NBA Game Notes (Jan. 22, 2024)
NBA Game Notes (Jan. 22, 2024)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on January 22, 2024.
Embiid Makes History
Joel Embiid became the first player in NBA history to record at least 70 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists in a game as the Philadelphia 76ers held off the San Antonio Spurs 133-123. The Sixers have won six consecutive games, improving to 29-13 on the season.
Embiid finished the game with 70 points, 18 rebounds, and five assists. He also broke the franchise record for most points scored in a game. The previous mark of 68 points was established by Wilt Chamberlain on Dec. 16, 1967.
Embiid became the ninth player in NBA history to record a 70-point game (a total of 14 instances):
Wilt Chamberlain (six times)
Elgin Baylor (Nov. 15, 1960)
David Thompson (April 9, 1978)
David Robinson (April 24, 1994)
Kobe Bryant (Jan. 22, 2006)
Devin Booker (March 24, 2017)
Donovan Mitchell (Jan. 2, 2023)
Damian Lillard (Feb. 26, 2023)
Joel Embiid (Jan. 22, 2024)
Embiid shot 24-41 from the field, setting career highs for field goals made and attempted. He went 23-39 on 2-pointers, the most such makes since Chris Webber on Jan. 5, 2001 and the most such attempts since Kobe Bryant on Nov. 7, 2002.
Embiid made 21 of his 23 free throw attempts. He became just the sixth player in NBA history to make at least 20 field goals and 20 free throws in a game:
Wilt Chamberlain (March 2, 1962)
Michael Jordan (March 28, 1990)
Devin Booker (March 24, 2017)
Donovan Mitchell (Jan. 2, 2023)
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Dec. 13, 2023)
Joel Embiid (Jan. 22, 2024)
Embiid did all of this in just 37 minutes played, the fewest ever in a 70-point game. He and Damian Lillard (39 minutes) are the only players in NBA history to score at least 70 points in a game while playing fewer than 40 minutes.
Lost in all the shuffle, Embiid recorded his 21st consecutive 30-point game, breaking a tie with Wilt Chamberlain for the fifth-longest such streak in NBA history:
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)
21 — Joel Embiid (Nov. 17, 2023–Jan. 22, 2024)
20 — Chamberlain (Ja. 30–March 1, 1964)
Embiid has recorded a double-double in 20 of those games. The only other players in NBA history to record at least 20 30-point double-doubles in a 21-game span are Wilt Chamberlain (multiple times) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama scored a team-high 33 points in 28 minutes played, going 10-19 from the floor and 11-12 from the free throw line. Wembanyama has scored at least 20 points in 10 of his last 11 games. He’s averaging 24.9 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and 3.5 BPG in just 25.0 MPG over that span, shooting 53.3% from the field and 86.6% from the free throw line.
Hornets Spoil Towns’ Night
The Charlotte Hornets spoiled Karl-Anthony Towns’ record-setting night, edging the Minnesota Timberwolves 128-125. It’s just the third win in the last 21 games for the Hornets, who have won as many games on the road this season as they have at home (five apiece).
Towns scored 62 points, breaking the previous franchise single-game record of 60 he set on March 14, 2022. Towns now owns the three highest-scoring games in franchise history, having scored 56 points on March 28, 2018.
Towns is just the seventh player in NBA history to record multiple 60-point games:
32 — Wilt Chamberlain
6 — Kobe Bryant
5 — Damian Lillard
4 — Michael Jordan
4 — James Harden
3 — Elgin Baylor
2 — Karl-Anthony Towns
Along with Joel Embiid’s 70-point effort (see above), it was just the fourth day in NBA history to feature multiple 60-point scorers:
Dec. 8, 1961 — Wilt Chamberlain (78) & Elgin Baylor (63)
Dec. 17, 1962 — Jerry West (63) & Chamberlain (62)
April 9, 1978 — David Thompson (73) & George Gervin (63)
Jan. 22, 2024 — Joel Embiid (70) & Karl-Anthony Towns (62)
Towns shot 21-35 from the field — including 10-15 from 3-point range — and made 10 of his 11 free throws. He’s the first player in NBA history to make at least 10 2-pointers, 10 3-pointers, and 10 free throws in a game.
It wasn’t all good for Towns, as he committed a season-high seven turnovers. Since the NBA began tracking turnovers in 1977-78. only two players have recorded more turnovers in a 60-point game: Kemba Walker (nine) and David Robinson (eight).
Towns’ frontcourt mate, Rudy Gobert, scored 13 points and snagged a game-high 11 rebounds, hitting all six of his shots from the floor. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota’s season scoring leader, was held to nine points (3-11 field goals), but matched his season high with 11 assists and committed just one turnover in 37 minutes played.
Miles Bridges scored a team-high 28 points for the Hornets, while rookie Brandon Miller bagged 27 points on 11-13 shooting from the field. LaMelo Ball chipped in with 18 points, a game-high 13 assists, six rebounds, and three steals.
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Dynamic Duos Duel
The Boston Celtics prevailed in the duel of the dynamic duos, knocking off the Dallas Mavericks 119-110. The Celtics improved to 34-10 with the win, the best record in the NBA by 3.5 games. They also lead the league with a point differential of +9.7 PPG, almost 1.5 points higher than the next-closest team.
