NBA Game Notes (Jan. 29, 2024)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on January 29, 2024.

Nuggets Win Heavyweight Battle

In a heavyweight battle featuring two players who have won four of the last five MVP Awards (plus two Finals MVP Awards), Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets downed Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks 113-107. The win moved the Nuggets into second place in the Western Conference standings, just a half-game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Jokic recorded his NBA-leading 14th triple-double of the season, scoring 25 points to go with game highs of 16 rebounds, 12 assists, three steals, and two blocks (tied with the Bucks’ Brook Lopez). Jokic has recorded at least 25 points and 10 rebounds in each of his last 10 games, matching the longest such streak of his career (and the longest such streak in franchise history).

Jokic had an uncharacteristically poor night from the field, making just 10 of his 25 attempts. That broke a streak of 15 straight games in which he’d recorded a field goal percentage of at least 50%, the second-longest such streak of his career.

The second member of the Nuggets’ dynamic duo, Jamal Murray, scored a game-high 35 points and distributed five assists. Murray shot 13-22 from the field and made nine of his 10 free throws. Murray missed both of his 3-point attempts, making this the first time he’s recorded a 30-point game without making a 3-pointer.

Antetokounmpo produced team highs of 29 points and 12 rebounds (tied with Bobby Portis) for the Bucks, hitting 11 of his 19 shots from the floor. Antetokounmpo has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 19 games, averaging 31.5 PPG, 12.5 RPG, and 7.3 APG with a field goal percentage of 60.3% over that span.

Lopez scored 19 points to go with his two blocks, shooting 7-13 from the field. Damian Lillard added 18 points and five assists, but made just five of his 13 tries for the floor. Lillard has 15 games this season in which he’s scored at least 15 points despite shooting less than 40% from the field, tied with Trae Young for the most such games in the NBA.

The game marked the debut of the Bucks’ new head coach, Doc Rivers. Rivers became the 12th person in NBA history to serve as head coach for at least five different franchises.