It was a heck of a debut for Philadelphia 76ers rookie Michael Carter-Williams, one of the very best in NBA history. It came against a Miami Heat team that has only lost three times in its last 41 regular-season games.
Carter-Williams finished with 22 points, 12 assists, nine steals and seven rebounds.
Carter-Williams
The Elias Sports Bureau noted that …
• Carter-Williams’ nine steals were the most in a debut since steals became an official stat in 1973-74.
• His 12 assists were the second-most in a career debut in NBA history, trailing only Ernie DiGregorio, who had 14 for the Buffalo Braves in 1973-74.
• The 22-12-9-7 combination is one achieved only twice previously by anyone in any NBA game. Rickey Green had a 26-12-9-7 for the Utah Jazz in November 1982, and Johnny Moore put up a 26-13-9-11 effort for the San Antonio Spurs in January 1985.
On-target
The 76ers shot the ball very effectively, making 54 percent of their shots overall, 25-of-39 inside the paint.
The 76ers only had two games all of last season in which they shot 54 percent or better from the field, both losses.
In their previous 15 games against the Heat (all losses), the 76ers shot a combined 44 percent from the field.
They ranked 22nd last season in field goal percentage in the paint (52 percent) and 23rd in paint scoring (38.9 points per game).
