NBA Game Notes (Jan. 12, 2023)
NBA Game Notes (Jan. 12, 2023)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on January 12, 2023.
Thunder Clap Sixers
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 37 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder stunned the Philadelphia 76ers 133-114. It’s just the Thunder’s sixth win in 20 road games this season.
Gilgeous-Alexander also contributed eight rebounds and six assists, shooting 10-16 from the field (62.5%) and making all 16 of his free throws. It’s the 19th time he’s made at least 10 free throws in a game this season, the most such games in the NBA.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s Game Score was 37.4, the 18th time he’s posted a figure of 25.0 or higher this season. The only player in the NBA with more such games is Luka Doncic (27).
The Sixers’ Joel Embiid had 30 points and 10 rebounds in the loss, making 10 of his 17 shots from the field (58.8%) and all 10 of his free throw attempts. Embiid has recorded three straight 30-point, 10-rebound games with a free throw percentage of 100%. The only other player in NBA history to record three such games in a row is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (March 25, 1975–March 30, 1975).
Teammate James Harden tallied 24 points, 15 assists, and six rebounds. It’s the sixth time Harden has dished out at least 15 assists in a game this season, breaking a tie with Wilt Chamberlain (1967-68) and Maurice Cheeks (1987-88) for the most such games in a season in franchise history.
Harden — who shot 5-10 from 3-point range — has recorded at least 15 assists with five 3-pointers made 11 times in his career, five more such games than any other player in NBA history:
11 — James Harden
6 — Stephen Curry
4 — Luka Doncic
3 — Tim Hardaway
A Brief Interlude
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Mavs Outlast Lakers
The Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic recorded his 10th triple-double of the season, compiling 35 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists in a thrilling 119-115 double-overtime win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Doncic made a game-tying 3-pointer with just 6.0 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to force overtime.
Doncic has nine 30-point triple-doubles this season, three more such games than all other players combined:
9 — Luka Doncic
4 — Nikola Jokic
1 — Giannis Antetokounmpo
1 — Pascal Siakam
It’s Doncic’s 30th career 30-point triple-double, making him the fifth player in NBA history to reach that mark:
106 — Oscar Robertson
48 — Russell Westbrook
37 — LeBron James
35 — James Harden
30 — Luka Doncic
Over his last 10 games, Doncic is averaging 40.2 PPG, 11.2 RPG, and 9.2 APG. He’s just the fourth player in NBA history to average at least 40 PPG, 10 RPG, and 5 APG over a 10-game span, joining Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Christian Wood had 24 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, and five blocks for the Mavericks. Wood is just the third player in franchise history to record at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and five blocks in a game (a total of four instances):
Dirk Nowitzki (Jan. 6, 2006)
Nowitzki (Nov. 3, 2009)
Kristaps Porzingis (Feb. 21, 2020)
Christian Wood (Jan. 12, 2023)
Since becoming a full-time starter on December 17, Wood is averaging 20.0 PPG, 8.9 RPG, and 2.5 BPG in 14 games, shooting 53.2% from the field, 38.6% from 3-point range, and 80.6% from the free throw line.
The Lakers’ LeBron James produced 24 points, 16 rebounds, and nine assists in the loss, but shot just 9-28 from the field (32.1%), missing all seven of his 3-point attempts. This performance snapped a streak of 13 straight games in which James had scored at least 25 points on 50% shooting from the field, tied for the second-longest such streak in NBA history.
Over his last five games, James is averaging 35.2 PPG, 10.4 RPG, and 8.2 APG. James is the only player in NBA history to average at least 35 PPG and 10 RPG over a five-game span after turning 35 years old (he’s had multiple such non-overlapping spans).
Cavs Overcome Lillard’s 50
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ overcame a 50-point performance by Damian Lillard to defeat the struggling Portland Trail Blazers 119-113. The Trail Blazers have lost nine of their last 11 games, including the last five in a row.
Lillard shot 16-28 from the field (57.1%) — including 5-13 from 3-point range — and made 13 of his 15 free throws. His 13 career 50-point games are good for eighth place on the NBA’s all-time list. No player in NBA history with a listed height of 6-feet-2-inches or shorter has recorded more 50-point games:
13 — Damian Lillard
11 — Allen Iverson
11 — Stephen Curry
6 — Kyrie Irving
4 — Nate Archibald
Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen had 24 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists, making 11 of his 17 field goal attempts (64.7%). It’s the first time Allen has recorded at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in a game.
Teammate Donovan Mitchell scored a team-high 26 points, adding five rebounds and five assists. Mitchell is averaging 37.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 6.6 APG over his last five games. The only other player in franchise history to average at least 35 PPG, 5 RPG, and 5 APG over a five-game span is LeBron James (multiple instances).
Quick Hitters
Some other notes from around the NBA:
The Brooklyn Nets’ Ben Simmons dished out 13 assists but did not score in a loss to the Boston Celtics. Simmons tied the franchise record for most assists by a player in a scoreless game. The player Simmons tied was none other than his head coach, Jacque Vaughn (April 18, 2006).
The Miami Heat stretched their streak of consecutive free throws made to 55 before a Jimmy Butler miss with just 27.7 seconds remaining in their 108-102 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. It’s the longest such streak of the NBA’s play-by-play era (i.e., since 1997-98).
Pascal Siakam scored 37 points on 11-13 shooting from the field (84.6%). It’s the second time Siakam has recorded a 30-point game with a field goal percentage of at least 80%. The only other player in franchise history with multiple such games is Chris Bosh (4).
Marc Stein, “Recommended by Marc Stein”