NightlyHoops
NBA games · Dec 21, 2025
NBA · Regular season · Sunday, Dec 21, 2025

Best and worst NBA performances, Dec 21, 2025

18 NBA players finished far above or below their usual on Dec 21, 2025, led by Karl-Anthony Towns (2 points).

Showing: Regular seasonUsual: each player's games before Dec 21
103ELIGIBLEScored, with 12+ usual minutes or 20+ played
8ABOVE USUAL
10BELOW USUAL
5FEWER MINUTES
about 5EXPECTED BY DESIGNPer list, above and below, on an ordinary night
How to read this

The Above and Below lists hold games further from the player's usual than at least 95 in 100 comparable games, so an ordinary night still fills both lists. 103 eligible games on this night, so about 5 would land in each list even on an ordinary night. Fewer minutes than usual shows minutes only, never a score. Each list runs from the largest Game Score change down. "Early season" marks a usual line built from fewer than 20 of the player's games this season. How the score works

01

Above their usual

8 players · largest change first

Jalen BrunsonNYK vs MIA · 47 PTS · 15-of-26 FG · 38:12 MIN Usual 27.9 PTS in 35.0 MIN · Game Score 39.3 against a usual 20.3 Season-high 47 points among the games the source holds (previous high 37)▲ 99Very rare · above usualMatas BuzelisCHI @ ATL · 28 PTS · 10-of-11 FG · 28:54 MIN Usual 13.8 PTS in 28.1 MIN · Game Score 26.4 against a usual 10.3 Season-high 28 points (previous high 27)▲ 98Rare · above usualKel'el WareMIA @ NYK · 28 PTS · 11-of-15 FG · 34:30 MIN Usual 11.9 PTS in 24.3 MIN · Game Score 28.8 against a usual 12.7 Season-high 28 points (previous high 24)▲ 96Unusual · above usualMore minutes than usualDennis SchröderSAC vs HOU · 24 PTS · 7-of-13 FG · 31:54 MIN Usual 12.7 PTS in 28.8 MIN · Game Score 25.8 against a usual 9.9 Matched the season high of 24 points▲ 96Unusual · above usualTrae YoungATL vs CHI · 35 PTS · 10-of-16 FG · 26:24 MIN Usual 20.4 PTS in 31.6 MIN · Game Score 30.8 against a usual 16.2▲ 96Unusual · above usualEarly seasonTre JohnsonWAS vs SAS · 19 PTS · 6-of-10 FG · 25:24 MIN Usual 10.7 PTS in 22.9 MIN · Game Score 18.6 against a usual 6.4 Season-high 19 points among the games the source holds (previous high 18)▲ 97Unusual · above usualEarly seasonBub CarringtonWAS vs SAS · 21 PTS · 7-of-11 FG · 39:48 MIN Usual 8.6 PTS in 27.3 MIN · Game Score 17.7 against a usual 5.9 2nd-best Game Score of the 26 games the source holds this season▲ 95Unusual · above usualMore minutes than usualLuke KornetSAS @ WAS · 20 PTS · 8-of-11 FG · 27:54 MIN Usual 7.8 PTS in 24.9 MIN · Game Score 21.0 against a usual 10.0 Season-high 20 points among the games the source holds (previous high 16)▲ 96Unusual · above usualEarly seasonNew roleNew team
02

Below their usual

10 players · largest change first

Karl-Anthony TownsNYK vs MIA · 2 PTS · 1-of-5 FG · 28:48 MIN Usual 22.1 PTS in 33.1 MIN · Game Score -0.9 against a usual 18.2 Season-low 2 points among the games the source holds (previous low 8)▼ 99Very rare · below usualScottie BarnesTOR @ BKN · 6 PTS · 3-of-10 FG · 33:42 MIN Usual 19.5 PTS in 33.9 MIN · Game Score 1.7 against a usual 17.4 Season-low 6 points (previous low 8)▼ 98Rare · below usualDylan HarperSAS @ WAS · 1 PTS · 0-of-8 FG · 17:42 MIN Usual 13.6 PTS in 21.5 MIN · Game Score -5.1 against a usual 10.3 Season-low 1 point among the games the source holds (previous low 3)▼ 99Very rare · below usualEarly seasonNickeil Alexander-WalkerATL vs CHI · 9 PTS · 3-of-12 FG · 29:00 MIN Usual 20.7 PTS in 32.7 MIN · Game Score 0.5 against a usual 14.6 Lowest Game Score of 28 games this season▼ 97Unusual · below usualJulian ChampagnieSAS @ WAS · 3 PTS · 1-of-6 FG · 18:06 MIN Usual 11.2 PTS in 28.3 MIN · Game Score -0.6 against a usual 9.5 2nd-lowest Game Score of the 27 games the source holds this season▼ 96Unusual · below usualIn limited minutesJamal SheadTOR @ BKN · 2 PTS · 1-of-7 FG · 20:30 MIN Usual 6.4 PTS in 20.2 MIN · Game Score -2.3 against a usual 6.9 Lowest Game Score of 30 games this season▼ 99Very rare · below usualAJ GreenMIL @ MIN · 4 PTS · 1-of-8 FG · 23:24 MIN Usual 11.0 PTS in 28.8 MIN · Game Score -0.9 against a usual 8.3 2nd-lowest Game Score of 26 games this season▼ 98Rare · below usualSandro MamukelashviliTOR @ BKN · 4 PTS · 1-of-4 FG · 20:00 MIN Usual 10.6 PTS in 20.5 MIN · Game Score 0.7 against a usual 9.2 Lowest Game Score of 29 games this season▼ 95Unusual · below usualDanny WolfBKN vs TOR · 0 PTS · 0-of-4 FG · 19:00 MIN Usual 8.8 PTS in 17.6 MIN · Game Score -1.5 against a usual 6.5▼ 95Unusual · below usualEarly seasonGary Trent Jr.MIL @ MIN · 6 PTS · 2-of-11 FG · 17:48 MIN Usual 9.9 PTS in 27.9 MIN · Game Score -0.3 against a usual 6.3 Lowest Game Score of 29 games this season▼ 95Unusual · below usualIn limited minutes
03

Fewer minutes than usual

5 players · minutes only, no score

04

Not scored

Played, with no score shown

  • 7 players with fewer than 10 games this season and no usable last season: 4 with no last season, 3 in a new role
METHOD

Game Score against each 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. How the score works