NBA Game Notes (March 25, 2024)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on March 25, 2024.

Mar 26, 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 ⭐️

Donte DiVincenzo scored a career-high 40 points as the New York Knicks blew out the Detroit Pistons 124-99. DiVincenzo shot 14-23 from the field, making a franchise-record 11 of his 20 attempts from 3-point range. The previous single-game mark of 10 3-pointers made had been shared by JR Smith (April 6, 2014) and Evan Fournier (Jan. 6, 2022).

It’s the 29th time in NBA history a player has attempted 20 or more 3-pointers in a game. DiVincenzo is just the third member of that group to make at least 55% of his long-range attempts, joining Damian Lillard (twice) and Klay Thompson.

Second ⭐️

Nikola Jokic produced game highs of 29 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists (tied with teammate Reggie Jackson), and three steals in the Denver Nuggets’ 128-103 rout of the Memphis Grizzlies. Jokic went 11-18 from the floor and made six of his seven free throws.

It’s the sixth time Jokic has been a game’s leader (either outright or tied) in all four of those categories this season. The last player to record six such games in a season was LeBron James in 2008-09.

Third ⭐️

Luka Doncic recorded his 19th triple-double of the season, scoring a team-high 29 points to go with game highs of 13 assists and 12 rebounds as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Utah Jazz 115-105. He’s the ninth player in NBA history to produce 75 career triple-doubles, becoming the second-youngest player (25 years and 26 days) and the second-fastest player (392 games) to reach that mark.

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. Sign up using the special “March Madness” link below and you’ll get 25% off your first 12 months.

Get 25% off for 1 year

Milestones

Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis recorded his 25th triple-double of the season, compiling 11 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 108-96 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. He became the fifth player in NBA history to produce at least 25 triple-doubles in a season, joining Russell Westbrook (four times), Oscar Robertson (three times), Wilt Chamberlain, and Nikola Jokic. Sabonis is tied with Westbrook (2017-18) for ninth place on the NBA’s single-season triple-doubles list.
Lauri Markkanen scored a game-high 34 points in the Jazz’s loss to the Mavericks, going 10-19 from the field with six 3-pointers made. He became just the third listed 7-footer in NBA history to reach 1,000 career 3-pointers made, joining Dirk Nowitzki and Channing Frye.
The Chicago Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan recorded game highs of 27 points and five steals in a 107-105 loss to the Washington Wizards. DeRozan made nine field goals to increase his career total to 8,341, passing Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler (8,335) and moving into 34th place on the NBA’s all-time list.
The Toronto Raptors recorded 23 assists in their 96-88 loss to the Brooklyn Nets, raising their season total to 2,086. That’s a new franchise single-season record, surpassing the previous mark of 2,085 assists established in 2018-19.

