Three teams successfully snatched the win on the road on the same night the Golden State Warriors proved just how deep their roster is with a gutsy come-from-behind win at home.
NUGGETS, KINGS FINALLY GOT GOING
- Denver Nuggets (2-2) def. Brooklyn Nets (1-3), 144-139: For the second straight time on the road, the Denver Nuggets needed extra five minutes to gun down the Brooklyn Nets.
- Just Got Joker-ed: Coming off back-to-back 40-point games, Nikola Jokic flaunted an absurd statline of 29 points, 18 rebounds, and 16 assists in 41 minutes.
The three-MVP joined Oscar Roberstson as only players in league history to record 29+ points, 18+ rebounds, and 16+ assists in a game.
JOKER BEING JOKER 😳
— NBA (@NBA) October 30, 2024
🃏 29 PTS
🃏 18 REB
🃏 16 AST
Joins Oscar Robertson (2x) as the only players in NBA history to reach this stat line! pic.twitter.com/p9AJPLWH8I
Jokic also had his seventh career 25-15-15 game, the second-most all-time behind Robertson’s 14.
Jokic against the Nets:
— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 30, 2024
29 PTS
18 REB
16 AST (1 TOV)
His 7th 25/15/15 game — more than every active player combined. pic.twitter.com/1fuRmbK5Et
It was the Joker who also scored the game-tying bucket with 8.8 seconds left as the Nuggets erased a 17-point lead to hike their first winning streak of the season.
Jokic's hook ties the game at 125!
— NBA (@NBA) October 30, 2024
Nets have the ball with 8.8 to play...
?? https://t.co/ezJyYEOoZa pic.twitter.com/Wz4oBFRqlr
- Russ Got Rolling: Russell Westbrook had his best game yet as a Nugget, logging 22 points, five rebounds, and a perfect 10-for-10 clip from the free-throw line in just 21 minutes.
It was the first time that Russ shot 10 or more from the charity stripe and made all of them since his time with the Houston Rockets.
Russ off the bench:
— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 30, 2024
22 PTS
5 AST
2-2 3P
10-10 FT
His first game with 10+ free throws on 100 FT% since he was a Rocket. pic.twitter.com/LUz8v6eYcS
- Jokic on Westbrook’s breakout game: “Russ was really amazing tonight. He’s always lifting his teammates up. It’s great to have him on our team.”
Nikola Jokic praise Russell Westbrook:
— Beastbrook (@Beastbr00k0) October 30, 2024
“Russ was really amazing tonight… Kept us in the game… He’s always lifting his teammates up. It’s great to have him on our team.”
Jokic x Russ chemistry is just getting started 💯 pic.twitter.com/BJ0Tmsq6xR
- Simple and sound: Jamal Murray finished with 24 points and was asked to comment on reports that he is “very easy to guard now”, according to an anonymous NBA starter.
“[Murray’s] very easy to guard now.”
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 25, 2024
- Anonymous NBA starter on Jamal Murray
(Via True Hoop / h/t @TalkBasket ) pic.twitter.com/r40AQ7OzGq
Murray kept his answer simple: “We’ll, that’s why they’re anonymous.
“They said I’m what?” - Jamal Murray 😂 pic.twitter.com/nEQC5Lou0v
— Nuggets World 🌎 (@NuggetsWorldd) October 29, 2024
- Sacramento Kings (2-2) def. Utah Jazz (0-4), 113-96: The Kings are beginning to hit their stride after claiming their second successive dub.
- Domas 🤝 DeeBow: Domantas Sabonis had 28 points and 11 rebounds, his third-straight double-double outing to start the season.
Sabonis now has 336 career double-doubles in which 157 came while playing for the Northern California squad.
Domantas Sabonis has his third straight double-double tonight at Utah. This marks his 336th career double-double, including 157 with Sacramento. pic.twitter.com/gtZsn3ntd5
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) October 30, 2024
DeMar DeRozan added 20 markers and eight assists, his fourth successive game scoring at least 20 points or more.
DeMar DeRozan tallies his fourth straight game with 20+ points to begin his Kings tenure.
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) October 30, 2024
Only Chris Webber (7 games, Feb. 5-17, 1999) and Oscar Robertson (6 games, Oct. 19-27, 1960) have had longer 20-point streaks to start their careers with the franchise. pic.twitter.com/tExYjG8H8n
- Can’t Catch a Break: After losing Taylor Hendricks to a horrific leg injury against Dallas, the Jazz lost star big man Lauri Markkanen due to back spasms
WARNING: Utah Jazz sophomore forward Taylor Hendricks tripped over himself, landed wrong, & his leg bent sideways.
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) October 29, 2024
Hendricks was taken to the hospital on a stretcher.
