Wendell Carter Jr. 26 points vs Nuggets (Dec 18, 2025): best of 25 games
26 PTS · 11-of-15 FG · 4-of-7 3P · 28:36 MIN
Usual before this game: 11.7 PTS · 7.6 FGA · 29.7 MIN, from 24 regular-season games
Best Game Score of the 25 games the source holds this season: 24.7 against a usual 10.5 (+14.2)
Season-high 26 points among the games the source holds (previous high 19, set on Nov 10, 2025)
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 Wendell Carter Jr. score 26 points?
In 28:36 against the Nuggets on Dec 18, 2025, Wendell Carter Jr. scored 26 points: 11-of-15 from the field (73.3%), 4-of-7 from three (57.1%), no free throw attempts. Coming in, Carter had averaged 11.7 points on 7.6 shots in 29.7 minutes, from 24 regular-season games. No earlier game the source holds this season reached 26 points. This game had the best Game Score of the 25 games the source holds this season. Carter took 15 shots, 7.4 more than usual. Carter shot 73.3% from the field, against a usual 52.2%. From threes, 12 points against a usual 3.5; from two-pointers, 14 points against a usual 5.6; from free throws, 0 points against a usual 2.6. Carter played 28:36 against a usual 29.7 minutes; per 36 minutes the Game Score was 31.1, against a usual 12.7. The Magic lost 126-115 at 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
Carter in this game against the usual line
| Stat | This game | Usual (24 games) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minutes | 28:36 | 29.7 | -1.1 |
| Points | 26 | 11.7 | +14.3 |
| Shots (FGA) · FG% | 15 · 73.3% | 7.6 · 52.2% | +7.4 · +21.1 |
| 3PA · 3P% | 7 · 57.1% | 2.8 · 41.2% | +4.2 · +15.9 |
| FTA · FT% | 0-of-0 | 3.3 · 78.5% | -3.3 |
| Rebounds | 8 | 7.7 | +0.3 |
| Assists | 0 | 2.0 | -2.0 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1.6 | -1.6 |
| UsageUsual: minutes-weighted average of per-game usage, 24 games | 22.6 | 15.0 | +7.6 |
| Game Score per 36 minutes | 31.1 | 12.7 | +18.4 |
Points by shot type
Twos, threes and free throws: the changes add up to the points change
| Shot type | This game | Usual (24 games) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Threes | 12 (4-of-7) | 3.5 (1.2-of-2.8) | +8.5 |
| Twos | 14 (7-of-8) | 5.6 (2.8-of-4.8) | +8.4 |
| Free throws | 0 (0-of-0) | 2.6 (2.6-of-3.3) | -2.6 |
| Total | 26 | 11.7 | +14.3 |
Game Score
One measure of the whole box score line
24.7 against a usual 10.5 (+14.2)
Its five parts
| Part | Change |
|---|---|
| Scoring, net of shot attempts | +12.2 |
| Rebounds | +0.2 |
| Assists | -1.4 |
| Steals and blocks | +1.3 |
| Turnovers and fouls | +1.9 |
| Total | +14.2 |
Season so far
Regular season, in date order
Best Game Score of the 25 games the source holds this season.
Previous best: 19.5, set on Nov 18, 2025.
Context
From the rows this page already reads
- The Magic lost 126-115 at the Nuggets.
- No earlier regular-season meetings with the Nuggets this season.
- The source holds fewer Magic games than this season has, so season highs, lows and ranks count only the games it holds.
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.