NBA Game Notes (March 13, 2024)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on March 13, 2024.

Mar 14, 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 ⭐️

DeMar DeRozan scored a season-high 46 points, including a game-tying fadeaway jumper with less than one second remaining in the fourth quarter, as the Chicago Bulls outlasted the Indiana Pacers 132-129 in overtime. DeRozan shot 15-24 from the field and 15-17 from the free throw line, adding nine rebounds and two steals in a game-high 44 minutes played.

At 34 years and 219 days old, DeRozan is the second-oldest player in NBA history to make at least 15 field goals and 15 free throws in a game, trailing only Karl Malone (34 years and 257 days).

Second ⭐️

Deandre Ayton scored a season-high 33 points and grabbed a game-high 19 rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Atlanta Hawks 106-102. Ayton made 15 of his 20 shots from the floor, becoming the first Trail Blazer since Rasheed Wallace (Jan. 15, 2003) to record a field goal percentage of at least 75% on 20 or more attempts.

Ayton has produced at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in each of his last three games. The last Trail Blazer to record at least three such games in a row was Bill Walton in December 1976 (six in a row).

Third ⭐️

Jalen Duren scored a team-high 24 points, snagged a career-high 23 rebounds, and handed out five assists in the Detroit Pistons’ 113-104 victory over the Toronto Raptors. It’s the second time Duren has produced at least 20 points, 20 rebounds, and five assists in a game. He and John Drew (twice) are the only players in NBA history to record such a game before their 21st birthday.

Duren missed just one of his nine field goal attempts. He and Domantas Sabonis (Jan. 29, 2024) are the only players since the ABA-NBA merger to record a 20-point, 20-rebound, 5-assist game while shooting at least 85% from the floor.

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Milestones

DeRozan increased his career point total to 23,180 to move into 32nd place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. He passed three Hall of Famers last night: Elgin Baylor (23,149), Dwyane Wade (23,165), and Adrian Dantley (23,177).
DeRozan also moved up the career leaderboard for free throws made, raising his total to 6,068. He surpassed Wilt Chamberlain (6,057) to take over 20th place on the NBA’s all-time list.
The Sacramento Kings’ Domantas Sabonis recorded his league-leading 23rd triple-double of the season, compiling 17 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 120-107 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Sabonis now stands alone in 10th place on the NBA’s single-season triple-doubles list, breaking a tie with Oscar Robertson (1964-65), Wilt Chamberlain (1966-67), and James Harden (2016-17).
Chris Paul appeared in his 1,255th regular season game in the Golden State Warriors’ 109-99 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, breaking a tie with Paul Silas and Tony Parker to take sole possession of 34th place on the NBA’s all-time list.
Paul made four field goals to increase his career total to 7,833, good enough to pass Bernard King (7,830) and move into 45th place on the NBA’s career leaderboard.

Streaking

Sabonis has produced a double-double in each of his last 48 games, the third-longest such streak since the ABA-NBA merger. The two longest double-double streaks in that period belong to Kevin Love (53 games) and Moses Malone (51). During the streak, Sabonis is averaging 20.5 PPG, 14.3 RPG, and 9.0 APG with a field goal percentage of 62.4%.
Anthony Davis had 22 points and 10 rebounds in the Lakers’ loss to the Kings. Davis has recorded 13 consecutive double-doubles, the third-longest such streak of his career. He’s averaging 24.6 PPG and 13.8 RPG over that span, shooting 54.1% from the field and 83.5% from the free throw line.
Ayton has recorded six consecutive double-doubles, one game shy of matching his career-long streak. He’s averaging 24.2 PPG and 15.3 RPG over that span, shooting 64.2% from the field and 90.0% from the free throw line.
Luka Doncic had 21 points and nine assists in the Mavericks’ win over the Golden State Warriors. Doncic saw his triple-double streak end at seven games, but has recorded 58 straight 15-point games and 16 straight 20-point games.
Doncic’s teammate, Daniel Gafford, went a perfect 5-5 from the field. He’s made 33 consecutive field goals, just two shy of Wilt Chamberlain’s NBA record of 35 in a row set in 1967. Gafford is the first player in NBA history to make at least five field goals without a miss in five straight games.
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Toronto Raptors (five).
The Indiana Pacers have scored at least 100 points in each of their last 75 regular season games, tying the Denver Nuggets (Dec. 2, 1986 to Nov. 20, 1987) for the 11th-longest such streak in NBA history.

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DeRozan led all scorers with a season-high 46 points last night. He was followed by the Hawks’ Dejounte Murray (40), the Trail Blazers’ Anfernee Simons (36), the New Orleans Pelicans’ Zion Williamson (33), Ayton (season-high 33), and the Lakers’ Austin Reaves (28).
Duren was the night’s top rebounder, hauling in a career-high 23 boards. Next in line were Ayton (19), Sabonis (19), the Hawks’ Clint Capela (14), the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic (14), the Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo (13), and the Lakers’ LeBron James (13).
The Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton was the night’s leading distributor, dishing out 14 assists. Four other players delivered double-digit dimes: the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Darius Garland (season-high-tying 11), the Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving (season-high-tying 10), the Memphis Grizzlies’ Scotty Pippen Jr. (career-high 10), and Sabonis (10).
The Sacramento Kings finished 4-0 versus the Lakers this season, sweeping the season series for just the second time in franchise history. They also went 4-0 against the Lakers in the 2015-16 campaign.
The Denver Nuggets beat the Miami Heat 100-88 to take over sole possession of first place in the Western Conference standings with a record of 46-20. The Nuggets are a league-best 10-1 since the All-Star break, the lone loss coming in overtime to the Phoenix Suns. They’ve outscored their opponents by an average of 11.2 PPG over that span, with seven wins by 10 or more points.