NBA Game Notes (March 1, 2024)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on March 1, 2024.

Mar 02, 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 ⭐️

Giannis Antetokounmpo produced game highs of 46 points and 16 rebounds in the Milwaukee Bucks’ 113-97 victory over the Chicago Bulls. He also dished out six assists, shooting 16-22 from the field and 12-16 from the free throw line.

Antetokounmpo became just the fifth player in NBA history to record a 45-point, 15-rebound, 5-assist game with a field goal percentage of 70% or higher, joining Wilt Chamberlain (three times), Walt Bellamy, Bob McAdoo, and Joel Embiid.

It’s the 20th time Antetokounmpo has recorded a 40-point game while shooting at least 70% from the field, tying Adrian Dantley for the most such games in NBA history.

Second ⭐️

Luka Doncic compiled game highs of 37 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists, but it wasn’t nearly enough as the Dallas Mavericks were blown out by the Boston Celtics 138-110. He went 14-25 from the field (with three 3-pointers made) and 6-8 from the free free throw line.

Doncic became the third player in NBA history to reach 40 career 30-point triple-doubles, joining Oscar Robertson (106) and Russell Westbrook (48). Doncic has scored at least 30 points in 58.8% of his triple-doubles, the highest such percentage in NBA history among players with at least 10 career triple-doubles.

Third ⭐️

Tobias Harris scored 31 points and grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 121-114 win over the Charlotte Hornets. Harris shot 13-19 from the floor, making five of his eight 3-point attempts. He did not commit a turnover in a game-high 40 minutes played.

If you are a free subscriber who is enjoying these posts, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. This newsletter is produced by a team of one, but provides more “NBA statistical goodness” (Marc Stein) than most, if not all, major media outlets.

Milestones

James Harden produced team highs of 28 points, eight assists, and three blocks in the LA Clippers’ 140-115 rout of the Washington Wizards. Harden increased his career point total to 25,628, passing Hall of Famer Alex English (25,613) and moving into 21st place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
DeMar DeRozan scored 12 points and delivered a game-high nine assists in the Bulls’ loss to the Bucks, becoming the 35th player in NBA history to reach 23,000 career points.
Stephen Curry scored 25 points as the Golden State Warriors defeated the Toronto Raptors 120-105, the Warriors’ 11th win in their last 13 games. It’s Curry’s 474th career 25-point game, breaking a tie with Dantley for the 19th-most such games in NBA history.
The Celtics’ Jayson Tatum (32 points) and Jaylen Brown (25) each scored at least 25 points in the same game for the 80th time, breaking a tie with Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain and Paul Arizin for the seventh-most such games in NBA history by a duo.
DeRozan’s teammate, Andre Drummond, snagged 10 rebounds to increase his career total to 10,501. Drummond passed Hall of Famer David Robinson (10,497) to move into 33rd place on the NBA’s all-time list.
Kyle Lowry scored 15 points and handed out a game-high 10 assists in the Sixers’ win over the Hornets. Lowry pushed his career total to 6,919 assists, passing Hall of Famer Guy Rodgers (6,917) and taking over 22nd place on the NBA’s all-time list.
Lowry shot 5-9 from the field with three 3-pointers made. He now has 2,145 career 3-pointers made, supplanting Paul Pierce (2,143) for 13th place on the NBA’s all-time list.
Doncic made his 200th 3-pointer of the season in the first quarter, becoming the fastest player in franchise history to reach that mark (52 games). The previous record of 61 games was established by George McCloud in 1995-96.
Antetokounmpo participated in his 489th win with the Bucks (postseason included), breaking a tie with Sidney Moncrief for the most such games in franchise history.
The New Orleans Pelicans scored a franchise-record-tying 48 points in the first quarter of a 129-102 demolition of the Indiana Pacers. They matched the previous mark for most points scored in a quarter set on Nov. 4, 2019 (third quarter).
The Pelicans broke the franchise record for most 20-points wins in a season with 14 (also the most such wins in the NBA this season). The previous mark was established in 2007-08, the franchise’s only 50-win campaign.

