If the first week of the 2025-26 NBA season is any indication, there's never been a better time to be a basketball fan. (Save for the massive gambling scandal that rocked the sport last week, that is.)
Heading into Monday, there had already been 12 separate 40-point performances through the first six days of the season. According to NBA.com, the previous record over that span was seven. Tyrese Maxey, Lauri Markkanen, Jamal Murray and Austin Reaves then chipped in their own 40-pieces to close out the first week of the season with a bang.
Three-time MVP Nikola Jokić has opened the season with three straight triple-doubles, and none of those were even among the 10 best single-game performances from the opening week of the 2025-26 season. That's the bar we're starting with here. With that in mind, let's look back at the most sensational, mind-breaking outings we've seen thus far this year.
12. Tyrese Maxey vs. Magic
Stat line: 43 PTS, 8 AST, 4 REB, 4 3FG, 1 STL
Tyrese Maxey began the season with a 40-point eruption in a one-point win over the Celtics, and he followed that up with 28 points, nine assists and six rebounds in a close win over the Hornets three nights later. Somehow, neither one was even his best performance from the opening week.
The Magic entered Monday's game with the NBA's sixth-best defense. After Maxey hung 43 points on them with a barrage of floaters, drives to the cup and three-point bombs, Orlando plummeted to 15th in defensive rating.
Maxey and rookie guard VJ Edgecombe have combined for 182 points across the Sixers' first three games, which is the most of any starting backcourt duo over the past 50-plus years, according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps. Edgecombe has been dazzling in his own right, but we couldn't leave Maxey out of these rankings after he authored two 40-point performances over his first three games of the year.
11. Alperen Şengün vs. Thunder (2OT)
Stat line: 39 PTS, 11 REB, 7 AST, 5 3FG, 2 STL, 1 BLK
Last year, Alperen Şengün never attempted more than three three-pointers in a single game. Imagine the Thunder's surprise when he fired away from deep eight times in the Rockets' season opener.
With Fred VanVleet sidelined by a torn ACL, the Rockets are largely running their offense through Şengün. He might not be quite as adept of a passer as Jokić—in large part because Jokić is the best-passing big man in NBA history—but putting up 39 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists against the defending champions is one way to earn his team's trust moving forward.
Şengün has since come back down to earth over the Rockets' past few games, but his otherworldly shooting night nearly helped Houston toppled the Thunder on their ring night.
10. Victor Wembanyama vs. Mavericks
Stat line: 40 PTS, 15 REB, 3 BLK, 1 AST, 1 STL, 1 3FG
Pick a Victor Wembanyama stat line, any Victor Wembanyama stat line. Every game he plays, he does at least 3-4 things never before seen on a basketball court.
In the Spurs' season opener against the Mavericks, Wemby toyed with Anthony Davis, who's one of the better frontcourt defenders in the league. His reverse baseline jam shortly before halftime should automatically earn him a spot in this year's Slam Dunk Contest.
Wemby nearly had a triple-double with blocks two nights after this game, but racking up 40 points in a blowout win over the Mavericks is far more impressive than barely squeaking by the Pelicans in overtime. This game also put on full display how many jaw-dropping feats Wemby would be subjecting us to this year.
9. Stephen Curry vs. Nuggets (OT)
Stat line: 42 PTS, 7 AST, 6 REB, 6 3FG, 3 STL, 1 BLK
Aaron Gordon—who'll make an appearance later on—couldn't miss from deep in the Nuggets' season opener. If the Warriors packed it in and chalked that up to a fluke performance, no one could have blamed them.
Stephen Curry had other ideas, though. He matched flamethrowing shooting with flamethrowing shooting by scoring the Warriors' final 13 points in regulation—including a game-tying triple with 21.9 seconds left—to send the game to overtime.
Overtime was a more well-rounded effort from the Warriors, although Steph got the party started by drilling a 28-foot three-pointer. He closed out the game with the Warriors' final four points, too, putting a bow on a sensational performance that somehow wasn't even the best one from that game.
8. LaMelo Ball vs. Wizards
Stat line: 38 PTS, 13 REB, 13 AST, 5 3FG, 3 STL
Prior to Sunday, LaMelo Ball hadn't notched a triple-double since November 2023, as hard as that may be to believe. He ended that slump emphatically against the Wizards.
According to NBA.com, LaMelo is now only the third player in NBA history to finish with at least 38 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists in a game before turning 25. The other two? LeBron James and Oscar Robertson.
Putting up huge numbers against the rebuilding Wizards isn't quite as impressive from a degree-of-difficulty standpoint as some of the other monster performances from the opening week. But doing so after racking up 27 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists the night before in a disappointing loss to the Sixers does earn Ball some bonus points.
7. Luka Dončić vs. Warriors
Stat line: 43 PTS, 12 REB, 9 AST, 2 STL, 2 3FG, 1 BLK
With LeBron James sidelined by sciatica to start the year, Luka Dončić knew he'd be shouldering a massive load from the jump. He showed he was up to the task in the first two games of the season before suffered a left finger sprain and lower left leg contusion that's expected to sideline him for approximately one week.
