NBA Game Notes (Dec. 13, 2023)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on December 13, 2023.

Historic Night for Giannis

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a career-high and franchise-record 64 points as the Milwaukee Bucks outscored the Indiana Pacers 140-126. Antetokounmpo also set franchise single-game marks for free throws made (24) and attempted (32).

Antetokounmpo scored 43 of his points in the second half, including 26 in the fourth quarter. He went 14-20 from the free throw line in the final period, becoming the fourth player in NBA history to attempt at least 20 free throws in a single quarter. Antetokounmpo also recorded game highs of 14 rebounds and four steals.

Antetokounmpo shot 20-28 from the field and 24-32 from the free throw line. No player in NBA history has scored more points in a game in which he attempted fewer than 30 shots from the field:

• 64 — Giannis Antetokounmpo (Dec. 13, 2023)

• 61 — Karl Malone (Jan. 27, 1990)

• 60 — James Haren (Nov. 30, 2019)

• 60 — Damian Lillard (Jan. 25, 2023)

Antetokounmpo became just the fifth player in NBA history to make at least 20 field goals and 20 free throws in a game:

• Wilt Chamberlain (March 2, 1962)

• Michael Jordan (March 28, 1990)

• Devin Booker (March 24, 2017)

• Donovan Mitchell (Jan. 2, 2023)

• Giannis Antetokounmpo (Dec. 13, 2023)

Antetokounmpo is also the fifth player in NBA history to score at least 60 points on 70% shooting from the field (a total of eight instances):

• Wilt Chamberlain (four times)

• David Thompson (April 9, 1978)

• Karl Malone (Jan. 27, 1990)

• Damian Lillard (Jan. 25, 2023)

• Giannis Antetokounmpo (Dec. 13, 2023)

Antetokounmpo has scored at least 30 points on 65% shooting from the field in each of his last five games:

• 32 PTS, 14-20 FG (70.0%)

• 35 PTS, 15-22 FG (68.2%)

• 37 PTS, 13-19 FG (68.4%)

• 32 PTS, 9-13 FG (69.2%)

• 64 PTS, 20-28 FG (71.4%)

He’s the first player in NBA history to record five such games in a row. Over that span, Antetokounmpo is averaging 40.0 PPG, 11.0 RPG, and 6.2 APG with a field goal percentage of 69.6%.

Teammate Damian Lillard scored 21 points and made two 3-pointers. His second make from long range was the 2,451st of his career, passing Kyle Korver and moving into fifth place on the NBA’s all-time list.

Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner scored 22 points apiece to lead the Pacers. Haliburton also dished out seven assists, while Turner snagged a team-high nine rebounds.

The Pacers have scored at least 120 points 18 times this season, matching the 1990-91 Denver Nuggets for the most such games in NBA history through a team’s first 22 games of a season. Their scoring average of 128.4 PPG is second only to the 1990-91 Nuggets (129.0) through 22 contests.

On the flip side, the Pacers have allowed an average of 126.3 PPG this season, the second-worst such figure in NBA history through 22 games. The only team to allow a higher opponent scoring average through their first 22 games of a season is (you guessed it) the 1990-91 Nuggets at 138.4 PPG.