NBA Game Notes (Oct. 23, 2024)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on Oct. 23, 2024.
Note: The NBA found a scoring error in the game between the Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers. I have updated the online version of this post to reflect those changes.
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 ⭐️
LaMelo Ball produced game highs of 34 points and 11 assists in the Charlotte Hornets’ 110-105 victory over the Houston Rockets. Ball shot 10-20 from the field (with four 3-pointers made) and sank all 10 of his free throws. He also recorded eight rebounds, one steal, and one block in a game-high 38 minutes of action.
Second ⭐️
Trae Young scored a team-high 30 points and dished out a game-high 12 assists as the Atlanta Hawks held off the Brooklyn Nets 120-116. Young went 7-16 from the field and made 14 of his 16 free throw attempts. He added five rebounds, one steal, and one block in 37 minutes of playing time.
Third ⭐️
Paolo Banchero poured in a game-high 33 points and corralled 11 rebounds as the Orlando Magic burned the Miami Heat 116-97. Banchero shot 12-24 from the floor (4-8 on 3-pointers) and 5-6 from the free throw line. He was not charged with a turnover in a team-high 31 minutes played.
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Milestones
The Phoenix Suns’ Kevin Durant scored a team-high 25 points in a 116-113 overtime win over the LA Clippers, becoming the 10th player in NBA history to reach 7,000 career free throws made. Durant attained the milestone when he hit his second of two free throws 15 seconds into the extra period.
Stephen Curry handed out a game-high 10 assists in the Golden State Warriors’ 140-104 blowout win over the Portland Trail Blazers, increasing his career total to 6,129. He passed former Trail Blazer great Clyde Drexler (6,125) to take over 38th place on the NBA’s all-time list.
Tyus Jones scored 11 points, dished out eight assists, and did not commit a turnover or a personal foul in his debut with the Suns. It’s the 25th game in which Jones has recorded at least 10 points and five assists with zero turnovers and zero personal fouls, six more such games than any other player since the NBA began tracking individual turnovers in 1977-78.
The Hawks’ Onyeka Okongwu scored a career-high 28 points, making 11 of his 12 shots from the field (91.7%). It’s the highest field goal percentage in a season opener in franchise history by a player who attempted at least 10 shots.
Ball became the first player in Charlotte Hornets history to record a 30-point, 10-assist game in a season opener.
Banchero is the third player in Orlando Magic history to produce at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in a season opener, joining Shaquille O’Neal (1993-94) and Tracy McGrady (2000-01).
The Golden State Warriors routed the Portland Trail Blazers 140-104, the largest margin of victory in a season opener in franchise history. On the flip side, it’s the worst season-opening loss in Trail Blazers history.
The Warriors became just the sixth team in NBA history to record two 40-point quarters in a season opener. They join the 1962-63 Boston Celtics, the 1987-88 Denver Nuggets, the 1990-91 Warriors, the 1990-91 Nuggets, and the 2020-21 Atlanta Hawks. The 1990-91 Warriors and Nuggets accomplished the feat in the same game, a 162-158 Warriors win.
The Toronto Raptors’ 30th season got off to an inauspicious start, as they were hammered by the Cleveland Cavaliers 136-106. It’s the worst loss in a season opener in franchise history. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, set a franchise record for most points scored in a season opener.
Streaking
Bogdan Bogdanovic hit two threes for the Hawks, extending his streak of games with at least one 3-pointer made to 91. It’s the seventh-longest such streak in NBA history.
The Houston Rockets have made 10 or more 3-pointers in 22 consecutive regular season games, the fourth-longest such streak in franchise history. The franchise record of 97 such games in a row is also the longest in NBA history.
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games (dating back to last season): Trail Blazers (six) and Raptors (five).
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Miscellany
The Nets’ Cam Thomas was the night’s leading scorer, bagging 36 points. He was followed by the Utah Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen (35), Ball (34), Banchero (33), the New Orleans Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram (33), the Milwaukee Bucks’ Damian Lillard (30), and Young (30).
The Houston Rockets’ Alperen Sengun led all rebounders last night with 18. Also recording double-digit boards were the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo (14), the Magic’s Wendell Carter Jr. (14), the Jazz’s Walker Kessler (14), the Philadelphia 76ers’ Andre Drummond (13), the Detroit Pistons’ Jalen Duren (13), the LA Clippers’ James Harden (12), the Portland Trail Blazers’ Deandre Ayton (11), Banchero (11), the Chicago Bulls’ Nikola Vucevic (11), and the Hawks’ Jalen Johnson.
Young was the top playmaker, handing out 12 assists last night. Ball (11), Curry (10), the Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant (10), and the Pelicans’ Dejounte Murray (10) also delivered double-digit dimes.
The Bulls’ Lonzo Ball appeared in his first NBA game since Jan. 14, 2022, recording five points and four assists in 14 minutes of court time.
The Sixers’ Kyle Lowry has played in 18 season openers, 15 of them at home. Lowry’s 15 season openers at home ties him with Kevin Willis and Vince Carter for the most such games in NBA history.
Lowry’s teammate, Tyrese Maxey, made just 10 of his 31 attempts from the field. The only player since the ABA-NBA merger to miss more field goals in a season opener is Jayson Tatum with 23 on Oct. 20, 2021.