NBA Game Notes (Oct. 26, 2024)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on Oct. 26, 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 ⭐️
LeBron James recorded his 113th career triple-double, producing game-high figures of 32 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists (tied with two others) as the Los Angeles Lakers outscored the Sacramento Kings 131-127. James went 12-22 from the field (4-9 on 3-pointers) and made all four of his free throw attempts. He had a rating of plus-13 points in 34 minutes of action.
Second ⭐️
Domantas Sabonis produced his 59th career triple-double, compiling team highs of 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists (tied with De’Aaron Fox) in the Kings’ loss to the Lakers. Sabonis shot 10-14 from the floor and 8-9 from the free throw line. He posted a team-high rating of plus-11 points in 37 minutes of court time.
Third ⭐️
Nikola Jokic scored a game-high 41 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Denver Nuggets fell to the LA Clippers 109-104. Jokic shot 14-26 from the field, including a career-high seven 3-pointers made. He added a team-high nine rebounds (tied with Michael Porter Jr.), four assists, and two steals in 37 minutes played.
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Milestones
The Phoenix Suns’ Kevin Durant scored a team-high 31 points in a 114-102 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, becoming the eighth player in NBA history to reach 29,000 career points.
The Kings’ DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points on 9-12 shooting from the floor. He now has 8,456 career field goals made, passing Dwyane Wade (8,454) and moving into 32nd place on the NBA’s all-time list.
James has recorded at least one triple-double in 20 different seasons, three more such seasons than any other player in NBA history (Jason Kidd, 17).
The Boston Celtics sank 22 shots from 3-point range in a 124-118 win over the Detroit Pistons. Boston has made 68 3-pointers this season, 14 more than any other team in NBA history through its first three games of a season.
Streaking
The Lakers’ Anthony Davis scored 31 points, going 10-15 from the field and 10-13 from the free throw line. He’s just the fourth player in NBA history to make at least 10 field goals and 10 free throws in each of his first three games of a season, joining Wilt Chamberlain (1962-63), Rick Barry (1966-67), and Jerry West (1969-70).
Davis is just the fourth player in franchise history to open a season with three straight 30-point games, joining Elgin Baylor (three times), Jerry West (twice), and Kobe Bryant.
Luka Doncic scored a game-high 40 points in the Mavericks’ loss to the Suns, his 12th straight 25-point game dating back to last season.
Doncic made five 3-pointers to extend his streak of games with at least one triple to 72, a franchise record by 24 games.
The Kings’ De’Aaron Fox swiped two steals, the 30th consecutive game in which he’s recorded at least one theft. That matches the longest such streak in franchise history held by Doug Christie (steals have been tracked since the 1973-74 season).
Victor Wembanyama tallied 29 points (10-17 field goals), seven rebounds, and three blocks as the San Antonio Spurs knocked off the Houston Rockets 109-106. Wembanyama has recorded at least 10 points and one block in each of his last 41 games, the league’s longest such streak since Jermaine O’Neal in 2006-07 (44 games).
The Boston Celtics became just the second team in NBA history to score more than 120 points and allow fewer than 120 points in each of their first three games of a season, joining the 1985-86 Los Angeles Lakers.
The Cleveland Cavaliers cruised past the Washington Wizards 135-116. It’s the first time in franchise history they’ve started a season with three consecutive double-digit wins. Leaguewide, Cleveland is the first team to accomplish the feat since the 2017-18 LA Clippers.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games (dating back to last season): Oklahoma City Thunder (seven), Boston Celtics (five), and Los Angeles Lakers (five).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games (dating back to last season): Washington Wizards (eight).
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Miscellany
Jokic was the night’s leading scorer, bagging 41 points. Seven more players scored at least 30 points: Doncic (40), the Clippers’ Norman Powell (37), the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum (37), James (32), Davis (31), Durant (31), and the Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell (30).
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Chet Holmgren hauled in a career-high 16 rebounds to lead all players last night. Also snagging at least a dozen boards were the Clippers’ Ivica Zubac (15), James (14), the Suns’ Jusf Nurkic (14), the Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley (13), the Chicago Bulls’ Nikola Vucevic (13), the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert (12), the Charlotte Hornets’ Nick Richards (12), Sabonis (12), and the Spurs’ Jeremy Sochan (12).
The LA Clippers’ James Harden was the night’s top playmaker, distributing 16 assists. He was followed by the Memphis Grizzlies’ Scotty Pippen Jr. (career-high 12), the Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham (10), Fox (10), James (10), the Grizzlies’ Ja Morant (10), and Sabonis (10).
James has recorded four triple-doubles since turning 39 years old. All other players in NBA history have combined to produce just one such game (Karl Malone).
The Cavaliers’ Jarrett Allen scored 23 points, hitting all 10 of his shots from the floor. It’s the third time Allen has made at least 10 field goals in a game without a miss, tying Dwight Howard and Nikola Jokic for the second-most such games in NBA history (Wilt Chamberlain, eight).
I really like the format on the daily write ups this season. The 3 stars is cool.