NBA Game Notes (March 29, 2024)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on March 29, 2024.

Mar 30, 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 ⭐️

Victor Wembanyama scored a career-high 40 points and matched his career-best with 20 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs outlasted the New York Knicks 130-126 in overtime. Wembanyama also tied Devin Vassell for the team lead in assists with seven, becoming the first player in franchise history to record at least 40 points, 20 rebounds, and five assists in a game. He’s also the first rookie to reach those marks in a game since John Drew on Dec. 28, 1974.

Wembanyama shot 13-22 from the field — including 4-9 from 3-point range — and made 10 of his 12 free throws. He also recorded two steals and one block in his 38 minutes played.

Second ⭐️

Jalen Brunson scored a career-high 61 points in the Knicks’ overtime loss to the Spurs. Brunson went 25-47 from the floor (5-13 on 3-pointers) and 6-6 from the free throw line, setting franchise single-game records for both field goals made and attempted. He became the second player in NBA history to make at least 20 2-pointers and five 3-pointers in a game, joining Kobe Bryant (Jan. 22, 2006).

Brunson also dished out six assists, committing just one turnover in 43 minutes of action. Since the NBA began tracking individual turnovers in 1977-78, the only players to score more points in a game in which they committed at most one turnover are Joel Embiid on Jan. 22, 2024 (70 points, one turnover) and Carmelo Anthony on Jan. 24, 2014 (62 points, zero turnovers). The latter was the game in which Anthony set the Knicks’ single-game scoring record.

Third ⭐️

Kawhi Leonard racked up game highs of 29 points, 11 rebounds, five assists (tied with two others), four steals (tied with teammate James Harden), and two blocks (tied with three others) as the LA Clippers edged the Orlando Magic 100-97. Leonard shot 12-21 from the field, making three of his six 3-point attempts.

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Milestones

Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis recorded his 26th triple-double of the season, compiling 13 points, a game-high 12 rebounds, and a team-high 10 assists in a 107-103 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. He tied Oscar Robertson (twice) for seventh place on the NBA’s single-season triple-doubles list.
Luka Doncic scored 26 points and handed out a game-high 12 assists to power the Mavericks. It’s his 44th double-double of the season, tying the Mavericks’ single-season record he set in 2021-22.
The second member of the Mavericks’ dynamic duo, Kyrie Irving, scored a game-high 30 points (11-16 field goals). He surpassed 17,000 career points, making him the 12th active player to reach that mark. Irving also slipped past Chris Paul to take over 32nd place on the NBA’s career leaderboard for 3-pointers made (1,709 to 1,708).
Speaking of Chris Paul, he scored 11 points and distributed a game-high nine assists in the Golden State Warriors’ 115-97 win over the Charlotte Hornets. Paul now has 22,202 career points, surpassing Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler (22,195) for 36th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Donte DiVincenzo made six 3-pointers in the Knicks’ loss to the Spurs, increasing his season total to 245. He broke the franchise record for most 3-pointers made in a season, surpassing the previous mark of 241 established by Evan Fournier in 2021-22.
Nikola Jokic scored a game-high 32 points to go with a team-high 10 rebounds and five assists, but it wasn’t enough as the Denver Nuggets were downed by the Minnesota Timberwolves 111-98. Jokic recorded his 60th double-double of the season, the third time he’s reached that mark. He’s tied with Andre Drummond for the most such seasons among active players.
Jokic’s backup, DeAndre Jordan, grabbed seven rebounds in just 10 minutes played to raise his career total to 10,498. He passed Hall of Famer David Robinson (10,497) and moved into 34th place on the NBA’s all-time list.
The Nuggets’ Michael Porter Jr. scored 14 points with two 3-pointers made. He became the first player in franchise history to reach 200 3-pointers made in a season (201 and counting).
Mikal Bridges scored 25 points with seven 3-pointers made as the Brooklyn Nets defeated the Chicago Bulls 125-108. His last make from 3-point range was his 200th of the season, the first time he’s reached that mark.
The Houston Rockets’ Fred VanVleet scored 22 points and made four 3-pointers in a 101-100 win over the Utah Jazz. He reached 200 3-pointers made for the third consecutive season (201 and counting).
The Indiana Pacers blew out the Los Angeles Lakers 109-90, giving head coach Rick Carlisle his 938th regular season win. That ties Hall of Famer Red Auerbach for 12th place on the NBA’s career leaderboard.
The Miami Heat set a franchise single-game record with 41 assists in their 142-82 demolition of the Portland Trail Blazers, the largest margin of victory in franchise history by a whopping 17 points. It’s just the ninth time in NBA history a team has won a game by 60 or more points.
The Portland Trail Blazers now have three 60-point losses, two of them coming this season. They are the only franchise in NBA history with multiple such losses.
The Brooklyn Nets made 18 3-pointers in the second half of their win over the Bulls, tying the NBA record for most 3-pointers made in a half. They share the mark with the Utah Jazz (April 3, 2021), the Phoenix Suns (April 12, 2021), the Indiana Pacers (Nov. 4, 2023), and the Milwaukee Bucks (March 17, 2024).