In the Lakers' season opener against the Warriors, Dončić finished one assist shy of a 40-point triple-double. Although he shot only 2-of-10 from deep, he went 15-of-17 from two-point range to finish with 43 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists.
For anyone else, a 43-12-9 game would be a season highlight. For Dončić, it wasn't even his best game of the week.
6. Luka Dončić vs. Timberwolves
Stat line: 49 PTS, 11 REB, 8 AST, 5 3FG
This time around, Dončić finished two assists shy of a 40-point triple-double. But unlike the Warriors game, this one ended in a W.
It also resulted in history. Dončić smashed Jerry West's previous franchise record by scoring 92 points across his first two games of the season. That made him the first player in Lakers history to begin a season with back-to-back 40-point games and only the fourth player in NBA history to do so. Anthony Davis, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain were the other three.
We'll have to wait at least a few more days before getting to see more Luka Magic. In the meantime, his co-star is conjuring some witchcraft of his own, as you'll see later.
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. Cavaliers
Stat line: 40 PTS, 14 REB, 9 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK
With Damian Lillard no longer in Milwaukee, the Bucks have turned back into the Giannis Antetokounmpo Show. And the Greek Freak hasn't disappointed in the first week of the season.
He started the year with 37 points, 14 rebounds and five assists in a 13-point win over the Wizards. Two nights later, he had 31 points, 20 rebounds and seven assists in a six-point win over the Raptors. His short-handed Bucks were no match for the Cavaliers on Sunday, but Giannis did his damnedest with a season-high 40 points on 14-of-20 shooting.
According to NBA.com, Antetokounmpo is the first player ever to start a season with at least 100 points, 40 rebounds and 15 assists across his first three games. With Kevin Porter Jr. and Cole Anthony already banged up, the Bucks may have no choice but to keep riding the Greek Freak until his wheels fall off.
4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. Pacers (2OT)
Stat line: 55 PTS, 8 REB, 5 AST, 2 STL, 2 3FG, 1 BLK
Thirty-point performances are old hat for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 49 such games during the 2024-25 regular season alone. However, the reigning MVP had never scored 55 until the Thunder's second straight double-overtime victory in a 2025 NBA Finals rematch against the Pacers.
SGA saved his best for last, scoring nine of the Thunder's 17 points in double OT against the short-handed Pacers. He racked up a career-high 26 free-throw attempts—much to the delight of charity-stripe enthusiasts, Thunder fans and absolutely no one else—while chipping in a well-rounded eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block.
Since Gilgeous-Alexander needed two overtimes to put up these numbers, he falls shy of a few players who did their damage in less time. But this is the highest-scoring performance of the season thus far, so SGA deserves some flowers here nevertheless.
3. Lauri Markkanen vs. Suns (OT)
Stat line: 51 PTS, 14 REB, 6 3FG, 3 AST
Full disclosure: I wrote most of this before Monday's games tipped off. I did not expect to have to update this list with a Lauri Markkanen masterclass, but here we are.
Against the Kevin Durant-less husk of the Suns, Markkanen racked up 44 points and 13 rebounds in regulation alone. He then scored half of the Jazz's 14 points in overtime to lead his rebuilding squad to a 138-134 victory over Devin Booker and the Suns.
Prior to Monday, Karl Malone was the last Jazz player with a 50-point game. That happened in 1998. Markkanen finished one point shy of that in a January 2023 victory over the Houston Rockets, but he set a new career high Monday.
2. Aaron Gordon vs. Warriors (OT)
Stat line: 50 PTS, 10 3FG, 8 REB, 2 AST, 1 BLK
Sharing the court with Stephen Curry turned Aaron Gordon into an honorary Splash Brother for a night.
In the Nuggets' season opener against the Warriors, Gordon shot 7-of-7 from deep in the first half, which matched the Warriors' entire team total. He finally missed a three-pointer with four minutes left in the third quarter, but that wound up being his only miss from downtown on the night. He finished 10-of-11 from long range, including a go-ahead triple with only 26 seconds left in regulation.
Prior to Thursday, Gordon had never scored more than 41 points either in a regular-season or a playoff game. His 50-burger set a new franchise record for the most points scored in a season opener, and his 10 threes were tied with Terry Rozier for the most in a season opener, as Ernie Johnson took great delight in pointing out after the game.
1. Austin Reaves vs. Kings
Stat line: 51 PTS, 11 REB, 9 AST, 6 3FG, 2 STL
With both Dončić and LeBron sidelined, Austin Reaves put the Lakers on his back and came through with a career night against the Kings.
Prior to Sunday night, Reaves had never scored more than 45 points or attempted more than 16 free throws in a single game. He smashed both of those against Sacramento, finishing with a career-high 51 points and 22 free-throw attempts in a 127-120 win. Reaves also chipped in 11 rebounds, nine assists and two steals for good measure.
For an encore, Reaves had 41 points on 13-of-22 shooting, five assists, four rebounds, three steals and three triples Monday against the Portland Trail Blazers. The short-handed Lakers weren't able to win that game as well, but scoring 92 points in roughly 24 hours isn't a bad day of work.