It’s been a record-scoring year for Canadians across the NBA.
New York Knicks third-year guard RJ Barrett returned from a four-game absence due to a mild left ankle sprain and exploded for a career-high 46 points in a 115-104 loss to the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden.
Barrett knocked down 13-of-22 field goal attempts and tied a season-high with six three-pointers on 13 attempts from deep. A mediocre 14-of-22 (63.6%) effort from the foul line prevented Barrett from setting the all-time Canadian NBA scoring mark of 51 points, set by Kiki Vandeweghe.
Barrett scored 30 of his 46 points in the first half on his way to what is now recognized as the tenth-highest scoring game by a Canadian player in an NBA regular season game.
The former third pick of the 2019 NBA Draft surpassed his previous career-high of 35 points by the end of the third quarter, finishing with 39 points before adding seven more in the fourth.
At 21 years and 256 days old, Barrett is the second-youngest Canadian to score 40-plus points in an NBA regular season game. Murray scored 48 points just a day younger (21 years, 255 days) on November 5, 2018. As a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Andrew Wiggins (21 years, 264 days) scored 47 points against the Los Angeles Lakers.
RJ’s career-high 46 points against Miami are the most points by a New York Knicks player since Carmelo Anthony dropped 46 points on November 14, 2014, against the Utah Jazz.
Barrett has now scored 30 or more points in seven games this season, increasing his points-per-game average to a career-high 19.0 points per game.
