NBA Game Notes (Nov. 19, 2024)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on Nov. 19, 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 ⭐️
Dalton Knecht tied an NBA rookie record by sinking nine 3-pointers in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 124-118 victory over the Utah Jazz on the third night of NBA Cup action. Knecht finished with a game-high 37 points, going 12-16 from the field (9-12 on 3-pointers) and 4-5 from the free throw line. He also had five rebounds and a game-high rating of plus-18 points in 38 turnover-free minutes.
Second ⭐️
Jayson Tatum scored a team-high 33 points as the Boston Celtics held off the Cleveland Cavaliers 120-117, snapping the Cavaliers’ 15-game winning streak. Tatum shot 11-22 from the floor, hitting six of his 10 attempts from 3-point range. He also contributed a game-high 12 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals in 38 minutes of action.
Third ⭐️
Cameron Johnson poured in a game-high 34 points in the Brooklyn Nets’ narrow 116-115 win over the Charlotte Hornets. Johnson went 11-20 from the field — including 6-12 from 3-point range — and made all six of his free throw attempts. He added five rebounds, four assists, and two blocks, posting a game-high rating of plus-18 points in 38 minutes of court time.
Milestones
Russell Westbrook became the first player in NBA history to reach 200 career triple-doubles, tallying 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists in the Denver Nuggets’ 122-110 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Westbrook has now recorded a triple-double for six different franchises, the most in NBA history. He had shared the previous mark of five with Mark Jackson and Rajon Rondo.
As mentioned above, Knecht tied the NBA rookie record for most 3-pointers made in a game. He matched previous efforts by Rodrigue Beaubois (March 27, 2010), Yogi Ferrell (Feb. 3, 2017), and Keyonte George (Feb. 15, 2024).
Streaking
Lakers center Anthony Davis scored 26 points and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds. He’s the first Laker to open a season with 13 straight 20-point games since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1976-77. Davis has a streak of 15 consecutive 20-point games dating back to last season.
Luka Doncic racked up 26 points, five rebounds, five assists, and three steals as the Dallas Mavericks routed the New Orleans Pelicans 132-91. Doncic hit three 3-pointers, extending his streak of games with at least 15 points and one 3-pointer made to 84. It’s the longest such streak in NBA history by a whopping 21 games.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: Los Angeles Lakers (six).
The Boston Celtics shot 22-41 from long range, their third consecutive game with 20 or more 3-pointers made. Only two other teams in NBA history have recorded at least three such games in a row: the 2023-24 Celtics (four straight) and the 2021-22 Utah Jazz (three).
Miscellany
Knecht led all scorers last night, bagging a career-high 37 points. The Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell (35), Johnson (34), Tatum (33), and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32) also produced 30-point efforts.
Davis was the night’s top board made, hauling in 14 rebounds. He was followed by the Thunder’s Luguentz Dort (career-high 12); Tatum (12); the Grizzlies’ Santi Aldama (11); the Cavaliers’ Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley (11 apiece); and the Nuggets’ Michael Porter Jr. (11).
Westbrook was the leading playmaker, handing out 14 assists last night. Also delivering double-digit dimes were the Nets’ Dennis Schroder (12), the Lakers’ LeBron James (12), and the San Antonio Spurs’ Chris Paul (11).
Davis (26 points, 14 rebounds) and James (26 points, 12 assists) each recorded a 25-point double-double in the same game for the 18th time. Only two duos since the ABA-NBA merger have produced more such games: Karl Malone & John Stockton (27) and Larry Bird & Robert Parish (24).