NBA Game Notes (Feb. 14, 2024)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on February 14, 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 ⭐️

Deni Avdija had a huge night, scoring a career-high 43 points and hauling in a season-high 15 rebounds in the Washington Wizards’ 133-126 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. He’s the first Wizard to record a 40-point, 15-rebound game since Moses Malone on Jan. 12, 1987 (when the franchise was known as the Washington Bullets).

Avdija also established new career highs for fields made and attempted (13-24); 3-pointers made and attempted (6-10); and free throws made and attempted (11-13). He’s averaging 23.0 PPG and 9.3 RPG in seven February games, shooting 61.5% from the field and 50.0% from 3-point range.

Second ⭐️

Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 34 points to go with nine rebounds and seven assists as the Dallas Mavericks routed the San Antonio Spurs 116-93. Irving recorded all of his points from the field, sinking 15 of his 22 attempts with four 3-pointers made. He committed just one turnover and one personal foul in a team-high 33 minutes played.

Third ⭐️

Zion Williamson tallied 36 points, eight assists, and six rebounds in the Pelicans’ victory over the Wizards, leading the team (outright or tied) in all three categories. Williamson connected on 15 of his 21 shots from the floor. It’s the 19th time he’s scored at least 30 points with 70% shooting from the field, the most such games in franchise history. The only player in NBA history to record more such games before their 24th birthday is Shaquille O’Neal with 29.