Jayson Tatum (39 points) and Jaylen Brown (34) combined for 73 points to lead the Celtics. Tatum also recorded a team-high 11 rebounds, five assists, and three steals, shooting 11-21 from the field and 15-19 from the free throw line. Brown made 13 of his 22 attempts from the floor and did not commit a turnover in 37 minutes played.
Tatum and Brown have each scored at least 30 points in the same game 27 times, the most such games in franchise history by a duo (by a whopping 19 games) and the eighth-most such games in NBA history.
The Mavericks’ tandem of Luka Doncic (33 points) and Kyrie Irving (23) scored a combined 56 points, but neither player shot 50% from the field, going 12-30 (40%) and 9-20 (45%), respectively. Doncic added game highs of 18 rebounds and 13 assists for his 64th career triple-double, the ninth-highest such total in NBA history.
Doncic now has 38 career 30-point triple-doubles, breaking a tie with LeBron James for third place on the NBA’a all-time list. He’s scored at least 30 points in 59.4% of his triple-doubles, the highest such percentage in NBA history among players with at least 10 triple-doubles.
Doncic has recorded at least 30 points, five rebounds, and five assists in 18 of his last 20 games. He’s the first player in NBA history to record 18 such games in a 20-game span. Doncic is averaging 36.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG, and 10.5 APG during that stretch, with six 30-point triple-doubles.
Quick Hitters
Other notes on last night’s contests:
The Cleveland Cavaliers stretched their winning streak to eight games, routing the Orlando Magic 126-99. Sam Merrill came off the bench to score a game-high 26 points for the Cavaliers, shooting 8-13 from the field (all 3-pointers). Teammate Donovan Mitchell scored 25 points, matched his career high with 13 assists, and recorded four steals. Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen extended his career-long double-double streak to 12 games, posting 14 points (6-8 field goals) and 11 rebounds. Allen is averaging 18.2 PPG and 14.3 RPG over that span, shooting 65.6% from the field and 85.2% from the free throw line.
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his 41st career triple-double, producing game highs of 31 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 122-113 victory over the Detroit Pistons. It’s the 29th time Antetokounmpo has been a game’s outright leader in all three categories, the fourth-most such games in NBA history. Bucks forward Khris Middleton added 26 points on 9-14 shooting from the field, while guard Damian Lillard had 17 points, eight assists, and five rebounds but missed 11 of his 15 shots from the floor. Brook Lopez posted a double-double for the Bucks, tallying 15 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocks. Lopez now has 282 career games in which he’s blocked at least three shots, tying Anthony Davis for the most such games among active players. The Pistons’ Marcus Sasser came off the bench to score a team-high 23 points (9-17 field goals), while fellow reserve Isaiah Stewart scored 19 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and blocked a career-high five shots.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored a team-high 27 points and recorded a career-high six steals as the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Toronto Raptors 108-100, handing the Raptors their seventh loss in the last eight games. The Grizzlies’ Luke Kennard produced season highs of 19 points and seven assists, while Vince Williams Jr. contributed 18 points (7-11 field goals) and 10 rebounds. RJ Barrett scored a game-high 29 points and corralled nine rebounds for the Raptors, making 12 of his 18 shots from the floor. Teammate Scottie Barnes compiled 22 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, and a career-high six blocks, becoming the first player in franchise history to record at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and five blocks in a game.
The Phoenix Suns stretched their winning streak to six games, rallying to defeat the Chicago Bulls 115-113 after trailing by as many as 23 points in the third quarter. The Suns’ Kevin Durant scored a game-high 43 points to go with eight assists and six rebounds. Durant made 16 of his season-high 32 field goal attempts, and matched his career high with 15 attempts from 3-point range (making six of them). He’s just the third player in NBA history age 35 years or older to record back-to-back 40-point games, joining Michael Jordan (three times) and LeBron James. Durant is the only one to do so on back-to-back days. Chicago’s Coby White fell one assist shy of a triple-double, producing a team-high 26 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists. White shot 10-14 from the field, making four of his five 3-point attempts. Teammate Nikola Vucevic chipped in with 19 points (9-17 field goals), a game-high 17 rebounds, and seven assists.
The Sacramento Kings snapped a four-game losing skid, beating the Atlanta Hawks 122-107. Kings forward Harrison Barnes scored a team-high 32 points (10-20 field goals, 8-8 free throws) in 30 turnover-free minutes, while center Domantas Sabonis tallied 14 points, a game-high 21 rebounds, and six assists. Sabonis has recorded a double-double in each of his last 25 games, the longest such streak of his career. He’s averaging 20.9 PPG, 13.6 RPG, and 8.6 APG with a field goal percentage of 62.3% over that span. Sabonis has recorded at least 10 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in each of his last 10 games. The only other players since the ABA-NBA merger to produce at least 10 such games in a row are Russell Westbrook (twice), Nikola Jokic (twice), and Grant Hill. The Hawks’ Dejounte Murray led all players with 35 points, adding 10 rebounds and six assists.