NBA Game Notes (March 30, 2023)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on March 30, 2023.
Celtics Destroy Bucks
In a matchup of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference standings, the Boston Celtics destroyed the Milwaukee Bucks 140-99. It’s the second time the Bucks have lost a game by at least 40 points this season. No NBA champion has ever recorded multiple such losses in a season. In fact, only three champions have even recorded one such loss: 1959-60 Celtics, 1965-66 Celtics, and 2017-18 Golden State Warriors.
The Celtics’ Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 40 points, his 11th 40-point game of the season. That ties Larry Bird (1987-88) for the most such games in a single season in franchise history. It was Tatum’s 22nd career 40-point game, breaking a tie with Paul Pierce for the second-most such games in franchise history.
Tatum shot 12-18 from the field — including 8-10 from 3-point range — and made all eight of his free throws. He also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and did not commit a turnover.
Teammate Jaylen Brown scored 30 points on 13-20 shooting from the field, adding five rebounds and five assists. It’s the 33rd time Tatum and Brown have each scored at least 25 points in the same game this season, tied for the second-most such games in NBA history by a duo:
37 — Alex English & Kiki VanDeWeghe (1982-83)
33 — Oscar Robertson & Jack Twyman (1961-62)
33 — Elgin Baylor & Jerry West (1962-63)
33 — Baylor & West (1964-65)
33 — English & VanDeWeghe (1983-84)
33 — Shaquille O’Neal & Kobe Bryant (2000-01)
33 — Jayson Tatum & Jaylen Brown (2022-23)
The Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a team-high 24 points in 25 minutes played, but made only 11 of his 27 attempts from the field. Since the ABA-NBA merger, the only player to attempt more shots from the field in a game with 25 or fewer minutes played is Lou Hudson, who hoisted 28 shots in 25 minutes on Nov. 11, 1977.
Ingram Leads Pelicans
Brandon Ingram recorded his second career triple-double, compiling 31 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists as the New Orleans Pelicans routed the Denver Nuggets 107-88. The Pelicans have won six of their last seven games to improve to 39-38 on the season. New Orleans has not finished with a winning record since the 2017-18 season.
This was Ingram’s second 30-point triple-double in his last five games. The only other player in franchise history to record multiple 30-point triple-doubles is Chris Paul (Jan. 14, 2009 and March 11, 2009).
Ingram has recorded three 30-point, 10-assist games in his last five games. No other player in franchise history has recorded three such games in a five-game span. Prior to this stretch, Ingram had only recorded one such game in his entire career (Feb. 6, 2022).
Ingram has scored at least 25 points in each of his last eight games, the longest such streak of his career. He’s one game shy of matching the franchise record of nine such games in a row held by Zion Williamson (twice).
The Pelicans’ CJ McCollum scored 23 points, shooting 8-15 from the field with six 3-pointers made. McCollum ended the game with exactly 200 3-pointers made on the season, the first time he’s reached that mark. McCollum is the third player in franchise history to make at least 200 3-pointers in a season, joining Peja Stojakovic (2007-08) and Ryan Anderson (2012-13).
Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with 21 points, but shot just 6-15 from the field (40.0%). The Nuggets were missing MVP candidate Nikola Jokic, who sat out the game with calf soreness.