NBA Game Notes (March 8, 2024)

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

D’Angelo Russell scored a season-high 44 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 123-122 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. He scored 21 of the Lakers’ 27 points in the fourth quarter, including a game-winning floater with just 5.9 seconds remaining.

Russell also dished out a team-high nine assists and grabbed six rebounds. He went 17-25 from the field, hitting a career-high-tying nine of his 12 attempts from 3-point range. Russell is just the third player in franchise history to make at least nine 3-pointers in a game, joining Kobe Bryant (four times, high of 12) and LeBron James.

Second ⭐️

Dejounte Murray matched his career high with 41 points in the Atlanta Hawks’ 99-92 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. He added seven rebounds, six assists, and two steals, shooting 17-25 from the field with six 3-pointers made.

It’s the second time Murray has recorded a 40-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist game with an effective field goal percentage of at least 80%. He’s the only player in franchise history to produce multiple such games.

Third ⭐️

Jarrett Allen scored a career-high 33 points and hauled in a game-high 18 rebounds as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 113-104 in overtime. Allen also recorded two steals and two blocks, committing just one turnover and one personal foul in a career-high 46 minutes played.

Allen shot 9-19 from the floor and made 15 of his 21 free throws. He established new career highs for free throws made and attempted. Only two players in Cavaliers history have attempted more free throws in a game: LeBron James (nine times, high of 28) and Donovan Mitchell (25).