NBA Game Notes (Dec. 8, 2024)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on Dec. 8, 2024.
Three Stars
The three stars in ice hockey are the three best players in a game, with the “first star” considered the best of the three players, similar to the player of the match in other sports. Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games.
First ⭐️
Nikola Jokic bagged a game-high 48 points as the Denver Nuggets routed the Atlanta Hawks 141-111, snapping Atlanta’s six-game winning streak. Jokic shot 17-29 from the field (3-6 on 3-pointers) and 11-13 from the free throw line. He added a game-high 14 rebounds, eight assists, and a team-high three steals in 35 minutes played.
Second ⭐️
Tyle Herro topped all scorers with 34 points in the Miami Heat’s 122-113 win over the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers. Herro went 10-19 from the floor (5-9 from 3-point range) and made all nine of his free throw attempts. He also dished out a game-high seven assists and grabbed six rebounds in 36 minutes of action.
Third ⭐️
Giannis Antetokounmpo produced game highs of 34 points (tied with Dennis Schroder) and 11 rebounds to the lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 118-113 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. Antetokounmpo shot 14-22 from the field and 6-10 from the charity stripe. He also blocked a game-high three shots (tied with Bobby Portis) in 38 minutes of playing time.
Milestones
Jokic became just the third player in NBA history to record at least 45 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in consecutive games, joining Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain.
Jokic has produced 104 points, 30 rebounds, and 16 assists over his last two games. He and Baylor are the only players in NBA history to record at least 100 points, 30 rebounds, and 15 assists over a two-game span.
Jokic set a Denver Nuggets record for most points scored over a two-game span with 104. He and Spencer Haywood are the only players in franchise history to record back-to-back 45-point games (Haywood did so while playing for the ABA’s Denver Rockets).
The San Antonio Spurs’ Chris Paul handed out a team-high 10 assists in a 121-116 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Paul raised his career total to 12,099 dimes, surpassing Jason Kidd (12,091) to take over second place on the NBA’s all-time list.
Paul appeared in his 1,296th regular season game, tying Mark Jackson for 24th place on the NBA’s career leaderboard.
Antetokounmpo made his 7,000th career field goal on a driving hook shot late in the third quarter, becoming the first player in Milwaukee Bucks history and the 76th player in NBA history to reach that mark.
Anthony Edwards scored a team-high 27 points with five 3-pointers made in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 114-106 loss to the Golden State Warriors. He’s made a league-leading 103 threes in just 23 games played this season. Only two players in NBA history have reached the century mark faster: Stephen Curry (six times) and James Harden.
Streaking
Antetokounmpo has scored at least 20 points on 50% shooting from the field in each of his 21 games this season. It’s the longest such streak to open a season in NBA history (by eight games) and the third-longest such streak overall, trailing only Shaquille O’Neal and Zion Williamson (25 games each).
Jokic has recorded 18 consecutive 20-point games, the second-longest such streak of his career. He’s averaging 33.2 PPG, 13.7 RPG, and 10.0 APG with 57/51/81 shooting splits over that stretch.
Jokic has produced at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists with 50% shooting from the floor in each of his last six games. That ties Antetokounmpo for the second-longest such streak in NBA history, trailing only Larry Bird (seven in a row).
Brandon Miller scored a team-high 26 points as the Charlotte Hornets halted their eight-game losing skid with a 113-109 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Miller has recorded a career-high 11 straight 20-point games, with 25 or more points in each of his last five contests. He’s averaging 27.5 PPG on 44/40/89 shooting splits over the former span.
Spurs center Victor Wembanyama tallied 25 points (9-16 field goals), 10 rebounds, and three blocks in just 26 minutes played. He’s blocked at least one shot in 58 consecutive games, the second-longest such streak in franchise history behind David Robinson’s 61-game run.
Jordan Poole made just one three in the Washington Wizards’ 140-112 blowout loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, but that was enough to extend his 3-point streak to 50 games. He’s just the second player in franchise to record at least 50 such games in a row, joining Gilbert Arenas (53).
The Chicago Bulls made 19 threes in a 108-100 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Bulls have made 10 or more 3-pointers in 25 straight games, including 15 or more in each of their last six contests. Both are the longest such streaks in franchise history.
Miscellany
Jokic was the day’s leading scorer, pouring in 48 points. He was followed by Antetokounmpo (34), Herro (34), the Nets’ Dennis Schroder (34), the Sixers’ Joel Embiid (31), the Houston Rockets’ Jalen Green (31), the Warriors’ Stephen Curry (30), the Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis (30), the Bulls’ Zach LaVine (30), and the Pacers’ T.J. McConnell (career-high 30).
The Portland Trail Blazers’ Deandre Ayton was the top board man, hauling in 19 rebounds yesterday. The Orlando Magic’s Goga Bitadze ranked second with a career-high 16 rebounds, while five players tied for third place with 14 rebounds apiece: Jokic, the Utah Jazz’s Walker Kessler, the Pelicans’ Yves Missi (matching his carer high), the Hornets’ Nick Richards, and the Wizards’ Jonas Valanciunas.
The Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey and the Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell were the leading playmakers yesterday, each distributing 14 assists (a career high for Maxey). Also delivering double-digit dimes were the Grizzlies’ Scotty Pippen Jr. (12), the Bulls’ Josh Giddey (11), the Bucks’ Damian Lillard (11), the Pelicans’ Dejounte Murray (11), Schroder (11), the Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook (11), Paul (10), and the Hawks’ Trae Young (10).
Maxey recorded his first career triple-double, scoring 25 points to go with career highs of 14 assists and 11 rebounds.
Davis compiled 30 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks, and two steals. It’s the 18th time he’s recorded at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks in a game, 13 more such games than any other active player.
The Hawks’ Dyson Daniels swiped five steals, the sixth time he’s recorded at least five thefts in a game this season. No other player has produced more than two such games this season.