NBA Game Notes (Feb. 8, 2024)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on February 8, 2024.

Nuggets Beat Lakers

The Denver Nuggets opened up a three-game road trip with a win, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 114-106. Denver has won eight of its last 10 games, and is tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves atop the Western Conference standings.

The Nuggets’ Jamal Murray scored a team-high 29 points, shooting 12-25 from the floor with five 3-pointers made. Murray also delivered a game-high 11 assists and collected seven rebounds.

The second member of Denver’s dynamic duo, Nikola Jokic, compiled 24 points, a game-high 13 rebounds, nine assists, and three blocks. Jokic has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 13 games, matching the second-longest such streak of his career. He’s averaging 28.7 PPG, 13.5 RPG, and 8.4 APG with 63/42/82 shooting splits over that span.

It’s the 33rd time Murray and Jokic have each recorded at least 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the same regular season game, nine more such games than any other duo in franchise history. They’ve done so an additional 13 times in the postseason.

Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. chipped in with 27 points and eight rebounds, going 11-20 from the field with four 3-pointers made. He played a team-high 38 minutes, committing just one turnover and one personal foul.

Anthony Davis scored a game-high 32 points for the Lakers, making 14 of his 27 field goal attempts. Davis also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds (tied with LeBron James) and recorded game highs of four blocks and three steals. It’s the 19th time he’s produced at least 30 points, three steals, and three blocks in a game, 10 more such games than the next-closest active player (James).

James tallied 25 points and a team-high seven assists to go with his nine rebounds. He has 679 career 25-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist games, more than 150 ahead of the next-closest player (Oscar Robertson). James and Robertson are the only players in NBA history to record at least 500 such games (no other player has even reached 400).

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Warriors Rout Pacers

The Golden State Warriors picked up their fifth win in the last six games, routing the Indiana Pacers 131-109. The Warriors have a point differential of +81 over that span, with three wins by 20 or more points. Their lone loss during this run came in overtime to the Atlanta Hawks.

Stephen Curry made his first seven 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 42 points. He shot 15-22 from the field, sinking 11 of his 16 shots from long range. It’s the 25th time Curry has made 10 or more 3-pointers in a game. He’s one of six players in NBA history to produce multiple such games:

• 25 — Stephen Curry

• 9 — Klay Thompson

• 5 — Damian Lillard

• 3 — JR Smith

• 3 — James Hadren

• 3 — Zach LaVine

Note that Curry’s total exceeds the combined total of the others by two games.

Curry has seven career games in which he’s scored at least 40 points with an effective field goal percentage of 90%, the most such games in NBA history. Only two other players have recorded more than two such games: teammate Klay Thompson (five) and Zach LaVine (three).

Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga scored 18 points, hitting nine of his 16 shots from the floor. It’s the 12th straight game he’s scored at least 15 points with a field goal percentage of 50%, matching the longest such streak in franchise history. Kuminga shares the record with Chris Mullin (January 1989) and David Lee (December 2012).

The Pacers’ Pascal Siakam produced team highs of 16 points (6-11 field goals) and eight rebounds. Tyrese Haliburton dished out a game-high 11 assists, but was held to just five points on 2-7 shooting from the field.

Indiana has allowed at least 130 points in a game 14 times this season, the second-most such games in the NBA (Washington Wizards, 19). The Pacers rank first in the league in points per game (124.0) and 28th in opponent points per game (122.7).

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Quick Hitters

Summarizing the rest of last night’s contests:

• Franz Wagner scored a game-high 34 points on 13-17 shooting from the field as the Orlando Magic never trailed in a 127-111 win over the San Antonio Spurs. Wagner also recorded game highs of seven rebounds and seven assists (tied with San Antonio’s Blake Wesley). Frontcourt mate Paolo Banchero chipped in with 16 points (7-12 field goals), six assists, and five rebounds. Devin Vassell led the Spurs with 30 points, making 11 of his 18 shots from the field. Vassell scored 23 of his points in the third quarter after being held scoreless in the first half (0-5 from the field). Spurs center Victor Wembanyama scored 15 points and blocked three shots, but was held to a career-low one rebound and committed a game-high five turnovers.

