NBA Game Notes (Jan. 14, 2025)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on Jan. 14, 2025.
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 ⭐️
Jamal Murray poured in a season-high 45 points, 32 of them coming in the first half, to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 118-99 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Murray shot 18-26 from the field, hitting five of his nine 3-point attempts. He also dished out six assists, swiped a team-high two steals (tied with two others), and was not charged with a personal foul in 37 minutes played.
Second ⭐️
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his 50th career triple-double, compiling game highs of 33 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds (tied with De’Aaron Fox) as the Milwaukee Bucks halted the Sacramento Kings’ seven-game winning streak with a 130-115 victory. Antetokounmpo made 14 of his 23 field goal attempts and went 5-7 from the free throw line. He also blocked a game-high two shots (tied with two others) in 37 minutes of action.
Third ⭐️
Scoot Henderson scored a career-high 39 points, but it wasn’t enough in the Portland Trail Blazers’ 132-114 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. Henderson shot 13-18 from the floor, sinking eight of his 10 attempts from 3-point range. He added team highs of six assists and two steals (tied with two others) in 37 minutes of playing time.
Find out why Atlanta Hawks play-by-play man Bob Rathbun says Statitudes is “a valuable part of my daily research and it is FUN!” Sign up using the special link below and get 25% off your first 12 months.
Milestones
As mentioned above, Antetokounmpo recorded his 50th career triple-double, becoming just the 12th player in NBA history to reach that mark. The only one of those players with a listed height greater than Antetokounmpo’s 6 feet 11 inches is Wilt Chamberlain (7 feet 1 inch).
Speaking of triple-doubles, the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic produced his league-leading 16th of the season, tallying 10 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists. He recorded his 5,000th career assist in the second quarter, becoming the fastest player in NBA history to accumulate 15,000 points, 7,500 rebounds, and 5,000 assists. Jokic reached those marks in 709 games, 90 fewer than Larry Bird.
Jokic is just the second center in NBA history to record at least 5,000 assists, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (5,660). Jokic reached that mark in 709 games, a whopping 548 fewer than Abdul-Jabbar needed.
Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant recorded the 400th 30-point game of his career, netting 31 points on 13-20 shooting from the floor in a 122-117 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. He’s the seventh player in NBA history to reach that mark, joining LeBron James (563), Michael Jordan (562), Wilt Chamberlain (515), Karl Malone (435), Kobe Bryant (431), and Abdul-Jabbar (429).
The Kings’ DeMar DeRozan scored a team-high 28 points on 9-18 shooting from the floor. He raised his career total to 8,716 field goals made, passing Gary Payton (8,708) to take over 25th place on the NBA’s all-time list.
Streaking
The Hawks’ Trae Young scored a season-high 43 points and handed out five assists. He’s recorded at least five assists in each of his last 198 regular season games, the third-longest such streak in NBA history behind John Stockton (336) and Isiah Thomas (209).
Young’s teammate, Bogdan Bogdanovic, scored 11 points with two threes made. He extended his 3-point streak to 108 games, the fifth-longest such streak in NBA history.
The New Orleans Pelicans’ Trey Murphy III scored a game-high 32 points in a 119-113 win over the Chicago Bulls. Although Murphy III went just 2-13 from 3-point range, it was enough to extend his streak of games with multiple threes made to 30. That ties James Harden, Buddy Hield, and Desmond Bane for the ninth-longest such streak in NBA history.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 32 points on 12-15 shooting from the field in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 118-102 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. He’s produced 35 consecutive 20-point games, averaging 32.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 6.0 APG, and 2.0 SPG with 54.0/37.0/89.5 shooting splits over that span.
Durant has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 16 games. Only two players in NBA history have recorded a longer such streak after turning 36 years old: LeBron James (three times) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Kings center Domantas Sabonis fell one assist shy of a triple-double, producing 16 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists. He’s recorded 17 straight double-doubles, averaging 20.1 PPG, 15.9 RPG, and 6.4 APG with a field goal percentage of 57.4% over that stretch.
The Cleveland Cavaliers went 15-44 from long range in a 127-117 win over the Indiana Pacers, snapping Indiana’s six-game winning streak. The Cavaliers have made 10 or more 3-pointers in each of their last 44 regular season games, the seventh-longest such streak in NBA history.
The Chicago Bulls hit 14 shots from beyond the arc, extending their streak of gams with 10 or more 3-pointers made to 40. That ties the Golden State Warriors (March 25, 2021 to Nov. 12, 2021) for the ninth-longest such streak in NBA history.
Do you have family and friends who love the NBA as much as you do? Please consider sharing this publication with them. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Miscellany
Nine players scored at least 30 points last night, led by Murray with a season-high 45. He was joined by Young (season-high 43), Henderson (career-high 39), the Suns’ Devin Booker (35), the Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell (35), Antetokounmpo (33), Gilgeous-Alexander (32), Murphy III (32), and Durant (31).
The Hawks’ Onyeka Okongwu hauled in a career-high 21 rebounds last night, pacing 10 players with double-digit boards. He was followed by the Thunder’s Isaiah Hartenstein (16), the Bulls’ Nikola Vucevic (season-high 15), the Trail Blazers’ Donovan Clingan (14), Jokic (14), the Bulls’ Josh Giddey (13), the Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley (13), Antetokounmpo (11), the Kings’ De’Aaron Fox (season-high-tying 11), and Sabonis (10).
Antetokounmpo was the night’s top playmaker, matching his season high with 13 assists. Giddey (12), the Nets’ Ben Simmons (11), and Jokic (10) also delivered double-digit dimes.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have won 22 of their last 24 games, with 16 of those wins coming by 10 or more points. They lead the NBA with 26 double-digit wins this season, two more than the Cleveland Cavaliers (who have won 17 of their last 19 games). Those two teams meet Thursday night in Oklahoma City.
Giddey scored only seven points (2-12 field goals) to go with his 13 rebounds and 12 assists. He’s just the third active player to record at least a dozen rebounds and a dozen assists in a game without scoring in double figures, joining Draymond Green (six times) and Russell Westbrook.