NBA Game Notes (Nov. 11, 2024)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on Nov. 11, 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 ⭐️
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in a career-high 45 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder held off the LA Clippers 134-128. Gilgeous-Alexander went 13-21 from the floor (4-8 on 3-pointers) and 15-16 from the free throw line. He also contributed game highs of nine assists (tied with James Harden) and five steals and blocked a team-high two shots in 39 minutes of playing time.
Second ⭐️
Victor Wembanyama produced game highs of 34 points and 14 rebounds in the San Antonio Spurs’ 116-96 blowout win over the Sacramento Kings. Wembanyama shot 13-22 from the field with a career-high-tying six 3-pointers made. He also dished out six assists and blocked a game-high three shots in 34 minutes played.
Third ⭐️
Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 36 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers remained unbeaten with a 119-113 victory over the Chicago Bulls. Mitchell went 12-26 from the floor — including 7-16 from 3-point range — and made five of his six free throws. He added eight rebounds and a game-high four steals (tied with two others) in 35 turnover-free minutes.
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Milestones
Gilgeous-Alexander became the first Thunder/Sonics player to record at least 45 points and five steals in a game since the NBA began tracking steals in the 1973-74 season.
Wembanyama recorded at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks in a game for the sixth time, tying Shaquille O’Neal for the most such games by a player before his 21st birthday (the NBA began tracking blocks in 1973-74).
Wembanyama appeared in his 82nd NBA game, with career averages of 21.2 PPG, 10.6 RPG, and 3.6 BPG. Since 1973-74, only three other players have averaged at least 20 PPG, 10 RPG, and 3 BPG through their first 82 games: David Robinson, O’Neal, and Alonzo Mourning.
The San Antonio Spurs shot 22-46 from long range, tying the franchise record for most 3-pointers made in a game. They also hit 22 threes in a game on March 14, 2023.
Streaking
Wembanyama has blocked at least one shot in each of his last 50 games, the longest active streak in the NBA. Since the 1973-74 season, no other player has recorded such a streak longer than 33 games before their 21st birthday.
The Clippers’ Norman Powell scored a team-high 31 points on 10-15 shooting from the floor. He extended his streak of 20-point games to 10, a career best by five games. Powell is averaging 26.9 PPG with 55/54/81 shooting splits over that stretch.
Kings center Domantas Sabonis scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, his 10th straight double-double. Sabonis has recorded a double-double in 74 of his last 76 regular season games.
The Cleveland Cavaliers became the eighth team in NBA history to win their first 12 games of a season. The Cavaliers and the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors are the only members of that group to score at least 100 points in each game.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: Cleveland Cavaliers (12).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: New Orleans Pelicans (five) and Washington Wizards (five).
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Miscellany
Gilgeous-Alexander paced all scorers with his career-high 45 points last night. He was followed by Mitchell (36), Wembanyama (34), Powell (31), the Thunder’s Jalen Williams (28), the Rockets’ Alperen Sengun (27), and the Bulls’ Zach LaVine (26).
Sengun was the night’s top board man, hauling in 17 rebounds. Wembanyama (14), the Clippers’ Ivica Zubac (14), Sabonis (12), the Clippers’ James Harden (11), the Pelicans’ Yves Missi (career-high 11), the Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley (11), and the Bulls’ Patrick Williams (10) also collected double-digit boards.
The Brooklyn Nets’ Ben Simmons led all playmakers last night with 12 assists. Also handing out double-digit helpers were the Spurs’ Chris Paul (11) and the Pelicans’ Brandon Boston Jr. (career-high 10).
Paul scored 12 points to go with his 11 assists, his 517th career points-assists double-double. The only players in NBA history with more such games are John Stockton (714) and Magic Johnson (543).
Only two teams in the Eastern Conference have a winning record this season, but there are 10 such teams in the Western Conference. The West has a record of 34-15 (.694) in interconference matchups this season, with an average differential of plus-4.9 points per game.
Typo in the Wemby graph. Three-pointer