NBA Game Notes (Oct. 25, 2023)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on October 25, 2023.

Quick Hitters

Some observations on last night’s NBA action:

• Luka Doncic produced game highs of 33 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 126-119, spoiling Victor Wembanyama’s NBA debut. Doncic became just the third player in NBA history to record a 30-point triple-double in his team’s season opener, joining Oscar Robertston (1961 and 1966) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (2019).

  • Speaking of Wembanyama, he scored 15 points on 6-9 shooting from the field, adding five rebounds and two steals in just 23 foul-plagued minutes. Wembanyama scored nine of his points in the final seven minutes of the game.

  • Another rookie, the Mavericks’ Dereck Lively II, scored 16 points on 7-8 shooting from the field and snagged 10 rebounds. Lively II is the fourth rookie to record a double-double in his Mavericks debut, joining Mark Aguirre (1981), Jason Kidd (1994), and Dennis Smith Jr. (2017).

  • The Spurs scored 43 points in the first quarter, the most they’ve ever scored in the first period of a season opener. It’s tied for the second-most points scored in the first quarter of a season opener in NBA history, trailing only the Boston Celtics’ 44 points on Oct. 20, 1962.