NBA Game Notes (Feb. 13, 2024)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on February 13, 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 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 ⭐️
Domantas Sabonis became the 11th player in NBA history to reach 50 career triple-doubles, scoring 35 points to go with game highs of 18 rebounds, 12 assists, and three blocks in the Sacramento Kings’ 130-125 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
Sabonis made 14 of his 22 attempts from the floor (63.6%). It’s the second time he’s recorded at least 35 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists in a game with 60% shooting from the field. He’s the fifth player in NBA history with multiple such games, joining Wilt Chamberlain (10), Giannis Antetokounmpo (four), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (three), and Nikola Jokic (three).
Sabonis leads the NBA with 18 triple-doubles this season. He’s recorded five triple-doubles in his last six games, including the last three in a row. The only other player in franchise history to produce five triple-doubles in a six-game span is Oscar Robertson (multiple times).
Second ⭐️
Jayson Tatum produced game highs of 41 points and 14 rebounds to go with five assists in the Boston Celtics’ 118-110 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. Tatum shot 14-26 from the field — including 5-11 from 3-point range — and made all eight of his free throws.
Tatum has 25 career 40-point games, the second-most such games in franchise history behind Larry Bird with 47. Tatum has nine career 40-point, 10-rebound games, also second in franchise history to Bird’s 29.
Third ⭐️
Anthony Edwards led all scorers with 41 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves downed the Portland Trail Blazers 121-109 to maintain a one-game lead at the top of the Western Conference standings. Edwards went 16-27 from the field (including 4-8 on 3-pointers) and hit all five of his free throws. He now has eight career 40-point games, tying Andrew Wiggins for the third-most such games in franchise history.
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Milestones
As mentioned earlier, Sabonis became the 11th player in NBA history to reach 50 career triple-doubles. He’s both the fifth-fastest (547 games) and the fifth-youngest (27 years, 286 days) player to attain that milestone.
Nets center Nic Claxton blocked his 100th shot of the season, the second straight season he’s reached that mark. He ranks eighth in the NBA in blocks (100) and sixth in blocks per game (2.3) this season.
Streaking
Sabonis extended his career-long double-double streak to 36 games. It’s the second-longest such streak in franchise history (Jerry Lucas, 55) and tied for the sixth-longest such streak since the ABA-NBA merger. Over that span, Sabonis is averaging 20.8 PPG, 14.0 RPG, and 9.0 APG with a field goal percentage of 63.8%. The only other player in NBA history to record at least 750 points, 500 rebounds, and 325 assists over a 36-game span is Wilt Chamberlain.
LeBron James had a game-high 25 points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 125-111 win over the Detroit Pistons, the 1200th consecutive regular season game in which he’s scored in double figures. That’s the longest such streak in NBA history by a whopping 334 games (Michael Jordan, 866).
James has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 13 games. No other player in NBA history has recorded more than five such games in a row after their 39th birthday. Over those 13 games, James is averaging 25.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 8.2 APG with shooting percentages of 51.7% from the field and 41.5% from 3-point range.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ Damian Lillard has now made at least one 3-pointer in each of his last 128 games, breaking a tie with Kyle Korver for the third-longest such streak in NBA history. Stephen Curry occupies the top two spots with streaks of 268 and 157 games.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Orlando Magic 127-113, his 14th straight 20-point game. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31.4 PPG and 7.2 APG with 53/54/86 shooting splits during the streak.
Tatum has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 11 games. He’s averaging 29.4 PPG, 9.5 RPG, and 5.8 APG with 51/37/88 shooting splits over that stretch.
Teams with winning streaks of five or more games: Boston Celtics (five).
Teams with losing streaks of five or more games: Portland Trail Blazers (five).
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Miscellany
Tatum and Edwards led all players with 41 points apiece last night. Other 30-point scorers were De’Aaron Fox (40), Sabonis (35), Jalen Williams (33), and Gilgeous-Alexander (32).
Sabonis’ 18 rebounds were the most by any player last night. Deandre Ayton (16) and Rudy Gobert (15) also had 15-rebound efforts.
Sabonis and Jrue Holiday tied for the night’s lead in assists with 12 each. They were followed by Bam Adebayo (11) and Paolo Banchero (10).
Adebayo recorded his seventh career triple-double in the Miami Heat’s 123-97 rout of the Bucks. Adebayo scored 16 points, grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds, and matched his career high with 11 assists. He ranks third in franchise history in triple-doubles, trailing only Jimmy Butler (12) and LeBron James (nine).
Sacramento’s Fox tallied nine rebounds, six assists, and three steals to go with his 40 points. He and Sabonis are the first Kings duo to each record at least 35 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the same game since Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas on Nov. 23, 1965 (when the franchise was known as the Cincinnati Royals).
Fox made just 14 of his 31 field goal attempts (45.2%). The last King to record a 40-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist game with a field goal percentage less than 50% was Nate Archibald on Jan. 21, 1975.
Lakers center Anthony Davis recorded 20 points, 14 rebounds, and six blocks, his 45th career game with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks. That’s a whopping 35 more such games than any other active player (Brook Lopez, 10).
Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert posted 16 points and 15 rebound, sinking seven of his 10 shots from the floor. It’s the 71st time he’s recorded a 15-point, 15-rebound game with a field goal percentage of 70%, the second-most such games in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain.