Samuel Dalembert: NBA Legend

The Milwaukee Bucks loss in Denver last night was marked by two halves. In the first 24 minutes Milwaukee outscored Denver by 15 points.  The Nuggets turned on their game in the final half scoring 23 more points than the visitors.

Denver’s Ty Lawson made 9 of 11 from the charity stripe while Wilson Chandler cleaned up on the glass with 10 rebounds.  The Bucks back-court of Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis were held in check by the Nuggets garnering just 24 points combined while using 36 shot attempts.

But the real story in the loss was Bucks center Samuel Dalembert.  The big guy exploded for 35 points on 17-21 from the field in just 27 minutes played.  If he had played 40 minutes he would have scored fifty!

The offense really came out of nowhere as Dalembert averages 8 points/game in his career with a previous single game high of 27 points.

Having some fun with the Basketball-Reference Play Index tool we learn a few cool facts about his performance in Denver.

1. Only 3 players since 1986 have made 17 field goals while attempting fewer than 21 shots in a game.
2. The last NBA player to go 17-21 from the floor in a game was Amare Stoudemire 2 years ago today.
3. Dalembert is the first player since Rik Smits in 1994 to make 17 field goals  in a game while playing fewer than 28 minutes.

Legend may be a bit too strong but Samuel Dalembert now has a few lines in the NBA history book.