• The Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic compiled 39 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds, and four steals in a 122-108 victory over the New York Knicks. Doncic shot 13-24 from the field — including 7-14 from 3-point range — and made six of his seven free throws. The Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving added 16 points, six assists, and five rebounds, while Tim Hardaway Jr. came off the bench to score 19 points on 7-14 shooting from the field (5-10 on 3-pointers). Dallas forward Derrick Jones Jr. scored 18 points in 30 turnover-free minutes, going 5-7 from the field and a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line. Donte DiVincenzo paced the Knicks with 36 points, shooting 13-26 from the floor with seven 3-pointers made. Teammate Josh Hart recorded his second career triple-double (and second in 10 days), producing 23 points, a career-high 12 assists, and 10 rebounds. Hart has grabbed at least 10 rebounds in each of his last six games. The Knicks also received solid efforts from Miles McBride (career-high 21 points, six rebounds, five assists) and Precious Achiuwa (13 points, game-high 16 rebounds).

• The red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers picked up their 16th win in the last 17 games, blowing out the shorthanded Brooklyn Nets 118-95. The Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell led all scorers with 27 points (10-18 field goals), adding five rebounds, three steals, and a career-high three blocks. He’s scored at least 25 points in each of his last eight games, averaging 32.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 6.8 APG with 54/42/83 shooting splits over that span. Mitchell got help from Jarrett Allen (14 points, 10 rebounds) and Evan Mobley (14 points, game-high 12 rebounds). Mikal Bridges scored a team-high 26 points for the Nets, who suited up just nine players due to trades and injuries.

• The Minnesota Timberwolves routed the stumbling Milwaukee Bucks 129-105. The Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards scored a team-high 26 points and tied for the team lead with nine assists. Fellow starting guard Mike Conley bagged 18 points (6-7 on 3-pointers) and matched Edwards’ nine assists. Minnesota center Rudy Gobert recorded his 35th double-double of the season, scoring 16 points (8-9 field goals) and corralling a game-high 11 rebounds. The Bucks’ AJ Green led all scorers, pouring in a career-high 27 points in just 22 minutes of action. Green made nine of his 11 shots from the floor, including seven of his eight 3-point attempts. Teammate Jae Crowder scored a season-high 21 points (7-11 field goals), adding eight rebounds and five assists in 37 turnover-free minutes. Milwaukee fell to 1-5 since Doc Rivers took over as head coach.

• The Chicago Bulls rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies 118-110. Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan scored a game-high 30 points and snagged eight rebounds, sinking 11 of his 17 field goal attempts. Three more Bulls had 20-point outings: Andre Drummond (21 points, game-high 13 rebounds, 10-11 field goals), Nikola Vucevic (20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists), and Coby White (20 points, team-high eight assists, six rebounds). Chicago has gone 20-13 since falling to a season-worst nine games below .500 on November 28. Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies with 28 points (11-22 field goals), while rookie GG Jackson added a career-high 27 points (9-18 field goals) and nine rebounds. At 19 years and 53 days old, Jackson became the youngest player in NBA history to record a 25-point game coming off the bench, surpassing Kobe Bryant. Memphis forward Vince Williams Jr. tallied 13 points, a career-high 11 rebounds, eight assists, and three steals, committing just one turnover in 37 minutes played.

• Kevin Durant (31 points, 14-23 field goals) and Bradley Beal (30 points, 6-9 on 3-pointers) combined for 61 points to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 129-115 victory over the Utah Jazz, Phoenix’s 12th win in its last 15 games. Durant and Beal recorded seven assists apiece, with Durant also producing team highs of eight rebounds (tied with Jusuf Nurkic) and three steals. Teammate Grayson Allen took just four shots from the field but distributed a career-high 14 assists. Lauri Markkanen scored a team-high 22 points (8-15 field goals) for the Jazz, with frontcourt mate John Collins adding 21 points (9-15 field goals) and a game-high 14 rebounds.

• Jerami Grant scored a career-high 49 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Portland Trail Blazers fell to the Detroit Pistons 128-122 in overtime. Grant shot 14-29 from the field and 18-20 from the free throw line, also contributing eight rebounds and six assists. Portland guard Anfernee Simons scored 29 points in just 25 minutes played, while center Jabari Walker had 17 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. The Pistons’ Jalen Duren came through with a huge night, scoring a team-high 27 points (9-15 field goals, 9-10 free throws), hauling in a career-high 22 rebounds, and blocking a game-high three shots. At 20 years and 82 days old, Duren is the second-youngest player in NBA history to record a 25-point, 20-rebound game, trailing only John Drew (20 years, 47 days). Detroit’s starting backcourt of Jaden Ivey and Cade Cunningham scored 26 and 23 points, respectively, while Marcus Sasser came off the bench to score 17 points and hand out a career-high 11 assists.