NightlyHoops
NBA games · Dec 23, 2025
NBA · Regular season · Tuesday, Dec 23, 2025

Best and worst NBA performances, Dec 23, 2025

21 NBA players finished far above or below their usual on Dec 23, 2025, led by Tyrese Maxey (13 points).

LEAGUENBAWNBA
Showing: Regular seasonUsual: each player's games before Dec 23
250ELIGIBLEScored, with 12+ usual minutes or 20+ played
12ABOVE USUAL
9BELOW USUAL
3FEWER MINUTES
about 13EXPECTED 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. 250 eligible games on this night, so about 13 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

12 players · largest change first

Cooper FlaggDAL vs DEN · 33 PTS · 14-of-21 FG · 39:42 MIN Usual 18.8 PTS in 34.4 MIN · Game Score 33.0 against a usual 14.6 Best Game Score of the 29 games the source holds this season▲ 98Rare · above usualSanti AldamaMEM @ UTA · 37 PTS · 13-of-21 FG · 34:24 MIN Usual 13.6 PTS in 27.1 MIN · Game Score 29.9 against a usual 11.8 Matched the season high of 37 points among the games the source holds▲ 98Rare · above usualDeMar DeRozanSAC vs DET · 37 PTS · 12-of-18 FG · 41:36 MIN Usual 18.4 PTS in 33.2 MIN · Game Score 33.1 against a usual 15.0 Season-high 37 points (previous high 33)▲ 98Rare · above usualKyle FilipowskiUTA vs MEM · 25 PTS · 9-of-15 FG · 34:48 MIN Usual 9.5 PTS in 22.8 MIN · Game Score 24.8 against a usual 8.2 Matched the season high of 25 points▲ 98Rare · above usualMore minutes than usualKawhi LeonardLAC vs HOU · 41 PTS · 16-of-23 FG · 36:48 MIN Usual 25.0 PTS in 33.0 MIN · Game Score 34.8 against a usual 19.7 Season-high 41 points (previous high 39)▲ 96Unusual · above usualEarly seasonTaylor HendricksUTA vs MEM · 21 PTS · 7-of-10 FG · 26:42 MIN Usual 5.4 PTS in 14.9 MIN · Game Score 19.9 against a usual 4.8 Season-high 21 points (previous high 20)▲ 98Rare · above usualMore minutes than usualEarly seasonTyus JonesORL @ POR · 16 PTS · 6-of-9 FG · 34:54 MIN Usual 2.7 PTS in 14.8 MIN · Game Score 18.0 against a usual 3.2 Season-high 16 points among the games the source holds (previous high 10)▲ 98Rare · above usualMore minutes than usualTyler KolekNYK @ MIN · 20 PTS · 9-of-22 FG · 31:24 MIN Usual 4.2 PTS in 11.4 MIN · Game Score 17.7 against a usual 3.6 Season-high 20 points among the games the source holds (previous high 16)▲ 96Unusual · above usualMore minutes than usualSam MerrillCLE vs NOP · 22 PTS · 7-of-12 FG · 25:42 MIN Usual 13.1 PTS in 26.6 MIN · Game Score 23.1 against a usual 9.3▲ 98Rare · above usualEarly seasonNew roleThomas BryantCLE vs NOP · 15 PTS · 6-of-8 FG · 21:42 MIN Usual 4.4 PTS in 9.6 MIN · Game Score 16.4 against a usual 3.5 Season-high 15 points among the games the source holds (previous high 14)▲ 96Unusual · above usualMore minutes than usualSion JamesCHA vs WAS · 13 PTS · 2-of-5 FG · 23:42 MIN Usual 6.8 PTS in 26.0 MIN · Game Score 15.7 against a usual 5.5 Best Game Score of 30 games this season▲ 95Unusual · above usualCaleb MartinDAL vs DEN · 9 PTS · 4-of-6 FG · 24:48 MIN Usual 1.3 PTS in 9.3 MIN · Game Score 10.1 against a usual 1.2 Season-high 9 points among the games the source holds (previous high 6)▲ 97Unusual · above usualMore minutes than usual
02

Below their usual

9 players · largest change first

Tyrese MaxeyPHI vs BKN · 13 PTS · 3-of-14 FG · 39:18 MIN Usual 31.7 PTS in 39.8 MIN · Game Score 5.1 against a usual 24.7 Lowest Game Score of 26 games this season▼ 99Very rare · below usualKyshawn GeorgeWAS @ CHA · 2 PTS · 1-of-9 FG · 31:24 MIN Usual 15.2 PTS in 32.0 MIN · Game Score -2.5 against a usual 11.5 Season-low 2 points among the games the source holds (previous low 5)▼ 97Unusual · below usualChet HolmgrenOKC @ SAS · 7 PTS · 3-of-10 FG · 27:06 MIN Usual 18.7 PTS in 28.6 MIN · Game Score 3.1 against a usual 15.4 Lowest Game Score of the 24 games the source holds this season▼ 96Unusual · below usualDavion MitchellMIA vs TOR · 3 PTS · 1-of-6 FG · 27:06 MIN Usual 10.0 PTS in 30.4 MIN · Game Score -1.3 against a usual 10.8 Lowest Game Score of 28 games this season▼ 99Very rare · below usualPeyton WatsonDEN @ DAL · 4 PTS · 0-of-3 FG · 24:24 MIN Usual 10.9 PTS in 26.3 MIN · Game Score -1.4 against a usual 9.4 2nd-lowest Game Score of 27 games this season▼ 96Unusual · below usualDanny WolfBKN @ PHI · 3 PTS · 1-of-9 FG · 21:54 MIN Usual 8.1 PTS in 17.7 MIN · Game Score -3.5 against a usual 5.8▼ 98Rare · below usualEarly seasonJarace WalkerIND vs MIL · 4 PTS · 1-of-8 FG · 16:48 MIN Usual 9.2 PTS in 24.7 MIN · Game Score -2.8 against a usual 5.4 Lowest Game Score of 30 games this season▼ 98Rare · below usualIn limited minutesAaron HolidayHOU @ LAC · 3 PTS · 1-of-4 FG · 16:06 MIN Usual 8.2 PTS in 16.0 MIN · Game Score -1.9 against a usual 5.2 2nd-lowest Game Score of 21 games this season▼ 95Unusual · below usualAlex CarusoOKC @ SAS · 2 PTS · 1-of-3 FG · 18:54 MIN Usual 5.6 PTS in 18.6 MIN · Game Score 0.2 against a usual 6.2 2nd-lowest Game Score of the 19 games the source holds this season▼ 95Unusual · below usualEarly season
03

Fewer minutes than usual

3 players · minutes only, no score

Josh OkogieHOU @ LAC · the box score does not record why11:42MIN · usual 22.3Aaron WigginsOKC @ SAS · the box score does not record why11:06MIN · usual 24.7Gary Trent Jr.MIL @ IND · the box score does not record why4:54MIN · usual 27.5
04

Not scored

Played, with no score shown

  • 24 players with fewer than 10 games this season and no usable last season: 12 with no last season, 3 with under 20 games last season, 6 in a new role, 3 on a new team
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