If you didn’t already know, I’m a massive nerd. I like numbers, I wear glasses, and I’ve been lucky to parlay that into a role as a sports statistician. So when I saw a tweet from CBS 58 Meteorologist Sam Kuffel … I was curious.
This is literally my job. When I’m working a game, the talent or producer hit my line and ask, “Hey Dom, can you find this needle in a haystack? Oh and can you get it to me before the next TV timeout?”
Jrue Holiday tied a career-high with 40 points in an overtime thriller yesterday vs the Celtics. What else has he done on holidays? I only counted regular season holidays, so a couple holidays he has never played on, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and President’s Day.
The holiday he has played the most games? Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 10 such contests. The most points per game? Valentine’s Day – nearly 30!
Throughout Jrue’s career, he has averaged 16.4 points per game … on “holidays” he is averaging 19.68 per game. So yes, Holiday plays better on the holidays.
HOLIDAYS DATA (Regular season only)
- Halloween: Five games – High, 28 (’18) – 21.6 PPG
- Christmas: Five games – High, 23 (’22) – 16.2 PPG
- New Year’s Eve: Six games – High, 26 (’18) – 14.8 PPG
- New Year’s Day: Four games – High, 26 (’13) – 19.2 PPG
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Ten games – High, 36 (’20) – 19.9 PPG
- Valentine’s Day: Four games – High, 40 (’23) – 29.7 PPG
- St. Patrick’s Day: Five games – High, 30 (’12) – 21.2 PPG
- Good Friday: Three games – High, 25 (’18) – 22.6 PPG
- Easter Sunday: Two games – High, 12 (’18) – 10 PPG