NBA Game Notes (Jan. 19, 2024)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on January 19, 2024.

Jan 20, 2024

Celtics Suffer First Home Loss

The Boston Celtics suffered their first home loss of the season, falling to the Denver Nuggets 102-100 in a playoff-type atmosphere. The Celtics had been 20-0 at home this season, the longest home winning streak to start a season in franchise history.

The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic scored 34 points to go with game highs of 12 rebounds and nine assists. It’s the 35th time he’s missed a triple-double by a single assist, five more such games than any other active player (LeBron James, 30).

Jokic shot 14-22 from the field and made all four of his free throws. Over his last 11 games, Jokic has scored 263 points with shooting percentages of 74.8% from the field, 57.1% from 3-point range, and 85.4% from the free throw line. The only player in NBA history to record a higher field goal percentage over an 11-game span with at least 250 points is Wilt Chamberlain (1966-67).

The second member of the Nuggets’ dynamic duo, Jamal Murray, scored a game-high 35 points, making 15 of his 21 shots from field. Murray also had eight rebounds and five assists, committing just one turnover in 37 minutes played.

It’s the third time Jokic and Murray have each recorded at least 30 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the same game, the most such games in franchise history by a duo. They’ve done so an additional four times in the postseason, including three times in last season’s championship run.

Celtics guard Derrick White recorded team highs of 24 points and five assists (tied with Jayson Tatum), shooting 9-18 from the field with five 3-pointers made. Tatum also had 22 points and eight rebounds, but misfired on 15 of his 24 attempts from the floor. Center Kristaps Porzingis scored 21 points (6-11 field goals) and grabbed eight boards.

Embiid Extends Streak

Joel Embiid extended his streak of 30-point games to 19 as the Philadelphia 76ers upended the Orlando Magic 124-109. It’s the sixth-longest such streak in NBA history, breaking a tie with Elgin Baylor:

65 — Wilt Chamberlain (Nov. 4, 1961–Feb. 22, 1962)
32 — James Harden (Dec. 13, 2018–Feb. 21, 2019)
31 — Chamberlain (Feb. 25–Dec. 8, 1962)
25 — Chamberlain (Nov. 11–Dec. 27, 1960)
20 — Chamberlain (Ja. 30–March 1, 1964)
19 — Joel Embiid (Nov. 17, 2023–Jan. 20, 2024)
18 — Elgin Baylor (Dec. 20, 1961–Oct. 23, 1962)

Embiid finished with a game-high 36 points, adding seven rebounds and four steals. He shot 12-22 from the field and made all 11 of his free throws. It’s the 11th time Embiid has made at least 10 field goals and 10 free throws in a game this season, three more such games than any other player.

Embiid is averaging 35.1 PPG, 11.4 RPG, and 5.9 APG in 30 games this season. He’s just the fourth player in NBA history to average at least 35 PPG and 10 RPG through his first 30 games of a season, joining Wilt Chamberlain (five times), Elgin Baylor (1961-62), and Rick Barry (1966-67).

Teammate Tyrese Maxey tallied 32 points, five assists, and three steals, going 10-20 from the floor and 8-9 from the free throw line. Embiid and Maxey have each scored at least 30 points in the same game eight times this season, breaking the franchise record for most such games in a season by a duo. They had shared the previous mark with Wilt Chamberlain and Hal Greer (1965-66).

Embiid and Maxey also became the first Sixers duo to each record at least 30 points and three steals in the same game since Charles Barkley and Hersey Hawkins accomplished the feat on Feb. 5, 1992.

Wendell Carter Jr. led the Magic with 25 points, also corralling a game-high 11 rebounds (both figures are his season highs). Carter Jr. made nine of his 13 attempts from the field and six of his seven free throws.

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Quick Hitters

Additional odd and ends from last night’s games:

The Charlotte Hornets snapped their six-game losing skid, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 124-120. The Hornets’ LaMelo Ball scored a game-high 28 points on 10-13 shooting from the floor, adding eight assists and three steals. Ball received help from rookie Brandon Miller (24 points, nine rebounds), Miles Bridges (23 points, six rebounds, 10-15 field goals), and Terry Rozier (17 points, eight assists, six rebounds). Keldon Johnson scored a team-high 25 points for the Spurs, going 9-15 from the field with four 3-pointers made. San Antonio fell to 7-34 on the season, the worst record in franchise history through the first 41 games of a season by four games.
Devin Booker exploded for a season-high 52 points in the Phoenix Suns’ 123-109 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Booker shot 18-30 from the field — including a career-high-tying six 3-pointers made — and connected on all 10 of his free throws. It’s the sixth time Booker has scored at least 50 points in a game, equalling the total of all other players in franchise history combined. Suns forward Kevin Durant scored 26 points (11-19 field goals), while center Jusuf Nurkic snagged a game-high 15 rebounds and handed out a team-high nine assists. Zion Williamson led the Pelicans with 24 points (11-17 field goals), with Brandon Ingram contributing 17 points, a game-high 11 assists, and seven rebounds.
Dejounte Murray did it again, nailing a 3-pointer with just two seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Atlanta Hawks a 109-108 victory over the Miami Heat. It’s the second straight game in which Murray has delivered a game winner on the final shot. He finished with a team-high 22 points and a game-high 11 assists. Three players scored at least 21 points for the Heat: Jimmy Butler (25 points, six assists, 8-10 field goals), Tyler Herro (21 points, six rebounds, 10-19 field goals), and Bam Adebayo (21 points, nine rebounds, six assists).
The Portland Trail Blazers beat the Indiana Pacers 118-115, spoiling the debut of Pascal Siakam and the return of Tyrese Haliburton. The Trail Blazers’ Jerami Grant poured in a game-high 37 points, making 14 of his 28 field goal attempts. Teammate Malcolm Brogdon added a season-high 30 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, shooting 9-18 from the field and a perfect 10-10 from the free throw line. Myles Turner scored a team-high 29 points for the Pacers, going 10-17 from the floor with six 3-pointers made. Turner also produced game highs of 12 rebounds (tied with Portland’s Jabari Walker) and five blocks. Siakam had 21 points (9-14 field goals) and six rebounds, while Haliburton tallied 21 points and 17 assists in 35 turnover-free minutes. It’s the sixth time Haliburton has recorded a 20-point, 15-assist game with zero turnovers, the most such games since the NBA began tracking individual turnovers in 1977-78. To put that number in perspective, Steve Nash and Chris Paul have a combined total of six such games (three apiece).
The Brooklyn Nets used a big third quarter to turn a six-point halftime deficit into a 10-point lead, knocking off the Los Angeles Lakers 130-112. The Nets outscored the Lakers by 24 points in the second half, allowing only 44 points (22 in each quarter). Cam Thomas came off the bench to score a game-high 33 points for the Nets, sinking 13 of his 18 shots from the floor. Nets center Nic Claxton posted a double-double, scoring 22 points (11-16 field goals) and hauling in a game-high 14 rebounds. The Lakers’ Anthony Davis had a big night, compiling 26 points (9-13 field goals), 12 rebounds, six assists, and three blocks. Davis is the first Laker to record three consecutive 25-point, 10-rebound, 5-assist games since Kobe Bryant in January 2008. Teammate LeBron James chipped in with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists. Los Angeles dropped to 7-13 since winning the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament, the third-worst record in the Western Conference over that span.