John Stockton, Jason Kidd or of course Magic Johnson… These must be the answers that come first when you ask someone to name the record holder for assists in an NBA game. But this record, 33 years old, is not the work of an NBA star. On December 30, 1990, it was Scott Skiles, then Magic point guard, who distributed 30 passes to his teammates. It was during the Magic's big victory (155-116) against the Nuggets.
A few years ago, in the club magazine, the former coach of the Bulls and Bucks recounted this crazy evening which saw him accumulate 22 points, 6 rebounds, 2 interceptions and therefore 30 assists in 44 minutes.
“At the time, we and the Nuggets were the worst teams in the NBA, and we were in the same division (editor's note: Orlando and Denver were in the Midwest Division)” remembers Scott Skiles. “ At the time, I was having my best season, but there was a lot of talk about me transferring. I was announced to Detroit (reigning champions), and they scouted me every game. I was flattered, but also very happy in Orlando. I was playing a lot, and trying to help the franchise progress. »
This evening of December 30, the Nuggets and their attacking style of play arrive and Scott Skiles will take the opportunity to make history.
“The Nuggets were hampered by injuries, and Michael Adams was the only able-bodied guard. In addition, with their new coach Paul Westhead, the Nuggets practiced run-and-gun. We knew that with each missed shot on their part, we would have counter-attacks and easy shots. That evening, I felt like I was on a playground. It was a layup contest with the Nuggets not contesting shots. After one quarter, we had already scored 35 points. At halftime, we led 72-49, and I already had 14 assists. »
More than six minutes to complete his 30th pass
The record for the young Florida franchise is at 18, and it will quickly be shattered.
“I continued to make passes, and in the 3rd quarter, I broke the franchise record, which had belonged to me since the beginning of the season. At the end of the 3rd quarter, I had 25 assists, and I was close to Kevin Porter's NBA record (editor's note: 29, in 1978 with the Nets). I didn't know anything about it because we couldn't follow that during the matches. With 7 minutes left, I sent Reynolds to the alley-oop for my 29th pass. The coach then called me to tell me that if I made one more pass, he would take me out because we won easily. The announcer then announced that I had just tied the NBA record, and that put pressure on me. I made several passes but my teammates missed their shots or their dribbles…”
Finally, it was only 19 seconds from the end that Scott Skiles completed this famous 30th pass. “Time was running out, and it was finally on a shot from 6 meters from Reynolds that I broke the record. I was very happy, and the audience was screaming. The funny thing is that Reynolds had just wasted three easy shots on my passes. In fact, he was one of the only ones in the room who didn't understand that I was missing a pass…”
At the time, the Magic stars were called Terry Catledge, who went by Pau-Orthez, and therefore Jerry Reynolds. There were also Dennis Scott and Nick Anderson making their league debuts. It was only a few seasons later, thanks to the Hardaway-O'Neal duo, that the Magic really took off.
As for this record, it has rarely been approached since 1990, but we will remember the 28 assists of John Stockton in January 1991, and the 25 assists of Kevin Johnson (1994), Jason Kidd (1996) and Rajon Rondo (2017).
Article originally published on December 30, 2021
