NBA Game Notes (Dec. 11, 2022)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on December 11, 2022.
53-Point Process
Joel Embiid scored 53 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to power the Sixers to a 131-113 win over the Hornets. Embiid is the first player to record multiple 50-point games this season and the first center to do so since David Robinson in 1993-94.
Embiid shot 20-32 from the field (62.5%) and made all 11 of his free throws. Embiid is just the third player in franchise history to make at least 20 field goals and 10 free throws in a game (a total of seven instances):
Wilt Chamberlain (4 times)
Allen Iverson (2 times)
Joel Embiid
It’s the fourth time Embiid has recorded a 50-point, 10-rebound game with a field goal percentage of at least 60%. Only three players in NBA history have recorded more such games:
37 — Wilt Chamberlain
7 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
6 — Michael Jordan
4 — Joel Embiid
4 — Bob McAdoo
James Harden scored 19 points and dished out 16 assists. It’s the 30th time he’s recorded at least 15 points and 15 assists in a game. The only other active players with 30 such games are Chris Paul (78) and Russell Westbrook (56).
Brow Wows
Anthony Davis continued his incredible run, recording 34 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists as the Lakers took care of the Pistons 124-117. Davis made 12 of his 18 shots from the field (66.7%) and 10 of his 12 free throws (83.3%).
Davis has recorded at least 25 points and 10 rebounds with 60% shooting from the field in 10 of his last 12 games. He’s the only player in NBA history to produce 10 such games in a 12-game span.
Davis surpassed 15,000 career points in the second quarter. He’s one of only three active players to reach career totals of 15,000 points and 1,000 blocks. The others are teammate LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
Speaking of James, he scored a team-high 35 points and added five rebounds and five assists. James shot 14-24 from the field (58.3%), made all five of his free throws, and committed just one turnover.
Davis and James are the first Lakers duo to each record at least 30 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the same game since Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant on Feb. 18, 2004.
The Pistons’ Bojan Bogdanovic scored a game-high 38 points in the loss. He shot 12-22 from the field — including 6-12 from 3-point range — and made all eight of his free throws. Bogdanovic is averaging a career-high 21.0 PPG, shooting 50.8% from the field, 43.7% from 3-point range, and 89.1% from the free throw line.
Franchise First for Zion
Zion Williamson scored a game-high 35 points on 14-21 shooting from the field (66.7%) to propel the Pelicans to a 129-124 overtime win over the Suns. The Pelicans have won seven consecutive games and sit on top of the Western Conference with a record of 18-8.
Williamson became the first player in franchise history to score at least 35 points with an effective field goal percentage of 70% in back-to-back games. Over the Pelicans’ seven-game winning streak, Williamson is averaging 30.0 PPG, 9.1 RPG, and 5.3 APG while shooting 66.9% from the field. He’s recorded more steals (11) than personal fouls (10) over that span.
Deandre Ayton had 28 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists in the loss, making 13 of his 18 shots from the field (72.2%). Ayton and Amar’e Stoudemire are the only players in franchise history to record consecutive 25-point, 10-rebound games with a field goal percentage of at least 70%, and Ayton is the only Sun to do so twice.
Over his last 10 games, Ayton is averaging 21.8 PPG and 11.6 RPG with a field goal percentage of 70.2%. He’s one of only seven players since the ABA-NBA merger to average at least 20 PPG and 10 RPG with 70% shooting from the field over a 10-game span:
Cedric Maxwell
Artis Gilmore
Dwight Howard
Clint Capela
Rudy Gobert
Jarrett Allen
Deandre Ayton
Banchero Ties Shaq
Rookie Paolo Banchero tallied 20 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists as the Magic defeated the Raptors 111-99, their third straight win after dropping nine games in a row. The Magic did not record three consecutive wins at any point last season.
It’s the third time Banchero has recorded at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in a game, tying Shaquille O’Neal (1992-93) for the most such games in franchise history by a rookie. Leaguewide, no other rookie has recorded even one such game this season.
Teammate Franz Wagner scored a team-high 23 points. Wagner and Banchero have each scored at least 20 points in the same game nine times this season. No other duo made up of first or second-year players has recorded more than four such games this season.
Mo Bamba came off the bench to score 18 points, grab nine rebounds, and block two shots for the Magic. He made all six of his shots from the field, including two 3-pointers.
Young Rockets Stun Bucks
Jalen Green scored a game-high 30 points as the Rockets stunned the Bucks 97-92. Green also snagged seven rebounds and shot 12-21 from the field (57.1%) with three 3-pointers.
Green has recorded 562 points, 105 rebounds, and 100 assists through 26 games this season. Only four 20-year-olds in NBA history have reached 500 points, 100 rebounds, and 100 assists in fewer games:
LeBron James
Tyreke Evans
Luka Doncic
LaMelo Ball
Teammate Jabari Smith Jr. scored just six points on 1-9 shooting from the field, but recorded team highs in rebounds (10) and steals (3). Smith Jr. has season totals of 301 points and 176 rebounds. Only two other teenagers in NBA history have recorded at least 300 points and 175 rebounds through their first 25 games: Anthony Davis (2012-13) and Jahlil Okafor (2015-16).
The Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo had 16 points and 18 rebounds in the loss. He reached 15,000 career points in the second quarter. He’s one of four active players with career totals of at least 15,000 points, 6,000 rebounds, and 3,000 assists:
LeBron James
Russell Westbrook
Kevin Durant
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Hawks Steal Win
Rookie AJ Griffin threw in a wild six-footer off an alley-oop pass with time expiring as the Hawks stole an overtime win over the Bulls, 123-122. It’s the second time this season Griffin has converted an overtime buzzer-beater, the first coming on Nov. 19 versus the Raptors.
The Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic came off the bench to score a team-high 28 points — including six 3-pointers made — and added seven rebounds and five assists. Bogdanovic is the first player in franchise history to score at least 25 points with five 3-pointers made in consecutive games coming off the bench.
Teammate Trae Young struggled from the field — making just five of his 18 shots — but scored 19 points and dished out 14 assists. Young has 140 career points-assists double-doubles, the most such games in franchise history. Doc Rivers is a distant second with 112 such games.
The Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan had 34 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists in the loss, making 14 of his 15 free throw attempts. It’s the 93rd time DeRozan has made at least 10 free throws with a free throw percentage of 90%, the third-most such games among active players:
138 — James Harden
137 — Kevin Durant
93 — DeMar DeRozan
74 — Damian Lillard
53 — LeBron James