NBA Game Notes (Nov. 20, 2022)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on November 20, 2022.
Super Splash Bros.
Klay Thompson scored a season-high 41 points, including 10 3-pointers made, as the Warriors beat the Rockets 127-120. It’s the sixth time Thompson has made 10 or more 3-pointers in a game, the second-most such games in NBA history:
22 — Stephen Curry
6 — Klay Thompson
3 — James Harden
3 — Damian Lillard
3 — JR Smith
Backcourt mate Stephen Curry was brilliant as well, tallying 33 points, 15 assists, six rebounds, and three steals. Curry is the second-oldest player in NBA history to recored a 30-point, 15-assist game (age in years-days):
34-306 — LeBron James (Nov. 1, 2019)
34-251 — Stephen Curry (Nov. 20, 2022)
34-113 — Lenny Wilkens (Feb. 18, 1972)
33-292 — Jerry West (March 15, 1972)
33-212 — West (Dec. 26, 1971)
Curry also made seven 3-pointers. It’s the fifth time Thompson and Curry have each made at least seven 3-pointers in the same game. No other duo in NBA history has recorded more than one such game.
Teammate Andrew Wiggins scored 22 points and made six 3-pointers. The Warriors became just the third team in NBA history to have three players make at least six 3-pointers in the same game. Their 23 total 3-pointers made are the most in a game by a trio in NBA history, breaking the record of 22 set by the Cavaliers Donovan Mitchell, Kevin Love, and Dean Wade just last month.
Davis’ Streak Continues
Anthony Davis scored 30 points and grabbed 18 rebounds to lead the Lakers to a 123-92 win over the Spurs. It’s the first time the Lakers have won at least three straight games since the first week of January.
Davis has recorded at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in each of his last three games:
Nov. 13 — 37 PTS, 18 REB
Nov. 18 — 38 PTS, 16 REB
Nov. 20 — 30 PTS, 18 REB
The last Laker to perform this feat was Shaquille O’Neal in December 2001. In fact, Davis is just the third player in franchise history to record at least three such games in a row. The others to do so are the aforementioned O’Neal (two such streaks) and Elgin Baylor (17).
Davis has made at least 60% of his shots from the field in each of those games. He’s one of only three players since the ABA-NBA merger to record three straight 30-point, 15-rebound games while shooting 60% from the field (a total of four instances):
Moses Malone, 1978-79
Malone, 1981-82
Shaquille O’Neal, 2001-02
Anthony Davis, 2022-23
No one in that span has recorded four such games in a row.
17 Straight for Durant
The Nets’ Kevin Durant had 27 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in a 127-115 win over the Grizzlies. He became the fifth player in NBA history to open a season with 17 straight 25-point games (a total of six instances):
Elgin Baylor, 1961-62
Wilt Chamberlain, 1961-62
Chamberlain, 1962-63
Rick Barry, 1966-67
Bradley Beal, 2020-21
Kevin Durant, 2022-23
Durant — who was 34 years and 52 days old yesterday — is by far the oldest player in this group. The closest player to him is Bradley Beal, who was 27 years and 220 days old when he accomplished the feat.
Durant shot 9-16 from the field, the eighth straight game in which he’s scored at least 25 points with a field goal percentage of 50%. That’s the longest such streak in franchise history (ABA seasons included). The only other player in NBA history to record eight straight 25-point games with 50% shooting from the field after turning 34 years old is Karl Malone in March 1998.
Ben Simmons had his best game as a Net, tallying 22 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists while hitting 11 of his 13 shots from the field (84.6%). It was his first 20-point game in the regular season since May 11, 2021.
More History for Doncic
Luka Doncic produced 22 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, but it wasn’t enough as his Mavericks fell to the outmanned Nuggets. He has recorded at least 20 points and five assist in each of his 15 games this season, the second-longest such streak to start a season in NBA history:
22 — James Harden, 2017-18
15 — Luka Doncic, 2022-23
14 — Allen Iverson, 2005-06
13 — Oscar Robertson, 1962-63
Doncic now has season totals of 502 points, 136 rebounds, and 121 assists. He’s the first player in NBA history to reach 500 points, 100 rebounds, and 100 assists through his first 15 games of a season.
Kings on a Roll
The Kings outscored the Pistons 137-129, their sixth straight victory and ninth in their last 11 games. The last time the franchise recorded six consecutive wins was Jan. 11-20, 2005, and the last time they recorded at least nine wins in an 11-game span was March 29—April 18, 2006.
The Kings are just the third team in NBA history to go 9-2 or better in their next 11 games following an 0-4 start:
Dallas Mavericks, 2006-07
Oklahoma City Thunder, 2018-19
Sacramento Kings, 2022-23
The Kings have scored at least 120 points in six straight games for the first time since February 1970, when they were known as the Cincinnati Royals. The only other time in franchise history they have recorded six consecutive 120-point games, all wins, was Jan. 10-20, 1968.
De’Aaron Fox scored a game-high 33 points and dished out a seven assists. He shot 11-18 (61.1%) from the field. It’s the fourth time Fox has scored at least 25 points on 60% shooting from the field, tied for the most such games in the NBA this season.
Fox is one of 15 qualified players averaging at least 25 PPG this season (25.4). He owns the highest field goal percentage in that group (55.8%). Regardless of scoring average, he owns the highest field goal percentage of any qualified guard this season.