NBA Game Notes (Nov. 25, 2024)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on Nov. 25, 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 ⭐️
OG Anunoby poured in a career-high 40 points as the New York Knicks routed the Denver Nuggets 145-118. Anunoby went 16-23 from the floor, sinking five of his seven 3-point attempts. He added five rebounds, four assists, and one block, committing just one turnover in 38 minutes of playing time.
Second ⭐️
Tyrese Haliburton scored a game-high 34 points in the Indiana Pacers’ 114-110 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Haliburton shot 12-23 from the field, including a 9-18 effort from 3-point range. He also dished out a team-high 13 assists and swiped a game-high three steals in 36 minutes of action.
Third ⭐️
LaMelo Ball scored a game-high 44 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Charlotte Hornets fell to the Orlando Magic 95-84. Ball went 17-30 from the floor (4-11 on 3-pointers) and 6-8 from the free throw line. He also contributed nine rebounds, a game-high seven assists (tied with Franz Wagner), one steal, and one block in 40 minutes played.
Milestones
Ball accounted for 52.4% of the Hornets’ points, the highest such percentage in franchise history. The previous mark of 50.4% was set by Kemba Walker on Nov. 17, 2018, when he scored 60 of Charlotte’s 119 points.
The New York Knicks handed out 45 assists, tying the franchise’s single-game record set on Nov. 24, 1979. Jalen Brunson led the way with a career-high 17 dimes.
The Boston Celtics went 22-51 from long range in their 126-94 blowout win over the LA Clippers, the fifth time in the last six games they’ve made 20 or more 3-pointers. No other team in NBA history has produced five such games in a six-game span.
The Celtics made 12 of their threes in the second period, tying the NBA record for most 3-pointers made in a quarter. They share the record with five other teams.
The LA Clippers gave up 51 points to the Celtics in the second period, tying the franchise record for most points allowed in a quarter. They also surrendered 51 points in a quarter on Jan. 6, 1982 to the Denver Nuggets and March 5, 2023 to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Streaking
Ball became the first player in Charlotte Hornets history to score at least 35 points in three consecutive games. His 129 points are the most in franchise history over a three-game span.
Ball is the fifth player in franchise history to record consecutive 40-point games, joining Glen Rice (twice), Kemba Walker, Terry Rozier, and Miles Bridges. He’s the first player in franchise history to record at least 40 points and five assists in back-to-back games.
Bogdan Bogdanovic scored a season-high 18 points with two 3-pointers made in the Atlanta Hawks’ 129-119 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Bogdanovic has made at least one 3-pointer in each of his last 95 regular season games, tying Klay Thompson for the sixth-longest such streak in NBA history.
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns recorded his seventh straight double-double, scoring 30 points (12-15 field goals) and grabbing 15 rebounds. He’s averaging 28.1 PPG and 13.0 RPG with 57/41/80 shooting splits over that span.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: Boston Celtics (six).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: New Orleans Pelicans (five).
Miscellany
Ball was the night’s leading scorer, bagging 44 points. He was followed by Anunoby (career-high 40), the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (37), Haliburton (34), the Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving (32), the Toronto Raptors’ Scottie Barnes (31), the Brooklyn Nets’ Dennis Schroder (31), the Kings’ DeMar DeRozan (30), and Towns (30).
The Memphis Grizzlies’ Santi Aldama was the top board man, hauling in a career-high 17 rebounds last night. Next in line were Towns (15), Barnes (14), the Pelicans’ Yves Missi (career-high 13), the Detroit Pistons’ Jalen Duren (12), the Hawks’ Jalen Johnson (11), and the Raptors’ Jakob Poeltl (11).
The Pelicans’ Elfrid Payton was the leading playmaker last night, registering a career-high 21 assists. Also delivering double-digit dimes were Brunson (career-high 17), the Hawks’ Trae Young (16), Haliburton (13), Gilgeous-Alexander (11), and the Grizzlies’ Ja Morant (11).
Payton became the fourth player in New Orleans Pelicans history to record a 20-assist game, joining Chris Paul (twice), Darren Collison, and Rajon Rondo. Rondo set the franchise single-game record of 25 assists on Dec. 27, 2017.
Pacers beat themselves 114-110🤔