NBA Game Notes (Jan. 4, 2024)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on January 4, 2024.
Nuggets Rally, Stun Warriors
Trailing by 18 points almost midway through the fourth quarter, the Denver Nuggets rallied to stun the Golden State Warriors 130-127. The Nuggets closed the game with a 25-4 run, sealing it with a 39-foot buzzer-beater from Nikola Jokic.
Jokic finished with game highs of 34 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds (tied with teammate Aaron Gordon). It’s the 11th time he’s been a game’s leader — either outright or tied — in all three categories this season, five more such games than any other player.
Jokic shot 13-16 from the field and made six of his seven free throws. Over his last four games, Jokic has gone 39-44 from the floor, a remarkable field goal percentage of 88.6%. That’s the third-highest such figure in NBA history by a player over a four-game span with at least 40 attempts:
91.8% — Wilt Chamberlain (Feb. 17-28, 1967)
91.5% — Chamberlain (Nov. 29–Dec. 3, 1966)
88.6% — Nikola Jokic (Dec. 28, 2023–Jan. 4, 2024)
Gordon scored a season-high 30 points to go with his nine rebounds. He made 11 of his 17 attempts from the field and did not commit a turnover in 35 minutes played.
Nuggets guard Jamal Muray scored 25 points and dished out six assists, shooting 8-16 from the floor and 8-9 from the free throw line. He was not charged with a turnover in 32 minutes of action.
The Nuggets are now 17-5 when Murray plays this season versus 8-6 when he does not. Denver’s overall record of 25-11 puts them just a half game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference standings.
Stephen Curry scored a team-high 30 points for the Warriors, shooting 11-23 from the field with five 3-pointers made. He also tied Chris Paul and Dario Saric for the team lead with six assists.
Fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson scored 24 points, going 9-18 from the field with four 3-pointers made. It’s the 219th time Curry and Thompson have each scored at least 20 points in the same game, the seventh-most such games in NBA history by a duo.
Curry and Thompson have each made multiple 3-pointers in the same game 441 times, a whopping 194 more such games than the next-closest duo (Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, 247). In fact, Curry and Thompson’s total exceeds that of the next two closest duos combined.
Bucks Hold Off Spurs
Giannis Antetokounmpo produced game highs of 44 points and 14 rebounds to help the Milwaukee Bucks hold off the San Antonio Spurs 125-121. Antetokounmpo’s dunk and ensuing free throw with just 53 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter proved to be the game-winning points, snapping a 121-121 tie.
Antetokounmpo made 19 of his 28 shots from the field and also handed out seven assists. It’s the 24th time he’s recorded at least 40 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in a game, the fourth-most such games since the ABA-NBA merger:
29 — James Harden
28 — Russell Westbrook
25 — LeBron James
24 — Giannis Antetokounmpo
22 — Larry Bird
Antetokounmpo has shot at least 65% from the field in 13 of those games, the most such games in NBA history:
13 — Giannis Antetokounmpo
11 — Wilt Chamberlain
9 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
8 — LeBron James
8 — Joel Embiid
Bucks guard Damian Lillard snapped out of a shooting slump, scoring 25 points (10-19 field goals) to go with a game-high 10 assists in 39 turnover-free minutes. Over his previous two games, Lillard had made just nine of his 37 attempts from the floor (24.3%).
The Spurs’ Devin Vassell poured in a team-high 34 points, going 14-21 from the field with six 3-pointers made. Vassell set a new career high for field goals made and matched his career best for 3-pointers made. He did not commit a turnover or personal foul in 35 minutes played.
Teammate Victor Wembanyama celebrated his 20th birthday with 27 points (10-18 field goals), nine rebounds, and a game-high five blocks. It’s the fourth time he’s recorded at least 20 points and five blocks in a game, the most such games by a rookie since Tim Duncan in 1997-98 (nine).
The Spurs fell to 5-29 with the loss, the worst record in the Western Conference. They’ve lost 27 of their last 29 games after starting the season with three wins in five games.