NBA Game Notes (Jan. 21, 2025)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on Jan. 21, 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 ⭐️
Nikola Jokic recorded his fourth straight triple-double, compiling 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists as the Denver Nuggets routed the Philadelphia 76ers 144-109. Jokic went 10-15 from the field (2-3 on 3-pointers) and sank all five of his free throw attempts. He also swiped a game-high four steals and posted a rating of plus-21 points in 30 minutes played.
Second ⭐️
Anthony Davis scored a game-high 29 points on 14-22 shooting from the floor in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 111-88 blowout win over the Washington Wizards. Davis also grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds, dished out five assists, blocked a team-high four shots, and committed just one turnover in 32 minutes of action.
Third ⭐️
Karl-Anthony Towns produced game highs of 25 points and 16 rebounds as the New York Knicks got by the Brooklyn Nets 99-95. Towns shot 11-18 from the field and 3-4 from the free throw line. He added six assists, a game-high three steals (tied with OG Anunoby), and two blocks in 39 minutes of playing time.
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Milestones
The Lakers’ LeBron James tallied 21 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds, becoming just the second player in NBA history to record a triple-double after turning 40 years old. He joined Karl Malone, who achieved the feat on Nov. 28, 2003 (also with the Lakers).
James moved up a spot on the NBA’s all-time rebounding list, increasing his career total to 11,470. He passed former Laker great Elgin Baylor (11,463) to take over 27th place.
James also recorded two steals to raise his career total to 2,309, breaking a tie with Scottie Pippen for seventh place on the NBA’s all-time leaderboard (steals have been tracked since the 1973-74 season).
The Denver Nuggets’ 35-point win is the largest margin of victory in franchise history in a game versus the Sixers. The previous mark of 30 points was set on Feb. 23, 1995.
Streaking
As noted above, Jokic has recorded four straight triple-doubles, tied for the second-longest such streak of his career. He’s produced seven triple-doubles in his last 10 games, missing three others by either a single rebound (once) or a single assist (twice).
Jokic is just the second player in NBA history to record three straight triple-doubles in which he made at least two-thirds of his shots from the field in each game. Wilt Chamberlain did so twice, including a six-game streak in March 1968.
Jokic has recorded 10 consecutive double-doubles, averaging 28.1 PPG, 14.9 RPG, 10.9 APG, and 2.5 SPG with 53.8/39.5/85.7 shooting splits over that span.
Tyrese Maxey scored a game-high 28 points in the Sixers’ loss to the Nuggets, his career-high eighth straight 25-point game. He’s just the second player in franchise history to score at least 25 points in six straight games, all losses, joining Allen Iverson (April 5-14, 1997).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Washington Wizards (11) and Philadelphia 76ers (seven).
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Miscellany
Davis led the nightly scoring brigade with 29 points. Also producing 25-point efforts were Maxey (28), Jokic (27), the Orlando Magic’s Paolo Banchero (26), and Towns (25).
Davis and Towns shared rebounding honors, snagging 16 apiece last night. The Portland Trail Blazers’ DeAndre Ayton and the Miami Heat’s Kel’el Ware were next with 15 boards each (a career high for Ware), followed by Jokic with 13.
James was the top playmaker last night, handing out 13 assists. Jokic, Maxey, and the Nets’ D’Angelo Russell tied for second with 10 dimes apiece.
Jokic has racked up 281 points, 149 rebounds, 109 assists, and 25 steals over his last 10 games. Since the NBA began tracking steals in 1973-74, only two other players have recorded at least 250 points, 100 rebounds, 100 assists, and 25 steals over a 10-game stretch: Michael Jordan (1988-89) and Russell Westbrook (2014-15).
The Wizards have lost 16 games by 20 or more points this season. No other team in NBA history has recorded more than 14 such losses through their first 42 games of a season.