Rings and Things
Nikola Jokic produced game-high figures of 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists as the Denver Nuggets started their championship defense with an easy 119-107 home win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Jokic became the 13th player in NBA history to record a triple-double on the league’s opening day (a total of 16 instances):
Oscar Robertson (1960, 1963, 1966)
Walt Hazzard (1966)
Jerry Lucas (1972)
Magic Johnson (1981, 1982)
Larry Bird (1985)
Fat Lever (1987)
Scottie Pippen (1992)
Clyde Drexler (1996)
Jason Kidd (2000)
Gary Payton (2000)
LeBron James (2016)
Stephen Curry (2021)
Nikola Jokic (2023)
The only player listed above to score more points than Jokic’s 29 was Oscar Robertson, who scored 37 points with 10 rebounds and 10 assists on Oct. 15, 1966.
It’s the second time Jokic has recorded a triple-double in his team’s season opener, making him the fifth player in NBA history to do so multiple times:
Oscar Robertson (4)
Magic Johnson (2)
Jason Kidd (2)
Russell Westbrook (2)
Nikola Jokic (2)
Jokic now has 106 career triple-doubles, 28 more than any other center in NBA history (Wilt Chamberlain, 78). He’s one shy of tying Jason Kidd and LeBron James for fourth place on the NBA’s all-time list.
Jokic also has 106 career games in which he’s been his team’s outright leader in points, rebounds, and assists. The only player in NBA history with more such games is Jokic’s opponent last night, LeBron James (154).
The Nuggets’ starting backcourt of Jamal Murray and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope each scored at least 20 points on 60% shooting from the field:
Murray — 21 PTS, 8-13 FG (61.5%)
Caldwell-Pope — 20 PTS, 8-12 FG (66.7%)
The only other starting guards to achieve this feat in a team’s season opener over the last 30 seasons are the Atlanta Hawks’ Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver on Oct. 29, 2014.
James, starting his 21st season, scored 21 points on 10-16 shooting from the field for the Lakers, adding eight rebounds and five assists. He did not commit a turnover in 29 minutes of action.
Lakers center Anthony Davis scored 17 points, all of them coming in the first half. Davis was 0-6 from the field and did not attempt a free throw in the second half. He shot 6-17 from the field for the game.
Booker Leads Suns to Road Win
Devin Booker scored a game-high 32 points on 13-21 shooting from the floor, adding a team-high eight assists and six rebounds to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 108-104 road win over the Golden State Warriors. Booker is the fourth player to record at least 30 points, five rebounds, and five assists in a Suns season opener:
Charlie Scott (1974)
Charles Barkley (1992)
Steve Nash (2005)
Devin Booker (2023)
It’s the 61st time Booker has been the Suns’ outright leader in points and assists in the same game, tying Paul Westphal for the fourth-most such games in franchise history:
122 — Kevin Johnson
90 — Steve Nash
61 — Paul Westphal
61 — Devin Booker
58 — Stephon Marbury
Teammate Kevin Durant scored 18 points and snagged 11 rebounds, but was held to 7-22 shooting from the field. It was the first time Durant played at Golden State with fans in attendance since his departure from the Warriors following the 2018-19 season.
The Warriors were paced by Stephen Curry’s 27 points, although he shot just 4-14 from 3-point range. It’s the 60th time Curry has missed 10 or more 3-pointers in a game, one shy of tying James Harden for the most such games in NBA history.
Backcourt mate Chris Paul had 14 points, nine assists, six rebounds, and two steals in his Warriors debut. Like Curry, Paul struggled from the floor, shooting 4-15 overall (26.7%) and missing all six of his 3-point attempts.