35:18: 8-of-15 from the field (53.3%), 5-of-12 from three (41.7%), no free throw attempts. Coming in, Smart had averaged 9.4 points on 7.7 shots in 28.4 minutes, from 55 regular-season games. This game had the best Game Score of 56 games this season. The shot count was 15, against a usual 7.7. Smart shot 53.3% from the field, against a usual 39.9%. From threes, 15 points against a usual 4.7; from two-pointers, 6 points against a usual 3.0; from free throws, 0 points against a usual 1.7. Minutes: 35:18, against a usual 28.4; Game Score per 36 minutes: 21.7, against a usual 9.1. Steals and blocks: 5 and 1, against a usual 1.3 and 0.4. The Lakers won 127-125 at home against the Nuggets. The box score records what changed, not why: it holds no injury, matchup or coaching information.
Generated from the box score and this season's game log. How the score works
What changed
Smart in this game against the usual line
| Stat | This game | Usual (55 games) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minutes | 35:18 | 28.4 | +6.9 |
| Points | 21 | 9.4 | +11.6 |
| Shots (FGA) · FG% | 15 · 53.3% | 7.7 · 39.9% | +7.3 · +13.4 |
| 3PA · 3P% | 12 · 41.7% | 4.7 · 33.6% | +7.3 · +8.1 |
| FTA · FT% | 0-of-0 | 2.1 · 80.7% | -2.1 |
| Rebounds | 3 | 2.8 | +0.2 |
| Assists | 2 | 2.9 | -0.9 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1.5 | -1.5 |
| UsageUsual: minutes-weighted average of per-game usage, 55 games | 18.7 | 15.7 | +3.0 |
| Game Score per 36 minutes | 21.7 | 9.1 | +12.6 |
Points by shot type
Twos, threes and free throws: the changes add up to the points change
| Shot type | This game | Usual (55 games) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Threes | 15 (5-of-12) | 4.7 (1.6-of-4.7) | +10.3 |
| Twos | 6 (3-of-3) | 3.0 (1.5-of-3.0) | +3.0 |
| Free throws | 0 (0-of-0) | 1.7 (1.7-of-2.1) | -1.7 |
| Total | 21 | 9.4 | +11.6 |
Game Score
One measure of the whole box score line
21.3 against a usual 7.2 (+14.1)
Its five parts
| Part | Change |
|---|---|
| Scoring, net of shot attempts | +8.6 |
| Rebounds | +0.2 |
| Assists | -0.6 |
| Steals and blocks | +4.1 |
| Turnovers and fouls | +1.8 |
| Total | +14.1 |
Season so far
Regular season, in date order
Best Game Score of 56 games this season.
Previous best: 18.7, set on Jan 13, 2026.
Context
From the rows this page already reads
- The Lakers won 127-125 at home against the Nuggets.
- Previous appearance: Mar 10, 2026, 4 days earlier.
- Between the previous appearance and this game, the Lakers played on Mar 12, 2026; Smart was not in that box score; the data does not say why.
- Earlier regular-season meetings with the Nuggets this season: 15 points (Jan 20, 2026), 9 points (Mar 5, 2026).
What this page cannot tell you
The same on every performance page
Box scores record what happened, not why: no injuries or health, defensive assignments, matchups, coaching decisions or play-by-play.
Game Score against the player's own usual line. How rare a gap is comes from NBA regular-season games of 2023-24 and 2024-25, checked on 2025-26.