NBA Game Notes (Feb. 12, 2024)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on February 12, 2024.

Note: Writing up recaps for every game was getting a little tedious, so I’m going to try something a little different with the format for the rest of this week. Please let me know in the comments what you think about the changes. Thank you as always for your support.

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 ⭐️

Victory Wembanyama recorded his second career triple-double in the San Antonio Spurs’ 122-99 rout of the Toronto Raptors, compiling 27 points, 14 rebounds, 10 blocks, and five assists in just 29 minutes of action.

Since the NBA began tracking blocks in 1973-74, Wembanyama is just the the fifth player to record at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, 10 blocks, and five assists in a game (a total of eight instances):

• Hakeem Olajuwon (four times)

• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Nov. 2, 1975)

• Ralph Sampson (Dec. 9, 1983)

• David Robinson (Feb. 17, 1994)

• Victor Wembanyama (Feb. 12, 2024)

At 20 years and 39 days old, Wembanyama is the youngest player to accomplish the feat by 1,043 days. He’s also the only player to do so while logging fewer than 30 minutes played.

Wembanyama shot 10-14 from the field (71.4%) with two 3-pointers made, the highest field goal percentage he’s ever recorded in a game. He’s just the second player to block at least 10 shots and make multiple 3-pointers in the same game, joining Manute Bol (March 10, 1989).

Second ⭐️

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 36 points on 14-19 shooting from the floor, adding 18 rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocks in the Milwaukee Bucks’ 112-95 victory over the Denver Nuggets.

It’s the 155th game in which Antetokounmpo has been his team’s leader — either outright or tied — in points, rebounds, and assists. The only players in NBA history with more such games are LeBron James (232) and Nikola Jokic (163).

Antetokounmpo — who played just 30 minutes — has six career games in which he’s recorded at least 30 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists in 30 or fewer minutes played, one more such game than all other players combined since the ABA-NBA merger. The only other player over that span to record even two such games is Joel Embiid.

Third ⭐️

Luka Doncic tallied 26 points, 15 assists, and 11 rebounds as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Washington Wizards 112-104. It’s the 14th time Doncic has recorded at least 25 points, 15 assists, and 10 rebounds in a game, breaking a tie with Magic Johnson for the third-most such games in NBA history.

Over his last 14 games, Doncic is averaging 35.9 PPG, 10.1 RPG, and 10.2 APG. He’s just the third player in NBA history to average a 35-point triple-double over a 14-game span, joining Oscar Robertson (multiple non-overlapping spans) and Russell Westbrook (Feb. 9–March 14, 2017).

If you are a free subscriber who is enjoying these posts, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. This newsletter is produced by a team of one, but provides more “NBA statistical goodness” (Marc Stein) than most, if not all, major media outlets. Sign up using the special link below and you’ll get 25% off your first 12 months.

Milestones

• Wembanyama recorded his 150th block of the season. He’s the youngest player to reach that mark since the NBA began tracking blocks in 1973-74. Wembanyama is the 24th rookie in the 3-point era to block at least 150 shots in a season. He’s made 43 more 3-pointers (75) than the other 23 players combined (32).

• Doncic recorded his 10th triple-double of the season, the fifth straight season he’s reached that mark. The only players in NBA history with a longer such streak are Nikola Jokic (seven seasons) and  Oscar Robertson (six). It was also Doncic’s 30th double-double of the season, the fourth time in the last five seasons he’s reached that mark.

• The Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton notched his 30th double-double of the season, scoring 13 points and dishing out 12 assists in a loss to the Charlotte Hornets. He became the first guard in franchise history to record at least 30 double-doubles in back-to-back seasons.

---

Streaking

• Stephen Curry hit seven 3-pointers as the Golden State Warriors blew out the Utah Jazz 129-107. Curry has made at least seven 3-pointers in three straight games, matching the longest such streak in NBA history. There have been 10 instances of a player making at least seven 3-pointers in three consecutive games. Curry accounts for half of them; no other player has done so more than once.

• The Bucks’ Damian Lillard has made at least one 3-pointer in each of his last 127 games, tying Kyle Korver for the third-longest such streak in NBA history. The aforementioned Curry occupies the top two spots with streaks of 268 and 157 games.

• Nikola Jokic had team highs of 29 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists in the Nuggets’ loss to the Bucks, his 15th consecutive 20-point game. It’s the second-longest such streak of his career, trailing only a 21-game run that spanned the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. Jokic is averaging 28.3 PPG, 13.0 RPG, and 8.3 APG with 61/44/80 shooting splits over this stretch.

• The 6-foot-4-inch Josh Hart collected 11 rebounds in the New York Knicks’ 105-103 loss to the Houston Rockets, his eighth straight game with at least 10 boards. The only other player since the ABA-NBA merger with a listed height of 6-feet-5-inches or shorter to record at least eight such games in a row is Russell Westbrook (two 17-game streaks and two nine-game streaks).

• Hart’s teammate, Jalen Brunson, scored 27 points, his 14th straight 20-point game (including 25 or more in each of his last eight games). Brunson is averaging 32.9 PPG with 51/35/84 shooting splits over that 14-game span.

• Teams with winning streaks of five or more games: Dallas Mavericks (five) and Golden State Warriors (five).

• Teams with losing streaks of five or more games: Memphis Grizzlies (nine) and Washington Wizards (seven).

Do you have a friend or family member who loves the NBA as much as you do? Please consider sharing this free post with them.

Miscellany

• The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell and Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 36 points apiece last night. They were the only players to record a 30-point game.

• Antetokounmpo led all players with 18 rebounds last night. Dallas’ Daniel Gafford and New York’s Precious Achiuwa also had 15-rebound outings, grabbing 17 boards each.

• The Wizards’ Tyus Jones recorded a career-high 16 assists, the most by any player last night. Doncic (15 assists), Trae Young (14), Haliburton (12), Curry (10), and Tre Jones (10) also posted 10-assist games.

• Ayo Dosunmu scored a career-high 29 points in the Chicago Bulls’ 136-128 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Dosunmu shot 12-18 from the field, including 5-7 from 3-point range. He established a new career high for field goals made and matched his career highs for field goals attempted and 3-pointers made.

• Gafford tied his career high with 17 rebounds, adding 16 points and five blocks in only 24 minutes of action. He’s just the third player in the last 40 seasons to record at least 15 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks in 25 or fewer minutes played, joining Dwight Howard (Nov. 3, 2010) and Hassan Whiteside (Feb. 15, 2021).

• Rockets rookie Amen Thompson produced 13 rebounds, five assists, and five steals. He’s the only Houston rookie to record at least 10 rebounds, five assists, and five steals in a game since the NBA began tracking steals in 1973-74. Leaguewide, the last rookie to record such a game was Lonzo Ball on Jan. 9, 2018.