NBA Game Notes (Jan. 25, 2025)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on Jan. 25, 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 ⭐️
James Harden scored a game-high 40 points to lead the LA Clippers to a 127-117 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, snapping Milwaukee’s five-game winning streak. Harden shot 12-24 from the field (4-10 on 3-pointers) and sank all 12 of his free throw attempts. He also contributed a team-high nine assists and five rebounds, committing just one turnover in 35 minutes of action.
Second ⭐️
Anthony Davis scored 36 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, both game-high figures, in the Los Angeles Lakers 118-108 win over the Golden State Warriors. Davis went 13-23 from the floor and 10-12 from the free throw line. He added game highs of three steals and one block (tied in both categories) in 36 minutes played.
Third ⭐️
Josh Hart recorded his sixth triple-double of the season, racking up 20 points, 18 rebounds, and 11 assists as the New York Knicks routed the Sacramento Kings 143-120. Hart shot 8-14 from the field and made all three of his free throw attempts. He also blocked a game-high two shots (tied with two others) in 40 minutes of playing time, leading all starters with a rating of plus-17 points.
Find out why Atlanta Hawks play-by-play man Bob Rathbun says Statitudes is “a valuable part of my daily research and it is FUN!” Sign up using the special link below and get 25% off your first 12 months.
Milestones
Buck center Brook Lopez scored 13 points, increasing his career total to 17,002. He became the second player from the 2008 NBA Draft class to reach the 17,000-point mark, joining Russell Westbrook.
Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 24 points in the Boston Celtics’ 122-107 win over the Dallas Mavericks, surpassing 13,000 points for his career. At 26 years and 328 days old, Tatum is the seventh-youngest player in NBA history to attain that milestone.
The Knicks’ Jalen Brunson had 25 points and 11 assists, reaching the 5,000-point mark with the franchise. He’s the fastest player in franchise history to attain that milestone, doing so in 190 games (one fewer than Bernard King and Carmelo Anthony).
Lakers forward LeBron James had 12 rebounds and one steal, moving up the career leaderboard in each category. James’ 11,489 rebounds tie him with Dirk Nowitzki for 26th place, and he shares sixth place with Maurice Cheeks with 2,310 steals (a statistic that has been tracked since 1973-74).
The Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns recorded his 400th career double-double, scoring 18 points and snagging 15 rebounds. He ranks second in the NBA with 36 double-doubles this season.
Anthony Edwards tallied a game-high 34 points and a team-high nine assists as the Minnesota Timberwolves blew out the Denver Nuggets 133-104. Edwards made three 3-pointers to raise his career total to 976, passing Towns to take over first place on the franchise’s all-time list.
Streaking
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic scored 20 points (9-13 field goals) and handed out a game-high 11 assists. It’s the fifth straight game in which he’s recorded at least 20 points and 10 assists with 60% shooting from the floor, the longest such streak in NBA history.
The San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama tallied 20 points, 12 rebounds, two steals, and one block in a 136-98 loss to the Indiana Pacers. He’s blocked at least one shot in 77 straight games, breaking a tie with Josh Smith for the longest such streak in the NBA this century. It’s also the longest such streak in Spurs history by 16 games.
Wembanyama also made two threes, the 34th consecutive game in which he’s recorded at least one 3-pointer made and one block. It’s the longest such streak in NBA history by 13 games.
Kings center Domantas Sabonis recorded his 64th career triple-double, compiling 25 points (11-14 field goals), 13 rebounds, and 12 assists. He’s produced a double-double in 22 straight games, averaging 21.1 PPG, 16.0 RPG, and 6.5 APG with a field goal percentage of 59.1% over that span.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his 15th consecutive double-double, scoring a team-high 36 points to go with a game-high 13 rebounds. He’s averaging 29.5 PPG, 12.9 RPG, and 5.6 APG with a field goal percentage of 58.6% over that stretch.
Tyrese Maxey registered game highs of 31 points and nine assists in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 109-97 victory over the Chicago Bulls. Maxey has scored at least 25 points in each of his last 10 games, the longest such streak of his career. The only other guard in franchise history to record at least 10 such games in a row is Allen Iverson (multiple times).
Kevin Durant scored a team-high 29 points on 11-19 shooting from the field as the Phoenix Suns beat the Washington Wizards 119-109. He’s produced 21 straight 20-point games, averaging 28.1 PPG on 51.8/35.7/84.6 shooting splits over that span.
Franz Wagner had 32 points and seven assists to help the Orlando Magic break a five-game losing streak with a 121-113 victory over the Detroit Pistons. Wagner has scored at least 20 points in a career-high 11 straight games, averaging 27.7 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 6.2 APG over that stretch.
The Miami Heat’s Tyler Herro scored 25 points with three 3-pointers made in a 106-97 win over the Brooklyn Nets. He’s made at least one three in 77 consecutive games, the longest such streak in franchise history (by eight games) and tied for the 16th-longest such streak in NBA history.
Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points with four 3-pointers made in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 135-131 loss to the Houston Rockets. Mitchell extended his 3-point run to 67 games, the longest such streak in franchise history (by 32 games) and the 24th-longest such streak in NBA history.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: Memphis Grizzlies (six).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Washington Wizards (13), Brooklyn Nets (six), and Utah Jazz (five).
The Nets have dropped 10 straight games at home, matching the third-longest such streak in franchise history. They are tied with the Charlotte Hornets for the longest home losing streak in the NBA this season.
The Cleveland Cavaliers went 17-39 from beyond the arc, the 50th consecutive game in which they’ve made 10 or more 3-pointers. It’s the longest such streak in franchise history (by 24 games) and the sixth-longest such streak in NBA history.
Do you have family and friends who love the NBA as much as you do? Please consider sharing this publication with them. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Miscellany
Harden led the daily scoring brigade with 40 points. He was one of 14 players to score at least 30 points, the others being the Cavaliers’ Darius Garland (39); Antetokounmpo and Davis (36 apiece); the Pistons’ Cade Cunningham (35); Edwards (34); Mitchell, the Knicks’ OG Anunoby, and the Clippers’ Norman Powell (33 each); the Magic’s Paolo Banchero and Wagner (32 apiece); Maxey and the Kings’ Malik Monk (31 each); and the Wizards’ Kyle Kuzma (30).
The Suns’ Nick Richards was the day’s top board man, hauling in a career-high 19 rebounds. Also securing at least 15 boards were Hart (season-high 18), the Heat’s Bam Adebayo (16), the Mavericks’ Daniel Gafford (15), and Towns (15).
James and Sabonis were the leading playmakers, each handing out 12 assists yesterday. Brunson (11), Cunningham (11), Hart (11), Jokic (11), the Bucks’ Damian Lillard (10), the Wizards’ Jordan Poole (season-high 10), and the Rockets’ Amen Thompson (career-high-tying 10) also delivered double-digit dimes.
Four players recored a triple-double yesterday: Hart (20 points, 18 rebounds, 11 assists), Lillard (29 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists), Sabonis (25 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists), and Thompson (23 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists). It’s the 14th day in NBA history in which four or more players have produced a triple-double.