NBA Game Notes (Nov. 16, 2024)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on Nov. 16, 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 ⭐️
De’Aaron Fox scored a game-high 49 points to lead the shorthanded Sacramento Kings to a 121-117 victory over the Utah Jazz. Fox shot 16-30 from the field (3-4 on 3-pointers) and 14-19 from the free throw line. He also dished out a game-high nine assists and swiped a team-high two steals in 36 minutes of playing time.
Second ⭐️
Jakob Poltl scored a career-high 35 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Toronto Raptors fell to the Boston Celtics 126-123 in overtime. Poltl was red-hot from the floor, hitting 16 of his 19 attempts. He also snagged a game-high 12 rebounds in 37 minutes played.
Third ⭐️
Anthony Davis scored a team-high 31 points and hauled in a game-high 14 rebounds in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 104-99 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Davis went 12-20 from the field (2-4 on 3-pointers) and made five of his seven free throw attempts. He added two steals and one block in 37 minutes of action.
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Milestones
Fox, who scored a franchise-record 60 points Friday night, broke the Sacramento Kings record for most points scored over a two-game span with 109. The previous mark of 104 points was set by DeMarcus Cousins on Jan. 23 & 25, 2016. Fox and Cousins are the only players in franchise history to score at least 45 points in consecutive games.
The Lakers’ LeBron James appeared in his 1,505th regular season game, breaking a tie with John Stockton for fifth place on the NBA’s career leaderboard. Next up is Dirk Nowitzki with 1,522 games played.
The Boston Celtics launched 61 threes (making 21 of them), tying the franchise record for most 3-pointers attempted in a game. They also attempted 61 triples in their season opener versus the New York Knicks on October 22.
Streaking
The Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his 46th career triple-double, tallying 22 points (11-22 field goals), 15 rebounds, and 12 assists in a 115-114 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Antetokounmpo has scored at least 20 points on 50% shooting from the field in each of his 12 games this season. The only other player in NBA history to start a season with 12 such games in a row is Karl Malone in 1989-90, whose streak was snapped after 13 games.
Davis is the first Laker to open a season with 12 straight 20-point games since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1976-77. He has a streak of 14 consecutive 20-point games dating back to last season.
Luka Doncic scored 16 points with three 3-pointers made as the Dallas Mavericks ended their four-game slide with a 110-93 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. Doncic has scored at least 15 points with one 3-pointer made in each of his last 83 games, the longest such streak in NBA history by a whopping 20 games.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: Los Angeles Lakers (five).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Toronto Raptors (seven).
The Celtics have made 10 or more 3-pointers in 38 straight games, breaking a tie with the Charlotte Hornets (May 15 to Dec. 27, 2021) and the Utah Jazz (Oct. 19 to Dec. 28, 2022) for the eighth-longest such streak in NBA history.
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Miscellany
Fox led all scorers last night, bagging 49 points. Poltl (career-high 35), the Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram (32), and Davis (31) also produced 30-point efforts.
Antetokounmpo was the night’s top board man, securing 15 rebounds. Also collecting double-digit boards were Davis (14), the Hornets’ Moussa Diabate (14), Poltl (12), the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum (11), and the Raptors’ RJ Barrett (10).
Barrett was the top playmaker, handing out a career-high 15 assists last night. The only other player to deliver double-digit dimes was Antetokounmpo with 12.
Fox’s 109 points over a two-day span have only been eclipsed by two players in NBA history: Wilt Chamberlain (15 times, high of 139) and Kobe Bryant (110).
Barrett recorded his first career triple-double, scoring 25 points to go with 15 assists and 10 rebounds. He’s the first player in Raptors history to record at least 25 points, 15 assists, and 10 rebounds in a game.
Tatum fell one assist shy of a triple-double, compiling 22 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists. It’s the second straight game in which he’s missed a triple-double by either one rebound or one assist (but not both). The last Celtic to record two such games in a row was Larry Bird on April 1 & 3, 1991.