NBA Game Notes (June 17, 2024)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on June 17, 2024.
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 ⭐️
Jayson Tatum produced game highs of 31 points and 11 assists as the Boston Celtics won their 18th NBA title with a 106-88 rout of the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the Finals.
Tatum shot 11-24 from the field (although just 1-7 on 3-pointers) and made all eight of his free throw attempts. He added eight rebounds and a team-high two steals (tied with three others), committing just two turnovers in a game-high 45 minutes played.
Second ⭐️
Jrue Holiday scored 15 points on 7-14 shooting from the field for the Celtics. He also matched his playoff career high with 11 rebounds, dished out four assists, and registered a game-high rating of plus-21 points in 43 minutes of playing time.
Third ⭐️
Luka Doncic scored a team-high 28 points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for the Mavericks. He also contributed five assists and a game-high three steals in his team-high 43 minutes of action. Doncic went 12-25 from the floor, but hit just two of his nine 3-point attempts and committed a game-high seven turnovers.
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Milestones
Tatum became the fifth player in NBA history to record at least 30 points and 10 assists in a Finals-clinching win. He joins Walt Frazier (1970), James Worthy (1988), Michael Jordan (1991), and Stephen Curry (2017).
Tatum is the first player in Celtics history to record a 30-point, 10-assist game in the NBA Finals. The last Celtic to record such a game in any playoff series was Rajon Rondo in Game 2 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals.
Tatum led the Celtics in points (111), rebounds (39), and assists (36) in the 2024 NBA Finals. He’s the fourth player to lead a Finals winner in all three categories, joining LeBron James (four times), Magic Johnson (1987), and Tim Duncan (2003). Tatum is the first player to accomplish the feat without winning the Finals MVP Award.
The Celtics’ Al Horford won his first NBA title in his 186th career playoff game. No player in NBA history has appeared in more playoff games before winning his first championship.
Tatum and Finals MVP Jalyen Brown (21 points) each scored at least 20 points in the same playoff game for the 45th time, the eighth-most such games in NBA history by a duo.
Tatum and Brown won their first NBA title in their 108th playoff game together. No duo in NBA history has appeared in more playoff games before winning their first championship.
As mentioned earlier, the Boston Celtics won their 18th NBA title, breaking a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most championships by a franchise. The Golden State Warriors rank a distant third with seven Finals victories.
The Celtics went 16-3 in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. Since the league expanded the first round to a best-of-seven format in 2003, the only team to lose fewer games in a single postseason is the 2017 Golden State Warriors (16-1).
The Celtics scored at least 100 points and allowed fewer than 100 points in all four of their 2024 NBA Finals wins. Only two other teams have recorded four such wins in a single Finals: the 2014 San Antonio Spurs and the 2022 Golden State Warriors.
Streaking
The Celtics’ Derrick White hit four 3-pointers, extending his franchise-record streak of playoff games with at least one 3-pointer made to 28. White is averaging 15.4 PPG with 46/43/90 shooting splits over that stretch.
Doncic has scored at least 25 points in each of his last 12 playoff games, the longest such streak in Mavericks history by four games. He’s averaging 30.7 PPG, 9.3 RPG, and 7.5 APG over that span.
The Celtics went 13-39 from 3-point range, becoming the first team in Finals history to miss 25 or more 3-pointers in five straight games. The only other teams to miss 25 or more 3-pointers in consecutive Finals games are the 2022 Golden State Warriors (four in a row) and the 2020 Los Angeles Lakers (three).
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Miscellany
Tatum was the night’s leading scorer, pouring in 31 points. He was followed by Doncic (28), Brown (21), Holiday (15), and the Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving (15).
Doncic was the top board man last night, hauling in 12 rebounds. Holiday was the Celtics’ leading rebounder, tying his playoff career high with 11 boards.
Tatum led all playmakers, handing out 11 assists last night. Irving paced the Mavericks with nine dimes.