New Orleans Pelicans point guard Jose Alvarado of Brooklyn, New York made National Basketball Association history on Sunday. He set the record for the most points by an undrafted player off the bench in a single NBA game (38) according to ESPN, as the Pelicans defeated the Denver Nuggets 121-106.
Alvarado’s 38 points were also a career high. He made 12 of 19 field goals, eight of 11 three-pointers, and six of seven free throws. Alvarado also had three rebounds, two assists, one steal, and was a +21 in 26 minutes and 54 seconds worth of action. In an interesting statistic, Alvarez was a +21 in a game where Pelicans starting center Jonas Valenciunas was a -21.
Alvarado set another record on Sunday. According to Michael Kaskey-Blomain of CBS Sports, he set the Pelicans single-game record for most points by a bench player.
Alvarado played his college basketball at Georgia Tech. On March 28, 2022, the Pelicans signed him to a four-year contract worth $6.5 million.
In 23 games this season, Alvarado is averaging 10 points per game, 3.3 assists per game, 2.4 rebounds per game, and 1.2 steals per game. He has a field goal percentage of .472, three-point percentage of .404, and a free throw percentage of .840.
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The NBA record for most points in a game by an undrafted player belongs to Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet, who scored 54 points in a 123-108 win over the Orlando Magic on February 2, 2021. VanVleet and Dallas’s Christian Wood are tied for the NBA lead this season for most points per game by an undrafted player (16.8).
Despite being born in New York, Alvarado plays for the Puerto Rico team internationally. The Pelicans are second in the West at the moment with a record of 15 wins and eight losses. They are only one game back of the Phoenix Suns.
This was the second straight loss for the Denver Nuggets, who drop to 14 wins and nine losses. They also lost 117-109 to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.
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