5 Games In, Cameron Boozer's 18-12-12 Makes Him the Second-Youngest Player With a Triple-Double

Photo: Official NBA headshot (cdn.nba.com).

Cameron Boozer had 18 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists Thursday night as Memphis beat Portland 124-103 at Moda Center and moved to 5-0. At 19 years and 103 days, he is the second-youngest player to record an NBA triple-double, and his 12 assists set up 29 Memphis points, by our count.

Only Josh Giddey did it younger, at 19 years and 84 days in January 2022, and Giddey's Thunder lost that night, per NBA.com. That makes Boozer the youngest player with a triple-double in a win. He also passed Victor Wembanyama (20 years, 6 days) as the youngest frontcourt player to do it, and he got there in his fifth NBA game. Oscar Robertson, Art Williams and Ben Simmons are the only other players to post one within their first five games, per NBA.com.

The shot was missing, so he moved the ball

The first four games were rough from the field. Boozer shot 17 of 61 (27.9%) and 7 of 27 from three across them, by our count from his ESPN game log, including a 2-of-15 opener against Utah and a 5-of-21 night in Sacramento. He still averaged 10.5 rebounds in those games, and Memphis won all four.

Thursday he took 10 shots and made six, four of them threes on five tries. He had 12 assists. Across his first four games he had 19 total, and no two of those games combined reached 12, by our count. He committed two turnovers.

The assists also weren't all the same pass. Five went to three-point shooters: Cedric Coward twice, Quinten Post twice, Jaylen Wells once. Seven went for twos at the rim or close to it, including dunks for Zach Edey, Jerami Grant and Isaiah Stewart. That adds up to 15 points off threes and 14 off twos, by our count from the ESPN play-by-play. Add his own 18 and Boozer scored or assisted on 47 of the 124.

Memphis assisted on 32 of its 47 field goals, and the rookie threw more than a third of them.

Ten straight before the half

The game was tied 58-58 at halftime, and it got there because of a two-minute burst from Boozer. Portland led 49-46 with 3:26 left in the second quarter. Boozer made two free throws, hit a 26-foot three, scored a putback after his own offensive rebound and then drained a 25-footer at 1:28. That was 10 straight Memphis points and a 56-55 lead, per the ESPN play-by-play.

He then fed Grant for a running dunk with 18.3 seconds left to send it into the break even. Of his four threes, two came in that stretch.

The bench won the third, then he closed it

Boozer sat through the decisive run. He checked out at 5:21 of the third with Memphis up 75-71. While he sat, the Grizzlies pulled away to 87-75 on a 10-0 run, per AP, with Isaiah Stewart (plus-18) and Cam Spencer (plus-21) leading the second unit. Seven Grizzlies besides Boozer scored in double figures, three of them off the bench, per AP.

He came back in for the fourth quarter at 7:12 with Memphis up 101-89 and left at 2:33 up 120-98. In that window the Grizzlies scored 19 points, and Boozer scored or assisted on 12 of them, by our count: dunk and layup feeds to Stewart, a step-back three by Coward, a running layup by Wells and his own 26-footer. A 12-point lead became 22, and the starters were done.

He finished plus-20 in 28 minutes. Memphis won the second half 66-45, by our count, and for the game shot 18 of 42 from three and 12 of 12 at the line.

Portland's side of it

Ja Morant scored 14 on 6-of-14 shooting in 23 minutes before leaving in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury, per AP. Deni Avdija led the Blazers with 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Damian Lillard went 3 of 13, including 1 of 9 from three. Portland shot 12 of 49 from deep, and its 16 turnovers became 23 Memphis points, per ESPN's team stats.

Memphis at 5-0

This is the second 5-0 start in Grizzlies history, after 2014-15, per NBA.com, and four of the five wins came on the road. Houston is the only other unbeaten team left. Memphis goes home Saturday to face 0-5 Sacramento, the team Boozer shot 5 of 21 against last weekend.

Sources

• NBA.com / The Athletic, Law Murray: Grizzlies' Cameron Boozer becomes second-youngest NBA player with a triple-double: age 19 years 103 days, Giddey 19 years 84 days (Jan. 2, 2022, loss), youngest in a win, youngest frontcourt (Wembanyama 20 years 6 days), fifth game, with Robertson, Williams and Simmons, second 5-0 start in franchise history (2014-15), Houston only other unbeaten, Saturday vs. 0-5 Kings, 6-8, 250.
• NBA.com box score, Grizzlies at Trail Blazers, Oct. 29, 2026: Boozer 18-12-12 in 28 minutes, 6-10 FG, 4-5 3PT, 2 TO, plus-20, Stewart plus-18 and Spencer plus-21, along with the Memphis shooting totals.
• ESPN game summary, box score and play-by-play: quarter scores, 58-58 halftime, 10-point second-quarter stretch, assist targets and shot types, fourth-quarter window, Portland 12-49 3PT and 16 turnovers, 23 points off turnovers, MEM 32 assists on 47 FG.
• ESPN, Cameron Boozer game log: first four games shooting, rebounds and assists.
• AP, Erik Garcia Gundersen: Boozer's first triple-double leads Grizzlies past Trail Blazers: seven other Grizzlies in double figures, three off the bench, 10-0 run to 87-75, Morant 14 points, left in the fourth with a hamstring injury, Avdija 24-9-7, Lillard 3 of 13.

Figures marked "by our count" are the desk's own math from the linked box scores.