NBA Game Notes (Dec. 29, 2023)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on December 29, 2023.

Bucks Rally, Beat Cavs

Giannis Antetokounmpo produced game highs of 34 points (tied) and 16 rebounds to go with six assists as the Milwaukee Bucks rallied to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 119-111. The Bucks trailed by as many as 15 points midway through the second quarter, but outscored the Cavaliers 40-21 in the third period to take control of the game. Milwaukee has won nine of its last 10 games, averaging 131.2 PPG over that span.

Antetokounmpo shot 14-22 from the floor and hit six of his seven free throws. It’s the 11th time he’s recorded a 30-point, 10-rebound game with 60% shooting from the field this season, as many games as the next two closest players combined: Joel Embiid (six) and Nikola Jokic (five). Antetokounmpo has 79 such games for his career, the fifth-highest such total since the ABA-NBA merger:

• 142 — Shaquille O’Neal

• 131 — Karl Malone

• 109 — Charles Barkley

• 84 — Moses Malone

• 79 — Giannis Antetokounmpo

Teammate Damian Lillard scored 31 points, going 9-16 from the field and a perfect 11-11 from the free throw line. Lillard now has 57 career games in which he’s made at least 10 free throws without a miss, the seventh-most such games in NBA history.

Antetokounmpo and Lillard have each scored at least 30 points in the same game five times this season, the second-most such games in a season by a duo in franchise history. The record of six such games was set by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Flynn Robinson in 1969-70.

The Bucks’ Khris Middleton recorded his second straight double-double, scoring 13 points with a game-high 11 assists and three steals. It’s just the second time in his career Middleton has recorded at least 10 assists in back-to-back games (Feb. 8 & 10, 2021).

Bucks center Brook Lopez grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked a game-high six shots, his 68th career game with at least five blocks. The only active player with more such games is Anthony Davis with 75.

The Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell returned from a four-game absence to match Antetokounmpo’s game-high 34 points, connecting on 14 of his 23 shots from the floor. He also dished out a team-high nine assists and snagged six rebounds.

Center Jarrett Allen had another big night for the Cavaliers, tallying a career-high 30 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists. Allen was remarkably efficient from the field, sinking 15 of his 17 attempts. Over his last seven games, Allen is averaging 19.9 PPG and 12.4 RPG with a field goal percentage of 70.6%.