NBA Game Notes (Nov. 30 , 2023)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on November 30, 2023.
Trae Ices Spurs
Trae Young scored 33 of his game-high 45 points in the second half as the Atlanta Hawks rallied to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 137-135. The Hawks evened their record at 9-9 with the win, while the Spurs dropped their 13th consecutive game, matching the second-longest losing streak in franchise history. The franchise record of 16 straight losses was set last season.
Young dished out a game-high 14 assists to go with his 45 points, his sixth career 45-point, 10-assist game. Only four players in NBA history have recorded more such games:
12 — Nate Archibald
9 — James Harden
8 — Oscar Robertson
8 — Russell Westbrook
6 — Trae Young
Young shot 15-29 from the floor and made 13 of his 16 free throws. It’s just the third time this season Young has made at least half of his attempts from the field in a game, all coming in the last 10 days.
Young’s backcourt mate, Dejounte Murray, faced his former team for the third time since being traded to the Hawks in June 2022. Murray scored 24 points, recorded a season-high five steals, and did not commit a turnover.
Jeremy Sochan scored a career-high 33 points for the Spurs, adding eight rebounds and six assists. Sochan sank 12 of his 14 tries from the field — including all three of his 3-pointers — and went a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line.
Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama scored 21 points (9-16 field goals) and posted game highs of 12 rebounds and four blocks. He’s the first rookie to record at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks in consecutive games since Dwight Howard in March 2005. Wembanyama has recorded a total of four such games this season, the most by a teenager since the NBA began tracking blocks in 1973-74.
Devin Vassell (25 points) and Keldon Johnson (22) also produced 20-point outings for the Spurs, shooting 8-14 and 8-15 from the field, respectively. Johnson also hauled in 11 rebounds.
Heat Outscore Pacers
The Miami Heat produced the third-highest scoring game in franchise history, outscoring the Indiana Pacers 142-132. The win snapped a three-game losing skid for the Heat, who improved to 11-8 on the season, while the Pacers fell to 9-8.
The Heat’s Jimmy Butler scored 36 points, matching his season high. He scored 18 of his points from the free throw line, missing just twice in 20 tries. Butler also hauled in a game-high 11 rebounds.
Rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. came off the bench to score a career-high 24 points for the Heat, shooting 8-13 from the field and 7-7 from the free throw line. Josh Richardson also had a productive night off the bench, scoring 19 points on 8-11 accuracy from the floor.
Tyrese Haliburton scored a career-high 44 points for the Pacers, also establishing career highs for field goals made (15) and attempted (28). He also tied his career high and franchise record with 16 attempts from 3-point range, making six of them.
Haliburton led all players with 10 assists, giving him two career 40-point, 10-assist games. He’s the only Pacer to record such a game since the franchise joined the NBA in 1976.
The Pacers have scored at least 130 points eight times in 17 games this season. The only team in NBA history to record more such games through their first 17 games of a season is the 1988-89 Denver Nuggets (10).
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Quick Hitters
More tidbits from last night’s games:
The Portland Trail Blazers’ Shaedon Sharpe matched his season high with 29 points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds in a 103-95 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Sharpe shot 11-15 from the field, making four of his seven 3-point attempts. The Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell scored a team-high 23 points with seven rebounds, six assists, and four steals, but shot just 7-20 from the floor (1-9 on 3-pointers).
Jalen Brunson produced game highs of 42 points and eight assists (tied) as the New York Knicks beat the Detroit Pistons 118-112, extending the longest single-season losing streak in Pistons history to 16 games. Brunson shot 13-24 from the field — including 7-12 from 3-point range — and made nine of his 10 free throws. Teammate Julius Randle chipped in with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists, shooting 12-21 from the floor. Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 31 points and eight assists, making more than half of his shots from the field for the first time time this season (12-20, 60%).
Led by Terry Rozier’s season-high 37 points, the Charlotte Hornets edged the Brooklyn Nets 129-128. Rozier also dished out a career-high 13 assists, becoming just the second player in franchise history to record a 35-point, 10-assist game (Kemba Walker, twice). The Nets’ Cam Thomas returned from a nine-game absence to score a team-high 26 points in just 25 minutes off the bench. Teammate Nic Claxton scored 20 points (9-13 field goals) and snagged a game-high 14 rebounds.
The Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in a game-high 33 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Los Angeles Lakers 133-110. Gilgeous-Alexander shot 11-18 from the field, made all 10 of his free throws, handed out seven assists, and did not commit a turnover. Lakers center Anthony Davis scored a team-high 31 points and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds, shooting 11-18 from the floor and 9-10 from the free throw line. Teammate LeBron James contributed 21 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored a game-high 32 points and snagged 11 rebounds as the Minnesota Timberwolves improved to 14-4 with a 101-90 win over the Utah Jazz. The Timberwolves are tied with the Boston Celtics for the best record in the NBA. Minnesota’s Nickeil Alexander-Walker contributed 20 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and a career-high five steals.
Nikola Vucevic had 29 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists in the Chicago Bulls’ 120-113 overtime win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Vucevic’s backup, Andre Drummond, recorded a double-double in just 13 minutes of action, scoring 10 points and hauling in a game-high 14 rebounds. The Bucks were led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who compiled 26 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, and five blocks.
The Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (game-high 26 points) and Klay Thompson (22) combined for 48 points in a 120-114 victory over the LA Clippers. It’s the 213th time Curry and Thompson have each scored at least 20 points in the same game, the seventh-most such games in NBA history by a duo. Curry also handed out a team-high eight assists and grabbed seven rebounds. Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 23 points, while teammate Ivica Zubac scored 18 points with a game-high 13 rebounds.