NBA Game Notes (April 2, 2024)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on April 2, 2024.

Apr 03, 2024

Three Stars

The three stars in ice hockey are the three best players in a game, with the “first star” considered the best of the three players, similar to the player of the match in other sports. Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games.

First ⭐️

Nikola Jokic produced game highs of 42 points (matching his season high) and 16 rebounds (tied with teammate Michael Porter Jr.) as the Denver Nuggets defeated the San Antonio Spurs 110-105. Jokic shot 18-32 from the floor and 5-6 from the free throw line, adding six assists and two blocks in a game-high 38 minutes played. He also helped hold Spurs rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama to 9-29 shooting from the field.

Second ⭐️

Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his 10th triple-double of the season, compiling team highs of 35 points (15-21 field goals), 15 rebounds, and 10 assists in the Milwaukee Bucks’ stunning 117-113 loss to the Washington Wizards. It’s the 12th time he’s recorded at least 30 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists in a game, tying Jokic for the third-most such games in NBA history.

Third ⭐️

Domantas Sabonis produced game highs of 22 points, 20 rebounds, nine assists, and two steals (tied with Paul George) as the Sacramento Kings beat the LA Clippers 109-95. It’s the ninth time Sabonis has recorded a 20-point, 20-rebound, 5-assist game. The only players since the ABA-NBA merger to produce more such games are Charles Barkley (19), Kevin Garnett (19), and Jokic (11).

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Milestones

The Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic recorded his 20th triple-double of the season, tallying game highs of 30 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 104-100 loss to the Golden State Warriors. He’s the third player to reach that mark in this season, joining Sabonis (26) and Jokic (23). It’s the first season in NBA history to feature three such players.
Doncic made five 3-pointers in 11 attempts, raising his season totals to 262 and 687, respectively. Both figures are franchise single-season records, breaking marks formerly held by George McCloud (1995-96).
Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama recorded his 40th double-double of the season, racking up 23 points, 15 rebounds, nine blocks, and eight assists in a loss to the Nuggets. At 20 years and 89 days old, he’s the second-youngest player in NBA history to reach that mark in a season, trailing only Dwight Howard (20 years, 75 days).
Andrew Wiggins scored a team-high 23 points in the Warriors’ win over the Mavericks, surpassing 13,000 for his career. He’s the second player from the 2014 NBA Draft class to reach that mark, joining Jokic.
Wiggins’ teammate, Klay Thompson, made two 3-pointers, increasing his career total to 2,452. He broke a tie with Kyle Korver (2,450) for sixth place on the NBA’s all-time list.
The New York Knicks’ Donte DiVincenzo scored a team-high 31 points on 11-21 shooting from the field (6-15 on 3-pointers) in a 109-99 loss to the Heat. DiVincenzo has attempted 640 3-pointers this season, breaking the franchise record of 636 set last season by Julius Randle.
DiVincenzo also swiped four steals, giving him 100 for the season. He became the first player in franchise history to record at least 200 3-pointers made and 100 steals in a season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder made 13 3-pointers in a 109-105 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, breaking the franchise record for most 3-pointers made in a season (1,005 and counting). The previous mark of 995 was set just last season.

Streaking

Sabonis extended his double-double streak to 58 games, the longest such streak in franchise history and the longest such streak since the ABA-NBA merger. The last player to record at least 58 straight double-doubles was Elvin Hayes in 1968-69 (60 in a row).
DiVincenzo has made multiple 3-pointers in each of his last 33 games, the longest such streak in Knicks history (by 12 games) and the eighth-longest such streak in NBA history.
Antetokounmpo has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 19 games. He’s averaging 31.1 PPG, 12.5 RPG, and 6.9 APG with a field goal percentage of 63.6% over that span.
Doncic has scored at least 15 points with one 3-pointer made in 66 consecutive games, the longest such streak in NBA history.
Anthony Davis had 21 points and a game-high 12 rebounds in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 128-111 win over the Toronto Raptors. Davis has recorded at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in each of his last seven games, averaging 26.3 PPG and 16.3 RPG with a field goal percentage of 57.3% over that span.
Wembanyama has recorded at least 10 points and one block in 35 straight games, the second-longest such streak by a rookie since the NBA began tracking blocks in 1973-74. The rookie record of 41 such games in a row is held by David Robinson (1989-90).
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: Golden State Warriors (five).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Toronto Raptors (14) and Utah Jazz (10).
The Raptors’ 14-game losing skid is the second-longest such streak in franchise history. The record of 17 consecutive losses was set in 1997-98, a season in which they lost a franchise-high 66 games.
The Utah Jazz have dropped 10 consecutive games for the first time since the 1981-82 season, when they lost a franchise-record 18 games in a row.

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Jokic was the night’s leading scorer, bagging a season-high-tying 42 points. He was one of five players to record a 30-point game, the others being Antetokounmpo (35), the Miami Heat’s Terry Rozier (34), DiVincenzo (31), and Doncic (30).
Sabonis was the top board man, hauling in 20 rebounds last night. Jokic (16), the Nuggets’ Michael Porter Jr. (career-high 16), Antetokounmpo (15), and Wembanyama (15) also had 15-rebound efforts.
The Wizards’ Jordan Poole was the top playmaker last night, handing out a career-high 13 assists. Five more players delivered double-digit dimes: the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Jaylin Williams (career-high 12), Doncic (11), the Spurs’ Tre Jones (11), Antetokounmpo (10), and the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson (10).
Jones recorded his third career triple-double (and first this season), scoring 10 points and grabbing a career-high 12 rebounds to go with his 11 assists.
Wembanyama recorded at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and five blocks in a game for the sixth time, the most such games by a rookie since the NBA began tracking blocks in 1973-74. The last player, rookie or veteran, to produce at least six such games in a season was Shaquille O’Neal in 2000-01 (also six).
Wembanyama became just the second player since the ABA-NBA merger to miss at least 20 field goals in a 20-point, 15-rebound, 5-block game. He joins Yao Ming, who achieved the somewhat ignominious feat on Dec. 15, 2006.
Antetokounmpo became the fourth player this season to record double-digit triple-doubles, joining Sabonis, Jokic, and Doncic. The only season in NBA history to produce more such players was the 2021-22 campaign, when five players achieved the feat.
The Lakers’ LeBron James scored 23 points on 10-12 shooting from the floor, also dishing out a game-high nine assists. James has scored 63 points with an effective field goal percentage of 96.6% over his last two games. The only players in NBA history to record a higher effective field goal percentage over a two-game span in which they averaged at least 30 PPG are Wilt Chamberlain (100.0% on Feb. 19 & 24, 1967) and Mike Miller (96.9% on Dec. 31, 2006 & Jan. 3, 2007).