NBA Game Notes (Nov. 2, 2024)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on Nov. 2, 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 ⭐️
Damian Lillard scored a game-high 41 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Milwaukee Bucks fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-113. Lillard shot 13-24 from the field, sinking 10 of his 15 attempts from 3-point range. He also dished out a team-high nine assists (tied) and committed just one turnover in 39 minutes of action.
Second ⭐️
Nikola Jokic fell one assist shy of a triple-double, tallying game highs of 27 points, 16 rebounds, and nine assists as the Denver Nuggets routed the Utah Jazz 129-103. Jokic went 10-18 from the floor (3-4 on 3-pointers) and made all four of his free throw attempts. He posted a game-high rating of plus-31 points in 30 minutes of playing time.
Third ⭐️
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 34 points, grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds, and handed out a team-high nine assists (tied with Lillard) in the Bucks’ loss to the Cavaliers. Antetokounmpo made 15 of his 27 field goal attempts and was not charged with a turnover in 39 minutes played.
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Milestones
Lillard tied the franchise record for most 3-pointers made in a game with 10. Ray Allen also hit 10 three in a game for the Bucks on April 14, 2002.
Lillard now has 59 career 40-point games, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo for the 15th-most such games in NBA history.
The Phoenix Suns’ Kevin Durant scored 21 points on 7-16 shooting from the floor in a 103-97 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, reaching 10,000 career field goals made on a 3-pointer with 11:33 remaining in the second quarter. Durant is the 16th player in NBA history to attain that milestone.
Domantas Sabonis recorded his 60th career triple-double, compiling 17 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists in the Sacramento Kings’ 131-128 overtime loss to the Toronto Raptors. He’s the 10th player in NBA history to reach that mark, and just the third center to do so (Wilt Chamberlain and Jokic).
The Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook recorded five steals, increasing his career total to 1,861. He passed Kevin Garnett (1,859) and moved into a tie with Isiah Thomas for 17th place on the NBA’s all-time list (steals have been tracked since the 1973-74 season).
Streaking
Antetokounmpo has recorded at least 20 points and 10 rebounds with 50% shooting from the field in each of his six games this season. He’s the first player in NBA history to open a season with six such games in a row.
The Kings’ De’Aaron Fox swiped five steals, extending his streak of games with at least one theft to 34. It’s the longest such streak in franchise history by four games (steals have been recorded since the 1973-74 season).
Victor Wembanyama recorded two blocks in the San Antonio Spurs’ 113-103 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, the 45th consecutive game in which he’s rejected at least one shot. Since the NBA began tracking blocks in 1973-74, no other player age 20 years old or younger has recorded such a streak longer than 33 games (Mitchell Robinson).
The Cleveland Cavaliers improved to 7-0 with their narrow win over the Bucks. It’s just the second time the Cavaliers have opened a season with seven consecutive wins, the first instance coming in 1976-77 (when they started 8-0).
The Boston Celtics beat the Charlotte Hornets 113-103 to improve to 6-1 on the season. It’s just the second time in franchise history they’ve scored at least 110 points in each of their first seven games of a season (1961-62).
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games (dating back to last season): Oklahoma City Thunder (11) and Cleveland Cavaliers (seven).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games (dating back to last season): Utah Jazz (seven) and Milwaukee Bucks (five).
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Miscellany
Lillard scored 41 points last night to lead all players. Also bagging at least 30 points were the Hornets’ LaMelo Ball (36), Antetokounmpo (34), the Kings’ DeMar DeRozan (33), the Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo (32), the Raptors’ RJ Barrett (31), and the Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell (30).
Sabonis was the night’s top board man, hauling in 20 rebounds. Next in line were Antetokounmpo (16), Jokic (16), the Suns’ Jusuf Nurkic (15), Adebayo (14), the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren (14), and the Jazz’s Walker Kessler (14).
The Spurs’ Chris Paul and the Memphis Grizzlies’ Scotty Pippen Jr. were the leading playmakers with 13 assists apiece last night (a career high for Pippen Jr.). The Grizzlies’ Ja Morant (12), the Cavaliers’ Darius Garland (10), and Sabonis (10) also delivered double-digit dimes.
Lillard has made 10 or more 3-pointers in a game six times, the third-most such games in NBA history behind Stephen Curry (25) and Klay Thompson (nine).
Ball is averaging 30.2 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 6.3 APG this season. He’s the second-youngest player in NBA history to average at least 30 PPG, 5 RPG, and 5 APG through his first six games of a season, trailing only Antetokounmpo (2017-18).
The Golden State Warriors and the Oklahoma City Thunder have outscored their opponents by 108 and 106 points, respectively, this season. Only six teams in NBA history have recorded a higher point differential through their first six games of a season.