NBA Game Notes (Jan. 7, 2023)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on January 7, 2023.
King Beats Kings
LeBron James led the Los Angeles Lakers to the fifth consecutive win, tallying 37 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in a 136-134 victory over the Sacramento Kings. James shot 14-28 from the field and made eight of his nine free throws.
James has scored at least 25 points on 50% shooting from the field in each of his last 13 games, the longest such streak of his career by five games. It’s also the longest such streak in NBA history by a player age 30 years or older.
James tied the longest such streak in franchise history, matching Shaquille O’Neal’s 13 such games in a row in 2001. James is just one game shy of the NBA record of 14 such games in a row held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which spanned two seasons (March 3, 1970–Oct. 25, 1970).
Over those 13 games, James is averaging 33.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 7.2 APG, shooting 57.1% from the field and 80.9% from the free throw line.
Lakers center Thomas Bryant scored 29 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, shooting 12-14 from the field (85.7%). During the Lakers’ five-game winning streak, Bryant is averaging 21.2 PPG and 13.6 RPG with a field goal percentage of 71.9%.
Russell Westbrook came off the bench for the Lakers to produce 23 points, 15 assists, and five rebounds. Since the NBA began tracking starters in 1970-71, Westbrook is just the second bench player to record at least 20 points, 15 assists, and five rebounds in a game. He joins Bobby Washington, who did so for the Cleveland Cavaliers on Feb. 9, 1971.
The Kings’ Domantas Sabonis had 25 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists in the loss, his NBA-leading 29th double-double of the season. Sabonis has recorded a double-double in each of his last 16 games, breaking a tie with DeMarcus Cousins for the longest such streak by a King since the franchise moved to Sacramento in 1985.
Sabonis is averaging 21.4 PPG, 14.8 RPG, and 7.2 APG over those 16 games, shooting 64.3% from the field.
Teammate De’Aaron Fox scored a team-high 34 points and dished out nine assists, shooting 11-21 from the field (52.4%) and 12-14 from the free throw line (85.7%). Fox has scored at least 20 points in 11 of his last 12 games, averaging 27.7 PPG and 6.9 APG with a field goal percentage of 51.3% over that span.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Statitudes to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.