NBA Game Notes (March 8, 2023)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on March 8, 2023.

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Quick Hitters

Some notes from around the NBA:

• Devin Booker scored a game-high 44 points in just 28 minutes of action as the Phoenix Suns routed the Oklahoma City Thunder 132-101. Booker shot 17-23 from the field — including 6-10 from 3-point range — and made four of his five free throws. He became the first player in franchise history to score at least 35 points in four consecutive games.

• Trae Young scored 28 points on 11-14 shooting from the field, adding 10 assists and three steals to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 122-120 win over the Washington Wizards. It’s the 25th time Young has recorded at least 20 points and 10 assists in a game this season, five more such games than any other player. The Wizards’ Kristaps Porzingis scored a game-high 43 points in the loss, shooting 17-22 from the field with seven 3-pointers made. Porzingis is the first listed 7-footer in NBA history to record multiple games with at least 40 points and five 3-pointers made in a season.

• Kawhi Leonard had 24 points, 12 rebounds, three steals, and one monster dunk in the LA Clippers’ 108-100 victory over the Toronto Raptors. Since scoring a season-low six points on January 5, Leonard has averaged 28.2 PPG with shooting percentages of 52.7% from the field, 50.0% from 3-point range, and 90.7% from the free throw line over his last 23 games.

• Jayson Tatum recorded his 36th 30-point game of the season, scoring a game-high 30 points on 11-17 shooting from the field (including 6-10 from 3-point range) as the Boston Celtics cruised by the Portland Trail Blazers 115-93. The only player with more 30-point games than Tatum this season is Luka Doncic (40). The Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard had 27 points in the loss, the 27th straight game in which he’s scored at least 24 points. He’s averaging 37.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 7.2 APG with shooting splits of 50/38/94 over that span.

• Zach LaVine scored a game-high 29 points on 12-18 shooting from the field as the Chicago Bulls blew out the Denver Nuggets 117-96. Teammate Nikola Vucevic scored 25 points and grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds for his 40th double-double of the season, the third-most such games in the NBA. The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic compiled 18 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists, but shot less than 50% from the field for the first time since Oct. 28, 2022.

• CJ McCollum tallied 32 points, five rebounds, and five assists as the New Orleans Pelicans held off the Dallas Mavericks 113-106. McCollum shot 12-22 from the field, including 6-8 from 3-point range. He scored 13 of his points in the final four minutes to help stave off a furious Mavericks rally.

• Darius Garland recorded team highs of 25 points and seven assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers edged the Miami Heat 104-100. Backcourt mate Donovan Mitchell was held to 18 points on 7-18 shooting from the field, but broke JR Smith’s franchise record for most 3-pointers made in a season. The Heat’s Jimmy Butler scored a game-high 28 points in the loss, adding five rebounds, five assists, and two steals.

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1. Marc Stein, “Recommended by Marc Stein”