Streaking

Sabonis recorded his 56th consecutive double-double, breaking a tie with Jerry Lucas for the longest such streak in franchise history. Leaguewide, the last player to produce a double-double streak of at least 56 games was Elvin Hayes in 1968-69 (60 in a row).
Doncic has scored at least 15 points with one 3-pointer made in each of his last 64 games, breaking a tie with James Harden for the longest such streak in NBA history.
Anthony Davis tallied game highs of 24 points and 15 rebounds in the Lakers’ loss to the Pacers. Davis has recorded at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in each of his last five games, matching the longest such streak of his career. Only four players since the ABA-NBA merger have produced a longer such streak: Moses Malone (twice), Bill Walton, Charles Barkley, and Kevin Love.
Jalen Green scored a game-high 34 points in the Rockets’ win over the Jazz, 30 of them coming in a huge second half. Green has scored at least 25 points in each of his last eight games, the longest such streak of his career. He’s averaging 33.8 PPG over that span, shooting 52.2% from the field and 47.7% from 3-point range.
Wembanyama has recorded at least 10 points and one block in each of his last 33 games, the second-longest such streak by a rookie since the NBA began tracking blocks in 1973-74. The rookie record of 41 such games in a row is held by David Robinson (1989-90).
DiVincenzo has made multiple 3-pointers in each of his last 31 games, the longest such streak in Knicks history (by 10 games) and the eighth-longest such streak in NBA history.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: Houston Rockets (11) and Dallas Mavericks (six).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Portland Trail Blazers (nine) and Utah Jazz (eight).

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Brunson was the night’s leading scorer with his career-high 61 points. He was followed by Wembanyama (career-high 40), Green (34), the Pistons’ Cade Cunningham (33), Jokic (32), the Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan (31), the Jazz’s John Collins (season-high 30), and Irving (30).
Wembanyama led all players with his career-high-tying 20 rebounds last night. Eleven more players hauled in at least a dozen boards: the Pistons’ Jalen Duren (17); Davis (15); the Rockets’ Amen Thompson (14); the Nets’ Nic Claxton (13); the Lakers’ Austin Reaves (13); the Heat’s Bam Adebyao (12) and Thomas Bryant (season-high 12); the Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert (12); the Knicks’ Josh Hart (12) and Mitchell Robinson (12); and Sabonis (12).
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Darius Garland and Doncic were the night’s top playmakers, handing out 12 assists apiece (Garland matched his season high). The Philadelphia 76ers’ Tyrese Maxey (career-high-tying 11), the Nuggets’ Reggie Jackson (10), and Sabonis (10) also delivered double-digit dimes.
Brunson (61 points) and Wembanyama (40 points, 20 rebounds) became just the second pair of players in NBA history to record a 60-point game and a 40-point, 20-rebound game, respectively, in the same contest. They joined Wilt Chamberlain (78 points, 43 rebounds) and Elgin Baylor (63 points, 31 rebounds), who achieved the feat on Dec. 8, 1961. Chamberlain and Baylor are the only players in NBA history to each score at least 60 points in the same game.
The Minnesota Timberwolves’ huge road win over the Nuggets coupled with the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 128-103 rout of the Phoenix Suns left the two teams tied atop the Western Conference standings at 51-22. The Nuggets sit in third place, just a half game behind with a record of 51-23.