Tuesday night in the NBA was supposed to be about Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki. Magic Johnson, however, did his best to steal the spotlight by abruptly announcing he was stepping down from the Lakers, and a few hours later, Jamal Crawford followed up with his own show-stealing performance.
The Suns veteran -- perhaps also playing in his final game -- went off on Nowitzki and the Mavericks, pouring in 51 points on a highly efficient 18-of-30 shooting off the bench.
5⃣1⃣ POINTS.
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) April 10, 2019
Legendary performance from @JCrossover ✊ pic.twitter.com/ltiRfI0JJU
He also added five rebounds and five assists for what was easily his best game of the season. At 39 years old, Crawford set a new NBA record with his scoring binge, becoming the oldest player in NBA history to record a 50-point game.
J. Crossover.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 10, 2019
Jamal Crawford (39 years, 20 days) has become the oldest player in NBA history to score 50 points in a game, surpassing Michael Jordan (38 years, 315 days) on Dec. 29, 2001.
He's also the first player ever with 50-point games for 4 different franchises. pic.twitter.com/YqoZ4SFnD9
If that wasn't enough, he also made history as the first player in league history to have a 50-point game with four different franchises. Along with the Suns on Tuesday night, Crawford scored 50-plus for the Bulls, Knicks and Warriors -- the last of which came way back in 2008.
Crawford has always been a prolific scorer throughout his career, but making this performance even more impressive is the fact that he hadn't even had a 30-point game this season. In fact, before this game, he hadn't gone for 30 since 2016, when he was still with the Clippers.
If this was it for Crawford, it was an incredible way to go out.
