NBA Game Notes (Nov. 8, 2024)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on Nov. 8, 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 ⭐️
Nikola Jokic produced another huge triple-double, compiling game highs of 30 points, 14 assists, and 11 rebounds in the Denver Nuggets’ 135-122 win over the Miami Heat. Jokic shot a blistering 11-13 from the field and made all seven of his free throw attempts. He also recorded two steals in a team-high 40 minutes of playing time.
Second ⭐️
LeBron James recorded a triple-double, scoring 21 points to go with game highs of 13 assists and 12 rebounds (tied with Andre Drummond) as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 116-106. James made nine of his 14 field goal attempts, including two 3-pointers. He also blocked three shots and did not commit a personal foul in 34 minutes of action.
Third ⭐️
Karl-Anthony Towns scored a game-high 32 points, 27 of them coming in the first half, as the New York Knicks blew out the Milwaukee Bucks 116-96. Towns went 12-20 from the floor (4-8 on 3-pointers) and 4-5 from the free throw line. He added a team-high 11 rebounds and five assists in 32 minutes played.
Milestones
Anthony Edwards scored a game-high 37 points with nine 3-pointers made as the Minnesota Timberwolves routed the Portland Trail Blazers 127-102. Edwards reached 50 3-pointers made in just his ninth game of the season, tying Stephen Curry’s NBA record for fewest games needed to hit that mark. Curry achieved the feat in the 2018-19 and 2023-24 seasons.
Jokic has accumulated 260 points, 119 rebounds, and 102 assists this season. He’s just the second player in NBA history to record at least 250 points, 100 rebounds, and 100 assists through his first nine games of a season, joining Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson (1961-62).
The Charlotte Hornets’ LaMelo Ball attempted a franchise-record 18 3-pointers in a 103-83 win over the Indiana Pacers, hitting just five of them. The previous mark of 17 3-pointers attempted was shared by Kemba Walker (Feb. 9, 2019) and Terry Rozier (Feb. 12, 2022).
James Harden scored 22 points and dished out a game-high eight assists in the LA Clippers’ 107-98 victory over the Sacramento Kings. Harden increased his career point total to 26,073, surpassing Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett (26,071) to take over 19th place on the NBA’s all-time list.
Cade Cunningham tallied 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists as the Detroit Pistons edged the Atlanta Hawks 122-121. It’s Cunningham’s fifth career triple-double, tying Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas for second place on the franchise’s all-time list. Grant Hill, another Hall of Famer, is the runaway leader with 29.
The Nuggets’ Jamal Murray became the first player in franchise history to reach 1,000 3-pointers made (1,001 and counting). He scored a season-high 28 points, going 4-10 from long range.
The Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert hauled in a game-high 15 rebounds, surpassing 9,000 for his career (9,009, to be exact). He’s the sixth active player to reach that mark, joining LeBron James, Andre Drummond, DeAndre Jordan, Nikola Vucevic, and Kevin Love.
The Cleveland Cavaliers led the Golden State Warriors 83-42 after two quarters, the largest halftime lead in franchise history (and tied for the eighth-largest such margin in NBA history). They also tied the franchise record for most points scored in a half (Jan. 15, 1993 and Jan. 2, 2023).
The Oklahoma City Thunder dismantled the Houston Rockets 126-107, their eighth win by 10 or more points this season. No other team in NBA history has recorded eight double-digit wins through their first nine games of a season.
Streaking
Jokic recorded his fifth-triple double of the season, the ninth consecutive campaign he’s reached that mark. It’s the second-longest such streak in NBA history, trailing only Oscar Robertson (10).
Cunningham became just the second player in Pistons history to record three straight triple-doubles, joining Hill (April 11-14, 1997).
The Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo posted team highs of 24 points and 12 rebounds, making 11 of his 21 shots from the floor. Antetokounmpo has produced eight straight 20-point, 10-rebound games with 50% shooting from the field to open the season. No other player in NBA history has started a season with more than five such games in a row.
Luka Doncic scored a game-high 30 points with five 3-pointers made in the Dallas Mavericks’ 114-113 loss to the Phoenix Suns. Doncic has scored at least 15 points with one 3-pointer made in 79 straight games, the longest such streak in NBA history by 16 games.
The Cleveland Cavaliers became the 15th team in NBA history to win their first 10 games of a season. Cleveland is the only one of those teams to score at least 110 points in each game.
The Phoenix Suns have won seven consecutive games, the last six wins coming by six or fewer points. It’s just the fifth time in NBA history a team has posted at least six such victories in a row.
The Boston Celtics made 14 3-pointers in a 108-104 overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets. It’s the 34th consecutive game in which Boston has made 10 or more 3-pointers, snapping a tie for the longest such streak in franchise history.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: Cleveland Cavaliers (10) and Phoenix Suns (seven).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Philadelphia 76ers (five).
Miscellany
The Memphis Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 39 points to lead all scorers last night. Also producing 30-point efforts were Edwards (37), the Hawks’ Trae Young (35), the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum (33), Towns (32), Ball (31), the Lakers’ Anthony Davis (31), the Kings’ De’Aaron Fox (31), the Clippers’ Norman Powell (31), the Nets’ Cam Thomas (31), Doncic (30), and Jokic (30).
The Hornets’ Moussa Diabate, Gobert, and the Clippers’ Ivica Zubac shared nightly rebounding honors with 15 apiece (a career high for Diabate). Next up were eight players with exactly a dozen boards each: the Cavaliers’ Jarrett Allen, Antetokounmpo, the Hawks’ Clint Capela, the Sixers’ Andre Drummond, James, Powell (career high), the Kings’ Domantas Sabonis, and the Nets’ Ziaire Williams (career high).
Jokic was the night’s top playmaker, handing out 14 assists. Cunningham (career-high-tying 13), James (13), Young (13), the Suns’ Devin Booker (12), the Heat’s Tyler Herro (career-high-tying 11), the Grizzlies’ Scotty Pippen Jr. (11), and the Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook (10) also delivered double-digit dimes.
Pippen Jr. scored 11 points and snagged 10 rebounds to go with his 11 assists, giving him his first career triple-double. It’s the fourth time he’s recorded double-digit assists in a game this season.
Powell recorded his first career double-double in his 566th career game. He’s scored at least 20 points in eight straight games, the longest such streak of his career by three games.
Jokic ranks in the top three in the NBA in points (third), rebounds(first, tied), and assists (second). He’s recorded a league-leading five triple-doubles, and narrowly missed out on two others by either a single rebound or a single assist.