Streaking

Sabonis recorded his 54th consecutive double-double, snapping a tie with Kevin Love (2010-11) for the longest such streak since the ABA-NBA merger. He’s one game away from matching the longest double-double streak in franchise history achieved by Jerry Lucas (Jan. 2, 1968 to Nov. 6, 1968).
Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 37 points in the Boston Celtics’ stunning 120-118 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Tatum has scored at least 25 points in each of his last eight games, matching the second-longest such streak of his career. He’s averaging 30.4 PPG with 46/43/85 shooting splits over that span.
The second member of Boston’s dynamic duo, Jaylen Brown, scored 24 points to register his 14th straight 20-point game, the second-longest such streak of his career. Brown is averaging 28.4 PPG over that span, shooting 53.7% from the field and 40.4% from 3-point range.
The Houston Rockets’ Jalen Green scored a team-high 27 points in a 110-92 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Green has scored at least 25 points in six straight games, tying the longest such streak of his career. Over that span, he’s averaging 33.2 PPG with 52/47/80 shooting splits.
Doncic has scored at least 15 points with one 3-pointer made in each of his last 62 games, the second-longest such streak in NBA history. The record of 63 such games in a row is held by James Harden, a streak which spanned multiple seasons.
DiVincenzo has made multiple 3-pointers in each of his last 29 games, the longest such streak in Knicks history (by eight games) and the 11th-longest such streak in NBA history.
The Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 22 points in a win over the Celtics, shooting 8-15 from the field with four 3-pointers made. Bogdanovic has made at least one 3-pointer in each of his last 79 regular season games, the second-longest such streak in franchise history and tied for the 10th-longest such streak in NBA history.
Bogdanovic’s teammate, Dejounte Murray, recorded a career-high-tying 15 assists and three steals, his fourth straight game with at least 10 assists and three steals. The only other player over the last 30 seasons to produce at least four such games in a row is Rajon Rondo (three times, high of five games).
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: Houston Rockets (nine),
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Toronto Raptors (11), Detroit Pistons (seven), Portland Trail Blazers (seven), Utah Jazz (six), and Charlotte Hornets (five).
The Rockets’ nine-game winning streak is the franchise’s longest since the 2018-19 season. They’ve outscored their opponents by an average of 15.0 PPG over that stretch.
The Indiana Pacers beat the LA Clippers 133-116, their 81st consecutive 100-point game in the regular season. They tied the Cincinnati Royals (Nov. 18, 1960 to Nov. 21, 1961) for the fifth-longest such streak in NBA history. The Pacers became just the second team in NBA history to score at least 100 points in each of their first 73 games of a season, joining the 1981-82 Denver Nuggets (who did so in all 82 games).
The LA Clippers have lost five straight home games, the last four by 14 or more points. It’s just their second five-game home losing streak in the last 15 seasons (the other came in the 2021-22 season).

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.

DiVincenzo led all scorers with his career-high 40 points last night. He was followed by Tatum (37), the Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker (36), Markkanen (34), and the Pacers’ Pascal Siakam (31).
The San Antonio Spurs’ Jeremy Sochan was the night’s top board man, hauling in a career-high 18 rebounds. The Knicks’ Precious Achiuwa (16), the Nets’ Nic Claxton (16), the Bulls’ Nikola Vucevic (16), and the Wizards’ Richaun Holmes (15) also had 15-rebound efforts.
Murray was the leading table-setter last night, matching his career high with 15 assists. Five more players delivered double-digit dimes: the Wizards’ Jared Butler (career-high 13), Doncic (13), the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Darius Garland (10), the Knicks’ Josh Hart (10), and Sabonis (10).
Hart recorded his sixth triple-double of the season, tallying 11 points and 14 rebounds to go with his 10 assists. The only players in franchise history to record more triple-doubles in a single season are Micheal Ray Richardson (twice) and Walt Frazier.
Mavericks center Daniel Gafford posted 13 points (6-7 field goals), 11 rebounds, five assists, and five blocks in a win over the Jazz. Gafford is averaging 15.2 PPG with a field goal percentage of 86.8% over his last 10 games. He’s the first player in NBA history to average at least 15 PPG on 85% shooting from the field over a 10-game span.
The Atlanta Hawks trailed by 30 points with less than five minutes remaining in the second quarter before rallying to stun the Celtics 120-118. The Hawks were down by 22 points at the end of the first quarter, the largest such deficit ever overcome to win a game in franchise history.
The Trail Blazers started five rookies in their loss to the Rockets: Scoot Henderson (guard), Rayan Rupert (guard), Toumani Camara (forward), Kris Murray (forward), and Duop Reath (center). It’s the second straight game that quintet has started. The only other team to start five rookies in a game since the NBA began tracking starters in 1970-71 is the Golden State Warriors on April 26, 2012.
The Denver Nuggets remained in first place in the Western Conference standings with their win over the Grizzlies, improving to 51-21 on the season. Denver is 15-2 since the All-Star break, with an average differential of +10.3 PPG over that span.