NBA Game Notes (Jan. 22, 2023)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on January 22, 2023.

Lakers Stun Blazers

The Los Angeles Lakers’ rallied from a 25-point halftime deficit to stun the Portland Trail Blazers 121-112. The Lakers improved to 10-9 in the 19 games they’ve played without Anthony Davis since he injured his foot on December 16.

The Lakers were outscored by the Trail Blazers 45-13 in the second quarter. They are just the second team in NBA history to win a game in which they lost a quarter by at least 30 points. The first was the Boston Celtics on Oct. 20, 1972, who were outscored by the Buffalo Braves 58-23 in the fourth quarter of a 126-118 win. The Braves’ 58 points are still the most scored in a quarter in NBA history.

The Lakers’ LeBron James scored a game-high 37 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, shooting 14-24 from the field (58.3%) and 7-10 from the free throw line.

In the 10 games he’s played as a 38-year-old, James has averaged 35.1 PPG, 9.6 RPG, and 7.9 APG, shooting 53.0% from the field. James is the only player in NBA history age 30 years or older to record at least 350 points, 75 rebounds, and 75 assists over a 10-game span.

Teammate Thomas Bryant had 31 points and 14 rebound, shooting 12-15 from the field (80.0%) with four 3-pointers made. The last Laker to record a 30-point, 10-rebound game with an effective field goal percentage of at least 90% was Wilt Chamberlain on Nov. 7, 1969.

The Trail Blazers’ Anfernee Simons scored a team-high 31 points on 12-20 shooting from the field, including seven 3-pointers made. It’s the 12th time Simons has made at least seven 3-pointers in a game, tying Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and D’Angelo Russell for the most such games in NBA history by a player before his 24th birthday.

Backcourt mate Damian Lillard scored 24 points and dished out 10 assists, but made just five of his 17 shots from the field (29.4%). Lillard is the only player since the ABA-NBA merger to record at least 20 points and 10 assists with a field goal percentage less than 30% in back-to-back games.