NBA Game Notes (Jan. 25, 2024)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on January 25, 2024.

Quick Hitters

A relatively short recap of last night’s games:

• The Indiana Pacers’ beat the Philadelphia 76ers 134-122, halting the Sixers’ six-game winning streak. The Pacers have scored at least 120 points in 31 games this season, the most in NBA history by a team through its first 45 games of a season. Indiana’s Pascal Siakam recorded his sixth career triple-double, compiling team highs of 26 points (9-13 field goals), 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. Pacers center Myles Turner contributed 20 point and nine rebounds, hitting seven of his 12 attempts from the field. Joel Embiid scored a game-high 31 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds for the Sixers. Embiid has scored at least 30 points in each of his last 22 games, the fifth-longest such streak in NBA history. Teammate Tyrese Maxey scored 22 points, but shot just 7-17 from the floor (including 1-8 on 3-pointers).

• The Miami Heat have dropped five straight games, the latest setback a 143-110 blowout loss to the Boston Celtics. It’s the fourth-most points the Heat have ever given up in a game. Jayson Tatum led seven Celtics in double figures with 26 points, also collecting a game-high eight rebounds. Tatum received help from Jaylen Brown (18 points, five assists, three steals, 7-11 field goals), Kristaps Porzingis (19 points, 6-9 field goals), Jrue Holiday (17 points, five rebounds, five assists, 7-8 field goals), and Derrick White (15 points, six rebounds, six assists). The Celtics shot 51-80 from the field with 22 3-pointers made, an effective field goal percentage of 77.5%. That’s the highest such figure in franchise history and tied for the fifth highest in NBA history.

• The New York Knicks destroyed the Denver Nuggets 122-84, picking up their fifth straight win and 11th in the last 13 games. The 38-point drubbing is Denver’s worst loss since falling to the Golden State Warriors by 43 points on Jan. 19, 2015. The Knicks’ OG Anunoby scored a team-high 26 points on 10-18 shooting from the field, also recording a game-high six steals. Teammate Jalen Brunson scored 21 points (7-10 field goals, 6-6 free throws), while Julius Randle tallied 17 points, a game-high eight assists, and seven rebounds. The Nugget’s Nikola Jokic produced game highs of 31 points and 11 rebounds in 27 minutes played, sinking 13 of his 18 shots from the field. Jokic has scored at least 25 points with a field goal percentage of 55% in each of his last eight games, tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Nov. 6-19, 1971) and Bob McAdoo (Feb. 13-26, 1974) for the longest such streak in NBA history. Over his last 17 games, Jokic is averaging 26.0 PPG with 71/56/91 shooting splits.