NBA Game Notes (Dec. 27, 2023)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on December 27, 2023.

Dec 28, 2023

Thunder Storm Past Knicks

Behind a career-high 36 points from Jalen Williams, the Oklahoma City Thunder stormed past the New York Knicks 129-120. The Thunder improved to 20-9 on the season, moving within two games of the idle Minnesota Timberwolves for first place in the Western Conference standings.

Williams shot 13-17 from the field, making all five of his 3-point attempts. Only two players in franchise history have recorded a higher effective field goal percentage in a 35-point game:

109.4% — Dale Ellis (April 20, 1990)
92.1% — Rashard Lewis (Nov. 12, 2002)
91.2% — Lewis (Jan. 23, 2005)
91.2% — Jalen Williams (Dec. 27, 2023)

The Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander matched Williams’ 36 points, shooting 13-23 from the field and 8-9 from the free throw line. Gilgeous-Alexander also recorded team highs of eight assists and seven rebounds.

It’s the 21st time Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 30 points in a game this season, one shy of Luka Doncic’s league-leading 22 such games. He’s shot at least 50% from the field in 16 of those games, again one shy of the league leader (Giannis Antetokounmpo, 17).

Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 25 points in each of his last 10 games. He’s averaging 33.4 PPG, 6.8 APG, and 3.3 SPG over that span, with shooting percentages of 55.0% from the field and 87.1% from the free throw line.

Rookie center Chet Holmgren scored 22 points (9-14 field goals) for the Thunder, also blocking a game-high four shots. He’s averaging 17.5 PPG, 7.8 RPG, and 2.7 BPG this season, with 53/37/84 shooting splits.

The Knicks’ Julius Randle scored a team-high 25 points and snagged a game-high nine rebounds (tied), while teammate Jalen Brunson scored 24 points and handed out a team-high seven assists. It’s the 20th time Randle and Brunson have each scored at least 20 points in the same game this season, the second-most such games by a duo (Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, 21).

Immanuel Quickley came off the bench to score 20 points for the Knicks, sinking seven of his 10 shots from the floor. Since the NBA began tracking starters in 1970-71, only one other Knick has come off the bench to record back-to-back 20-point games on 70% shooting from the field: Derrick Rose (May 2 & 3, 2021).

Cavs Rally, Stun Mavs

Trailing by nine points midway through the fourth quarter, the Cleveland Cavaliers went on a 15-0 run to stun the Dallas Mavericks 113-110. The Cavaliers — who have won five of their past six games — trailed by as many as 20 points in the second quarter.

Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen had a big night, scoring 24 points, hauling in a game-high 23 rebounds, and distributing six assists. He became the first player in franchise history to record at least 20 points, 20 rebounds, and five assists in a game.

Caris LeVert came off the bench to record team highs of 29 points and seven assists (tied) for the Cavaliers, making six of his 11 attempts from 3-point range. Teammate Craig Porter Jr. produced career highs of 12 rebounds and three steals, matching LeVert’s team-leading seven assists.

The Mavericks’ Luka Doncic scored a game-high 39 points, also producing team highs of seven rebounds and six assists (tied). Doncic has scored at least 25 points in each of his last 18 games, breaking a tie with himself for the longest such streak in franchise history.

Doncic has recorded at least 25 points, five rebounds, and five assists in 13 consecutive games, tied for the longest such streak in franchise history (matching himself, once again). It’s also tied for the longest such streak in NBA history by a player not named Oscar Robertson. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also recorded 13 such games in a row from Nov. 11 to Dec. 6, 1972.

Doncic is averaging 33.7 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 9.2 APG in 29 games this season. He leads the NBA in 30-point games with 22, and has recorded at least 30 points, five rebounds, and five assists 20 times, five more such games than any other player.

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Quick Hitters

Other notable items from last night’s games:

Scottie Barnes compiled 20 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, three steals, and two blocks as the Toronto Raptors routed the Washington Wizards 132-102. The Raptors’ OG Anunoby scored a game-high 26 points on 11-16 shooting from the field, while Pascal Siakam contributed 22 points, 11 assists, and six rebounds. It’s the 14th time the Wizards have allowed at least 130 points in a game this season, the second-highest such total in NBA history through a team’s first 30 games of a season (1990-91 Denver Nuggets, 19).
Tyrese Maxey (23 points), Tobias Harris (22), and De’Anthony Melton (22) each recorded a 20-point game as the Philadelphia 76ers easily handled the Orlando Magic 112-92. Sixers center Paul Reed — starting in place of the injured Joel Embiid — scored 15 points with a game-high 10 rebounds and three blocks. Franz Wagner scored a game-high 24 points for the Magic, shooting 8-16 from the field and 7-8 from the free throw line. Teammate Paolo Banchero had 19 points and a team-high nine rebounds, but misfired on 15 of his 21 attempts from the field.
The Milwaukee Bucks blasted the shorthanded Brooklyn Nets 144-122, improving to 10-2 in the month of December. Milwaukee is averaging 132.5 PPG in those games, the highest such figure in franchise history over a 12-game span. The Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo produced game highs of 32 points and 10 rebounds (tied) with eight assists, making 10 of his 12 shots from the floor. Teammate Khris Middleton added 27 points on 11-18 shooting from the field, also dishing out a game-high 10 assists. Jalen Wilson recorded career highs of 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Nets, who rested usual starters Cameron Johnson, Nic Claxton, and Spencer Dinwiddie as well as key reserve Dorian Finney-Smith.
Kevin Durant recorded his 18th career triple-double, tallying 27 points, 16 assists (matching his career high), and 10 rebounds in a 129-113 win over the Houston Rockets. At 35 years and 89 days old, Durant is the oldest player in NBA history to record at least 25 points, 15 assists, and 10 rebounds in a game. The Suns’ Eric Gordon matched Durant’s 27 points, shooting 10-15 from the field with seven 3-pointers made. Alperen Sengun scored a team-high 24 points on 9-18 shooting from the floor for the Rockets, while Jalen Green added 23 points, making six of his 12 attempts from 3-point range.