NBA Game Notes (Jan. 2, 2024)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on January 2, 2024.

Embiid Dominates in Return

The Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid dominated in his return from a four-game absence, compiling team highs of 31 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists in an easy 110-97 win over the Chicago Bulls. It’s the fifth 30-point triple-double of Embiid’s career, the second-most such games in franchise history behind Wilt Chamberlain (15).

Embiid has scored at least 30 points in each of his last 15 games, the longest such streak in franchise history by five games. Only five other players in NBA history have recorded at least 15 such games in a row:

• Wilt Chamberlain (five distinct streaks; high of 65)

• James Harden (32)

• Elgin Baylor (18)

• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (16)

• Kobe Bryant (16)

Embiid has produced at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in 14 straight games, also a franchise record. It’s the longest streak of 30-point, 10-rebound games in the NBA since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recorded 16 such games in a row in 1972.

Over his last 25 games, Embiid is averaging 35.2 PPG, 12.0 RPG, and 6.2 APG with shooting percentages of 54.3% from the field and 90.1% from the free throw line. He’s just the fourth player in NBA history to average at least 35 PPG, 10 RPG, and 5 APG over a 25-game span, joining Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Teammate Tyrese Maxey scored 21 points and distributed five assists, committing just one turnover in 29 minutes played. Embiid and Maxey have each scored at least 20 points in the same game 22 times this season, tying the New York Knicks’ Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson for the league lead.

Maxey made four 3-pointers, raising his season total to 102 in 32 games. He became the fastest player in franchise history to reach 100 3-pointers made in a season, surpassing Robert Covington in 2017-18 (34 games).

Sixers forward Tobias Harris had 20 points and eight rebounds, making nine of his 13 attempts from the field. It’s the seventh time Embiid, Maxey, and Harris have each scored at least 20 points in the same game this season, tied for the most such games by a trio.

Making his fourth straight start in place of the injured Nikola Vucevic, the Bulls’ Andre Drummond scored 11 points and hauled in a game-high 17 rebounds. He now has 306 career 15-rebound games, the fourth-highest such total since the ABA-NBA merger:

• 417 — Moses Malone

• 377 — Dennis Rodman

• 354 — Dwight Howard

• 306 — Andre Drummond

• 267 — Dikembe Mutombo

Drummond has recorded a total of 81 rebounds in his last four games, the most by a Bull over a four-game span since Dennis Rodman in 1997-98. He’s the fourth player in franchise history to average at least 20 RPG over a four-game span, joining Tom Boerwinkle, Charles Oakley, and Rodman.