Nembhard sets rookie assist mark
Mavericks rookie Ryan Nembhard piled up 23 assists — along with 15 points, 9 rebounds and 2 steals — breaking the franchise rookie assist record and topping Jason Kidd’s 1995 mark of 17. The clip and boxscore circulated widely on social, highlighting an unusually high single‑game assist total for a Dallas rookie. (x.com)
Ryan Nembhard handed out 23 assists on April 12, setting the Dallas Mavericks’ rookie single-game record in a 149-128 win over the Chicago Bulls. (apnews.com) Nembhard finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and two steals, and his 23 assists broke the previous rookie mark of 17 set by Jason Kidd in the 1994-95 season. (nba.com) Dallas said the 23 assists were also the most by any Mavericks player in regulation; Kidd still owns the franchise’s overall single-game record with 25, set in a double-overtime game against Utah on February 8, 1996. (nba.com) The game came in a season finale between two lottery teams, and the scoring environment was loose: Dallas put up 45 points in the first quarter and 80 in the first half, both season highs. (espn.com) That context helps explain why the box score spread quickly online. Single-game assist totals above 20 are rare in any setting, and Nembhard got there while nearly posting a triple-double, missing by one rebound. (nba.com) Nembhard entered the league without being drafted and spent part of the year on a two-way contract before Dallas converted him to a standard deal, according to the team. Kidd said after the game that Nembhard had “proved to us that he’s more than just a two-way.” (nba.com) The performance also landed in a strange final-night snapshot of Dallas’ season. The Mavericks finished 26-56, while Cooper Flagg’s rookie year ended with a sprained left ankle after 10 minutes Sunday. (espn.com) Nembhard said he knew he was one rebound short of a triple-double, but the record was already secure by then. “Good game. Good win,” he said after passing the coach whose mark had stood for 31 years. (nba.com)
