NBA Game Notes (Nov. 9, 2022)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on November 9, 2022.

Nov 10, 2022

Durant Extends Streak

The Nets’ Kevin Durant tallied 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists — all game-high figures — in a 112-85 shellacking of the Knicks. It was his 17th career triple-double and fifth as a Net.

Durant is the seventh player in NBA history to open a season with 12 straight 25-point games (a total of nine instances):

Elgin Baylor, 1961-62
Wilt Chamberlain, 1961-62
Chamberlain, 1962-63
Jerry West, 1964-65
Rick Barry, 1966-67
Michael Jordan, 1987-88
Jordan, 1988-89
Bradley Beal, 2020-21
Kevin Durant, 2022-23

Durant — who was 34 years and 41 days old yesterday — is easily the oldest player in this group. The closest player to him is Bradley Beal, who was 27 years and 212 days old when he accomplished the feat.

Mitchell Reaches Milestone

The Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell made his 1,000th career 3-pointer in last night’s loss to the Kings. He reached that mark in his 355th career game, the second-fastest player in NBA history to do so:

350 — Buddy Hield
355 — Donovan Mitchell
369 — Stephen Curry
372 — Klay Thompson
385 — Damian Lillard

Mitchell scored a game-high 38 points, bringing his season total to 319 points. He’s just the fourth player in NBA history to average at least 30 PPG through his first 10 games with a new team:

37.1 PPG — Wilt Chamberlain, 1961-62 Warriors (rookie)
31.9 PPG — Donovan Mitchell, 2022-23 Cavaliers
30.7 PPG — Kevin Durant, 2020-21 Nets
30.4 PPG — Dominique Wilkins, 1993-94 Clippers

Dynamic Duo, Part I

Desmond Bane and Ja Morant powered the Grizzlies to a 124-122 overtime win over the Spurs. Bane tallied 32 points, six rebounds, and six assists, while Morant had 32 points, five rebonds, and five assists.

Bane and Morant became the first duo in franchise history to each record at least 30 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the same game. Leaguewide, they are just the fourth starting backcourt in the last 30 seasons to do so (a total of eight instances):

James Harden and Russell Westbrook (five times)
Gilbert Arenas and Larry Hughes (Dec. 17, 2004)
Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook (Feb. 22, 2021)
Desmond Bane and Ja Morant (Nov. 9, 2022)

Bane and Morant are the only duo above in which each player was less than 25 years old when they achieved the feat.

Dynamic Duo, Part II

The Celtics’ Jayson Tatum (31 points) and Jaylen Brown (30 points) combined for 61 points in last night’s 128-112 win over the Pistons. It’s the 15th time Tatum and Brown have each scored at least 30 points in the same game, the most such games by a duo in franchise history:

15 — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown
9 — Larry Bird and Kevin McHale
8 — Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker
7 — John Havlicek and Jo Jo White

Leaguewide, they are just the third duo in the last 30 seasons to record at least 15 such games:

34 — Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook
33 — Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant
15 — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown

Dynamic Duo, Part III

Devin Booker scored 32 points and dished out 10 assists — both game highs — as his Suns eclipsed the Timberwolves 129-117. He hit five 3-pointers, raising his career total to 1,004.

Booker became the third-youngest player in NBA history to reach 1,000 career 3-pointers made (age in years-days):

25-223 — Bradley Beal
25-357 — D’Angelo Russell
26-010 — Devin Booker
26-039 — Klay Thompson
26-063 — Donovan Mitchell

Teammate Mikal Bridges tallied 31 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and four steals for a career-best Game Score* of 31.1. It’s the first time Bridges has recorded a Game Score of 30.0 or higher.

* John Hollinger's estimate of a player's total production in a game.

Agent Carter

With stars Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday sitting out, the Bucks’ Jevon Carter tallied 36 points and 12 assists — both career-high figures — in a thrilling double-overtime win over the Thunder.

Carter’s Game Score of 26.3 was also a new career high. He became the first player in franchise history to record at least 35 points, 10 assists, and five 3-pointers made in a game.

Points, Points, Points

Six players have averaged at least 30 PPG through their first 10 games this season (all scoring averages through the player’s first 10 games):

34.8 PPG — Luka Doncic
32.6 PPG — Stephen Curry
31.9 PPG — Donovan Mitchell
31.6 PPG — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
31.5 PPG — Kevin Durant
31.2 PPG — Jayson Tatum

That’s the most such players in a season in NBA history. There have only been two other seasons with at least four such players: 1962-63 (4) and 2016-17 (5).