Kings Trio Leads Win
Led by the trio of Domantas Sabonis, De’Aaron Fox, and Kevin Huerter, the Sacramento Kings picked up their fourth consecutive win, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 125-110. It’s the 48th time the Kings have scored at least 120 points in a game over the last two seasons, three more such games than any other team in that span.
Sabonis compiled 29 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists, and three steals, making 13 of his 19 attempts from the floor. Sabonis is averaging 24.0 PPG, 12.3 RPG, and 9.8 APG over his last four games, shooting 67.2% from the field.
Starting guards Fox and Huerter scored 28 points apiece. Huerter shot 10-16 from the field and dished out seven assists, while Fox contributed five rebounds, five assists, and four steals.
Sabonis, Fox, and Huerter are the first Kings trio to each record at least 25 points and five assists in the same game since the franchise moved to Sacramento in 1985. They are the first trio to each record a 25-point, 5-assist game with multiple steals since the Golden State Warriors’ Chris Mullin, Tim Hardaway, and Sarunas Marciulionis on Dec. 17, 1991.
The Lakers were led by LeBron James, who tallied 28 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds, and four steals. James became the second-oldest player in NBA history to record a triple-double (age in years-days):
40-127 — Karl Malone (Nov. 28, 2003)
38-320 — LeBron James (Nov. 15, 2023)
38-224 — Tim Duncan (Dec. 5, 2014)
38-148 — Elvin Hayes (April 13, 1984)
James — who is in his 21st season — is the only player in NBA history to record a triple-double in his 20th season or later. This is the third time James has accomplished the feat, the other two occurrences coming on Jan. 31, 2023 and April 2, 2023.
James now has 108 career triple-doubles, breaking a tie with Jason Kidd for fifth place on the NBA’s all-time list. He’s recorded at least one triple-double in 19 seasons, the most such seasons in NBA history.
D’Angelo Russell shared team-high scoring honors with James, scoring 28 points on 12-20 shooting from the floor. Russell also grabbed five rebounds and handed out five assists.
Suns Snap Wolves Streak
The Phoenix Suns routed the Minnesota Timberwolves 133-115, snapping the Wolves’ seven-game winning streak. The Suns led by six points after the first quarter, 22 points at halftime, and 28 points entering the final period.
The Suns’ Devin Booker scored 31 points and dished out five assists in his return from a five-game absence. Booker became the first player in franchise history to open a season with three straight 30-point, 5-assist games.
Booker shot 12-22 from the floor and made all five of his free throws. Booker is the only player since the ABA-NBA merger to record at least 30 points and five assists while shooting better than 50% from the field in each of his first three games of a season.
Teammate Kevin Durant shared game-high scoring honors, accounting for 31 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Durant made 11 of his 15 attempts from the field and hit all seven of his free throws.
Durant has scored at least 25 points in each of his last 10 games, one game shy of the franchise record of 11 such games in a row shared by Amar’e Stoudemire and Booker. Durant is just the second player in NBA history to record at least 10 straight 25-point games after his 35th birthday, joining LeBron James. James had two such streaks, a 23-game streak in 2021-22 and a 13-game streak last season.
Karl-Anthony Towns led the Timberwolves with 25 points, shooting 10-17 from the field and 5-5 from the free throw line. Towns has rebounded from a slow start, averaging 26.2 PPG on 56/45/94 shooting splits over his last five games.
Shorthanded Celtics Beat Sixers
Despite missing starters Jaylen Brown (illness) and Kristaps Porzingis (injury), the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 117-107. The Celtics improved to 9-2 on the season, tying the Denver Nuggets for the best record in the NBA.
Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 29 points for the Celtics, adding eight rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Boston’s Derrick White scored 27 points, shooting 7-12 from the field and 9-10 from the free throw line, while backcourt mate Jrue Holiday scored 18 points and dished out a game-high 10 assists.
Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxyer led the Sixers with 20 points apiece. It’s the 10th time Embiid and Maxey have each scored at least 20 points in the same game this season. They are just the third duo in NBA history to record 10 such games through their team’s first 11 games of a season, joining:
Elgin Baylor & Jerry West (1961-62 Los Angeles Lakers)
Oscar Robertson & Jack Twyman (1961-62 Cincinnati Royals)
Embiid also recorded team highs of nine rebounds and seven assists. It’s the fourth time Embiid has led the Sixers — either outright or tied — in points, rebounds, and assists in a game this season. The only players with more such games are Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic, each with five.
Quick Hitters
Other notes on last night’s action:
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored a season-high 31 points as the Dallas Mavericks ran away with a 130-117 win over the Washington Wizards. Hardaway Jr. shot 11-20 from the field, including 7-11 from 3-point range. The Mavericks’ Luka Doncic scored 26 points and dished out a game-high 10 assists, while rookie Dereck Lively II scored 17 points (missing just one of his eight shots from the floor) and snagged a team-high nine rebounds.
Damian Lillard produced his highest-scoring game since opening night, pouring in 37 points as the Milwaukee Bucks downed the Toronto Raptors 128-112. Lillard also dished out a team-high 13 assists, nine of which led to 3-pointers. Malik Beasley was on the receiving end of seven of Lillard’s assists, scoring 30 points on 11-14 shooting from the field (8-11 on 3-pointers). Scottie Barnes scored a team-high 29 points for the Raptors, adding nine rebounds and seven assists.
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell led all scorers with 34 points in a 109-95 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Mitchell hit 13 of his 20 shots from the field, including five of his eight 3-pointers. Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley scored 21 points with game highs of 12 rebounds and three blocks (tied).
Julius Randle had 29 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists as the New York Knicks edged the Atlanta Hawks 116-114. Jalen Brunson chipped in with 24 points and eight assists for the Knicks, while Mitchell Robinson tallied game highs of 15 rebounds and three steals. Bogdan Bogdanovic came off the bench to score a team-high 28 points for the Hawks. Teammate Trae Young handed out a game-high 17 assists but shot just 4-12 from the field, missing all four of his 3-point attempts.