NBA Game Notes (Jan. 9, 2024)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on January 9, 2024.
Kings Roar Back
The Sacramento Kings roared back after trailing by 18 points at the end of the first quarter, outscoring the Detroit Pistons by 39 points the rest of the way in a 131-110 blowout victory. The Kings improved to 22-14 with the win, good for fifth place in the Western Conference standings and the eighth-best record in the NBA.
The Kings’ Domantas Sabonis recorded his 41st career triple-double, compiling game highs of 37 points, 13 assists, 10 rebounds, and three steals (he was tied in the latter two categories). Sabonis also made 16 of his 21 attempts from the floor, becoming the first player in franchise history to record a 30-point triple-double with 75% shooting from the field.
Sabonis leads the league with 32 double-doubles this season. He’s recorded a double-double in each of his last 19 games, the second-longest such streak of his career. Sabonis is averaging 21.4 PPG, 13.7 RPG, and 8.5 APG with 61.2% shooting from the field over that span.
Teammate Keegan Murray scored 32 points on 13-17 shooting from the field, including 5-9 from 3-point range. Sabonis and Murray are the first teammates to each score at least 30 points with a field goal percentage of 75% since the New Orleans Pelicans’ Jrue Holiday and E’Twaun Moore on Dec. 11, 2017. The last Kings duo to achieve the feat was Scott Wedman and Phil Ford on Jan. 26, 1979.
Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox scored 26 points (10-19 field goals), while Malik Monk came off the bench to score 20 points (9-15 field goals) and dish out nine assists. It’s the 10th time Monk has recorded a 20-point game coming off the bench this season, the second-most such games in the NBA (Bogdan Bogdanovic, 11).
Bojan Bogdanovic led the Pistons with 26 points, hitting 10 of his 14 shots from the field. Guard Jaden Ivey chipped in with 22 points, six assists, and five rebounds, while center Jalen Duren had 16 points and a team-high 10 rebounds for his 17th double-double in 22 games this season.
The Pistons have lost five straight games after snapping their NBA-record 28-game losing streak. They have an overall record of 3-34 this season. Only two teams in NBA history have won fewer games through their first 37 games of a season: the 1993-94 Dallas Mavericks and the 1997-98 Denver Nuggets, each of whom won two games.
Lakers Edge Raptors
The Los Angeles Lakers edged the Toronto Raptors 132-131, outscoring their opponent 44-42 in a wild fourth quarter. The Lakers attempted 23 free throws in the final period, making 19 of them, while the Raptors made just a single trip to the charity stripe, hitting one out of two.
The Lakers’ Anthony Davis recorded his 400th career double-double, producing game highs of 41 points and 11 rebounds. He’s the ninth active player to reach that mark. Davis’ 34 career 40-point, 10-rebound games rank third among active players, trailing only Joel Embiid (41) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (38).
Davis shot 13-17 from the field and made 13 of his 14 free throws. He attempted 11 of his free throws in the fourth quarter, hitting all of them. Davis scored 10 points in the final 1:01 of the game, eight of them coming on free throws.
Davis is the first Laker to record a 40-point, 10-rebound game with 75% shooting from the field since Shaquille O’Neal on March 21, 2003. The last Laker to score at least 40 points with shooting percentages of 75% from the field and 90% from the free throw line was Jerry West on Jan. 21, 1969.
Lakers forward LeBron James scored 22 points and dished out a game-high 12 assists. James now has 260 career 20-point, 10-assist games, the third-highest such total in NBA history behind Oscar Robertson (417) and Magic Johnson (295).
Scottie Barnes led the Raptors with 26 points on 11-20 shooting from the field, also tying for the team lead with six assists. Pascal Siakam chipped in with 25 points (10-17 field goals), while RJ Barrett contributed 23 points (10-13 field goals), a team-high 10 rebounds, and five assists. Barrett has averaged 21.4 PPG and 7.2 RPG with shooting percentages of 58.5% from the floor and 50.0% from 3-point range in his five games as a Raptor.
Quick Hitters
Other tidbits from last night’s contests:
Karl-Anthony Towns had 28 points, six rebounds, five assists, and three steals in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 113-92 win over the Orlando Magic. Towns went 11-19 from the field, sinking all five of his 3-point attempts. Frontcourt mate Rudy Gobert scored 21 points on 8-10 shooting from the floor, adding game highs of 12 rebounds and three blocks. The Magic’s Moritz Wagner came off the bench to score a team-high 21 points (6-9 field goals) and snag eight rebounds.
The New York Knicks have won a season-high five consecutive games, the latest a 112-84 rout of the Portland Trail Blazers. The Knicks have won the last four of those games by at least 15 points, matching the longest such streak in franchise history. OJ Anunoby scored a game-high 23 points for the Knicks, going 9-12 from the field with four 3-pointers made. Knicks forward Julius Randle tallied 20 points, a game-high eight assists, and seven rebounds, while center Isaiah Hartenstein hauled in a game-high 14 rebounds to go with three steals. Hartenstein has recorded a plus-minus of +125 over his last five games, the highest such figure by a Knick over a five-game span in the play-by-play era.
Led by Desmond Bane’s team-high 32 points, the shorthanded Memphis Grizzlies mauled the Dallas Mavericks 120-103. The Grizzlies’ other backcourt starter, Marcus Smart, scored 23 points in just 21 minutes played before leaving the game in third quarter with a dislocated finger on his right hand. Memphis played without the services of All-Star Ja Morant (season-ending shoulder injury) and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee contusion). Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic scored 33 and 31 points, respectively, to pace the Mavericks. Irving also had a team-high eight rebounds and a game-high four steals, while Doncic added a team-high six assists, six rebounds, and three steals.