Streaking

Domantas Sabonis had 21 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists as the Sacramento Kings knocked off the Western-Conference-leading Minnesota Timberwolves 124-120 in overtime. Sabonis has recorded a double-double in 42 straight games, the second-longest such streak in franchise history (Jerry Lucas, 55) and the fourth-longest such streak since the ABA-NBA merger.
Doncic has multiple ongoing scoring streaks: five straight 30-point games, 10 straight 25-point games, 10 straight 20-point games, and 52 straight 15-point games.
Doncic has tallied at least 25 points, five rebounds, and five assists in each of his last 10 games. It’s the fifth time he’s recorded at least 10 consecutive 25-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist games, the second-most such streaks in NBA history behind Oscar Robertson. The only other active player to produce even one such streak is Russell Westbrook (Nov. 9-25, 2016).
The Bucks’ Damian Lillard made three 3-pointers, extending his streak of regular season games with at least one 3-pointer made to 134. It’s the third-longest such streak in NBA history, trailing only 268-game and 157-game runs by Curry.
Teams with winning streaks of five or more games: Boston Celtics (10) and Milwaukee Bucks (five).
Teams with losing streaks of five or more games: Washington Wizards (14).
The Celtics’ 10-game winning streak is the 33rd double-digit winning streak in franchise history. The only other franchises to produce even 20 such streaks are the Los Angeles Lakers (29) and the San Antonio Spurs (22).
The Golden State Warriors have won eight consecutive road games, tying the Celtics (January 15 to present) for the longest such streak in the NBA this season. The Warriors have won seven of those games by 10 or more points. It’s the first time in franchise history they’ve recorded seven double-digit road wins in an eight-game span.
The Wizards’ 14-game losing streak is the second-longest in franchise history, trailing only a 16-game skid in March 2010. They’ve given up an average of 126.7 PPG over that span. Only two teams in NBA history have allowed a higher scoring average over a 14-game span, all losses: the 1967-68 San Diego Rockets (an expansion team) and the 2022-23 San Antonio Spurs.

Do you have a friend or family member who loves the NBA as much as you do? Please consider sharing this free post with them.

Antetokounmpo was the night’s leading scorer with 46 points. He was followed by the Kings’ Malik Monk (season-high 39), Doncic (37), the Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram (34), the Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey (33), the Wizards’ Kyle Kuzma (32), Tatum (32), and Harris (31).
Cleveland’s Evan Mobley led all rebounders with 17 boards. Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert (16), Antetokounmpo (16), Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen (15), and Sabonis (15) also had 15-rebound efforts.
Doncic and the Raptors’ Immanuel Quickley were the night’s top playmakers, each delivering 11 assists. The Pistons’ Cade Cunningham and Lowry also recorded double-digit dimes with 10 apiece.
Monk scored a game-high 39 points (16-29 field goals, 5-8 on 3-pointers) in the Kings’ overtime win over the Timberwolves. It’s the 20th time he’s come off the bench to score at least 20 points in a game this season, six more such games than any other player (Bogdan Bogdanovic, 14).
Curry went 7-15 from 3-point range, the 352nd time he’s made at least five 3-pointers in a game. That’s by far the most such games in NBA history, 165 more than the next-closest player (Harden, 187).
Lillard shot just 4-18 from the field (22.2%), the 21st time this season he’s recorded a field goal percentage less than 40% on 15 or more attempts. No other player has recorded more than 15 such games (Curry and Trae Young).
The Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton was held scoreless in 23 minutes played, registering a plus-minus of -40. The last player to record a plus-minus of -40 or worse without scoring was Spencer Hawes on Feb. 9, 2014. In fact, it’s only happened six times in the play-by-play era, twice by Walter McCarty.