Celtics Legend Paul Pierce: I Miss Defense in NBA After Dončić, Booker Score 60-Plus

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Celtics legend Paul Pierce had some strong opinions following a prolific scoring night in the NBA.

After Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić dropped 73 points and Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker scored 62 points on Friday night, Pierce took to social media to express his thoughts on today’s NBA.

“Damn I miss Defense in the NBA,” Pierce posted on X after the scoring outbursts.

Pierce, whose career high was 50 points, clearly thinks today’s NBA is lacking the defense of his day, though many NBA players in the league today would argue it’s gotten better over the years.

Regardless, there’s no denying Dončić and Booker had a pair of magical performances on Friday.

Friday night’s historic scoring night came less than a week after Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid had 70 and Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns had 62. Those performances on Monday marked just the fourth time in NBA history that two players scored 60 or more points on the same night, and now it’s happened twice in the same week.

Dončić’s 73 points are the fourth-most in NBA history, just behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 78, Kobe Bryant’s 81 and Chamberlain’s 100 points. Dončić is also just the 10th player in NBA history to have 70 or more points.

Of the NBA’s 10 players to score 70 or more points in a game, four have reached the mark in the last two seasons. Donovan Mitchell had 71 last January and Damian Lillard followed last February with his own 71. Now Embiid and Dončić have reached the mark in the same week.

While Pierce longs for the days of strong defense, fans likely aren’t complaining about the huge offensive week the NBA has had.