NBA Game Notes (Dec. 16, 2022)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on December 16, 2022.
Sabonis On Historic Tear
Domantas Sabonis had 23 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and two steals as the Kings beat the Pistons 122-113. Sabonis continued his hot shooting, making nine of his 11 shots from the field (81.8%).
Sabonis has recorded at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists with 75% shooting from the field in each of his last three games. The last NBA player to produce three such games in a row was Wilt Chamberlain in February 1967.
Sabonis has recorded four straight 20-point, 10-rebound games with 70% shooting from the field. Over the last 50 NBA seasons, he’s one of only three players to produce four such games in a row:
Alonzo Mourning (Feb. 5, 1997–Feb. 15, 1997)
Rudy Gobert (Jan. 18, 2020–Jan. 25, 2020)
Domantas Sabonis (Dec. 11, 2022–Dec. 16, 2022)
The Pistons’ Jalen Duren had 15 points and 14 rebounds in the loss. The 19-year-old Duren has grabbed at least 12 rebounds in each of his last five games, tying Dwight Howard for the longest such streak in NBA history by a teenager.
Luka Being Luka
Luka Doncic tallied 33 points, nine assists, and six rebounds as the Mavericks blew out the Trail Blazers 130-110. Doncic shot 11-18 from the field — including 5-9 from 3-point range — and made six of his seven free throws.
It’s the 20th time Doncic has recorded at least 30 points, five rebounds, and five assists in a game this season. He’s the fastest player in NBA history to produce 20 such games in a season (27 games).
Doncic has scored at least 20 points with five assists in each of his 27 games this season, the longest such streak to open a season in NBA history. Dating back to last season, he’s recorded 36 such games in a row. Only Oscar Robertson and Nate Archibald have produced a longer such streak.
Teammate Christian Wood scored 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds off the bench, shooting 11-17 from the field (64.7%). He’s just the third player in franchise history to record a 30-point, 10-rebound game coming off the bench (a total of four instances):
Jay Vincent (March 19, 1985)
Vincent (Feb. 24, 1986)
Chris Gatling (Nov. 29, 1996)
Christian Wood (Dec. 16, 2022)
It’s the seventh time Wood has come off the bench to score at least 25 points this season, three more such games than any other player.
Lakers Handle Nuggets
LeBron James scored a game-high 30 points on 13-20 shooting from the field as the Lakers handled the Nuggets 126-108. The 37-year-old James has recorded three straight 30-point games with an effective field goal percentage of at least 60%. He’s the oldest player in NBA history to record three such games in a row.
Teammate Russell Westbrook came off the bench to record his 196th career triple-double, compiling 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists. It’s Westbrook’s second triple-double coming off the bench this season. Since the NBA began tracking starters in 1970-71, only two other players have recorded multiple triple-doubles coming off the bench in a season: Clyde Drexler (1985-86) and Evan Turner (2018-19), both of whom had two such games.
The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic had 25 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, and four steals in the loss. Jokic has season totals of 615 points, 257 rebounds, and 225 assists. He’s the only center in NBA history to record at least 600 points, 200 rebounds, and 200 assists through his first 25 games of a season. Jokic has now done so twice, the first occurrence coming in 2020-21.
Magic Stun Celtics
Rookie Paolo Banchero had 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists as the Magic stunned the Celtics 117-109, the Magic’s fifth straight win. Banchero has recorded at least 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists in each of his last three games, tying Anfernee Hardaway for the longest such streak in franchise history by a rookie.
The 20-year-old Banchero has scored at least 20 points with five rebounds in each of his last six games. Only two players in NBA history have recorded at least six such games in a row at a younger age: Carmelo Anthony (2003-04) and LeBron James (2004-05).
Frontcourt mate Moritz Wagner scored a team-high 25 points and snagged eight rebounds in just 23 minutes played. Wagner shot 9-12 from the field and made all six of his free throws. Only two players in franchise history have recorded a 25-point game in fewer minutes played:
21 — Pat Garrity (Nov. 10, 1999)
22 — Tracy McGrady (Jan. 13, 2001)
The Celtics’ Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown scored 31 and 26 points, respectively, in the loss. It’s the 16th time they’ve each scored at least 25 points in the same game this season, six more such games than any other duo.
Irving Beats Buzzer
Kyrie Irving hit a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer as the Nets beat the Raptors 119-116 for their fifth consecutive victory. Irving scored a team-high 32 points and dished out five assists, shooting 13-22 from the field.
Teammate Kevin Durant scored 28 points, shooting 10-15 shooting from the field and making all six of his free throws. Durant has scored at least 25 points 26 times this season, the most such games in the NBA:
26 — Kevin Durant
23 — Jayson Tatum
22 — Luka Doncic
22 — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The Raptors’ Fred VanVleet scored a game-high 39 points in the loss. VanVleet has recorded back-to-back 35-point games for the first time in his career.
Appearing in his 100th career game, Scottie Barnes scored 26 points for the Raptors. Barnes is the third player in franchise history to score at least 1,500 points in the first 100 games of his career:
2,147 — Vince Carter
1,919 — Damon Stoudamire
1,521 — Scottie Barnes
Barnes has also recorded 735 rebounds, 153 more than Carter and 326 more than Stoudamire.
Embiid, Harden Lead Sixers
Joel Embiid scored 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds — both figures game highs — as the Sixers defeated the Warriors 118-106. It’s Embiid’s ninth 30-point, 10-rebound game this season, tied for the second-most such games in the NBA:
10 — Giannis Antetokounmpo
9 — Joel Embiid
9 — Anthony Davis
8 — Luka Doncic
7 — Nikola Jokic
Embiid has scored at least 30 points in each of his last six games — matching the second-longest such streak of his career — and in 11 of his last 12 games. Embiid and Allen Iverson are the only players in franchise history to record 11 such games in a 12-game span. They each had two non-overlapping spans in which they did this.
Teammate James Harden scored 27 points and handed out nine assists. Harden has totals of 163 points and 86 assists over his last seven games. The last Sixer to record at least 160 points and 80 assists over a seven-game span was Wilt Chamberlain in March 1968.
Cavs Rally, Beat Pacers
Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 41 points as the Cavaliers outscored the Pacers by 17 points in the fourth quarter to pull out a 118-112 win. Mitchell made 14 of his 24 shots from the field, including eight 3-pointers.
It’s the third time Mitchell has made at least eight 3-pointers in a game this season, the most such games in the NBA. The only other player in franchise history to record three such games in a season is JR Smith (2014-15).
Mitchell has scored 771 points in 26 games this season. The only player in franchise history to reach 750 points in fewer games is LeBron James, who did so in 25 games in 2005-06.
The Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton struggled from 3-point range — missing all eight of his attempts — but scored 17 points and dished out a game-high 14 assists. It’s the 19th time Haliburton has recorded at least 10 assists in a game this season, five more such games than any other player:
19 — Tyrese Haliburton
14 — Trae Young
11 — Luka Doncic
9 — Nikola Jokic
9 — Russell Westbrook
Although he didn’t make a 3-pointer, Haliburton shot a perfect 5-5 from 2-point range and 7-7 from the free throw line.