Prayers up 🙏?? pic.twitter.com/W9zdE23e9k
Right before the end of the 1H, Lauri Markkanen went to the locker room in some visible pain#TakeNote #UtahJazz pic.twitter.com/F8dJr5hESC
— Alma Bean (@AlmaBean23) October 30, 2024
Alongside the Detroit Pistons, the Jazz are the only winless teams so far this season.
WARRIORS DUG DEEP FOR FIRST HOME WIN
- Golden State Warriors (3-1) def. New Orleans Pelicans (2-2), 124-106: In a game where Golden State was missing three starters, the Warriors dug deep to overcome an early 20-point lead and won by 18 points over the New Orleans Pelicans.
[ALSO READ: Missing three starters, Buddy Hield spearheads Warriors' 20-point comeback vs Pelicans]
All of Golden State’s victories this season came from a winning margin of 15 points or more.
- Flipping the Script: It was a tale of two halves for Buddy Hield.
Hield started for the first time and only managed three points in the first half. But he got going in the second half and scored 25 markers including 19 alone in the final frame.
Buddy Hield TAKEOVER.
— NBA (@NBA) October 30, 2024
🎯 28 PTS
🎯 19 in the 4Q (25 in the 2H)
🎯 7 3PM@warriors come back from 20-down to win by 18 and start the season 3-1! pic.twitter.com/MbBXUe31mW
He finished with seven triples and joined Curry, Anthony Edwards, Kemba Walker, and CJ McCollum as the only players to knock down 20 or more threes in the first four games of a season.
Buddy Hield this season:
— StatMamba (@StatMamba) October 30, 2024
21.3 PPG (leads team)
5.0 3PM
55.6% 3PT
Joins Steph, Ant, Kemba, & McCollum as the only players in NBA history to record 20+ 3PT in the first four games of a season. pic.twitter.com/TXEHOjCnR8
- Buddy Hield on what Reggie Miller told him in halftime: “He told me to shoot the f*cking ball!”
“He told me to shoot the f*cking ball!”
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 30, 2024
Buddy Hield said Reggie Miller told him to let it fly at halftime 😂
pic.twitter.com/ghgcvFAFYs
- Spark Plug: Lindy Waters III came off the bench and fired a career-high 21 points after scoring 14 markers total in his first three games of the season.
"Still WATERS run deep!" 💦@ReggieMillerTNT highlighting Lindy's 17 point performance in the game thus far ? pic.twitter.com/e2KPm8jRwB
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) October 30, 2024
Jonathan Kuminga, who got relegated to bench, had 17 markers.
Kuminga block, Kuminga SLICK lob toss 💪👌
— NBA (@NBA) October 30, 2024
Loud in the Bay on TNT 🔊 pic.twitter.com/1tq5jDLJ8D
MAVERICKS CONTINUE TO HAVE TIMBERWOLVES’ NUMBER
- Dallas Mavericks (3-1) def. Minnesota Timberwolves (2-2), 120-114: In their first meeting since that epic West Final encounter, the Mavericks leaned on Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic anew to take the road dub.
- We’ve seen this movie before: Irving bucked a slow start and tallied 35 points, including 25 in the second half, with six threes for his first 30-point game of the season.
The crafty guard now has 21 games with 30 points while playing for the Mavericks, good for 10th in the all-time franchise’s list.
Kyrie Irving tonight:
— StatMamba (@StatMamba) October 30, 2024
35 PTS
5 AST
6/8 3PT
He has the 10th most 30-point games in Mavericks franchise history. pic.twitter.com/Cq41qnHNQ8
His superstar teammate in Luka Doncic is second with 183 behind Dirk Nowitzki’s 245.
- Doncic Déjà vu: Speaking of Doncic, he once again became the Timberwolves' worst nightmare in the clutch, as his game-sealing 33-footer with 1:04 left stretched Mavs’ lead to eight points.
He then went chirping at fans as he skipped back to the bench after a timeout after dropping 11 of his 24 points in the fourth.
🔥LUKA DONCIC🔥 pic.twitter.com/hswAkY94G2
— NBA TV (@NBATV) October 30, 2024
- Doncic on playing his best when the game is on the line: "We have me, Klay, Kai... anybody can take the shot [at the end of the game]."
"We have me, Klay, Kai... anybody can take the shot [at the end of the game]."
— NBA (@NBA) October 30, 2024
Tonight, it was Luka's turn 💯 https://t.co/n0CiSGYS3w pic.twitter.com/Jy6JpmOowN
- Klay struggled: After averaging 21 points in his first three games, Klay Thompson was held just seven points on a 2-of-7 shooting.
Thompson was seen casually smiling at the back after Doncic’s dagger triple.
The Luka Doncic dagger + Klay Thompson just smiling in the background 😭🔥
— MFFL NATION (@NationMffl) October 30, 2024
(via @dallasmavs) pic.twitter.com/ZPWcsFDVlC
- Splash Ant: Anthony Edwards came out blazing hot and dropped 24 points on six threes, the most points scored in any quarter in Timberwolves history since the play-by-play era.
Anthony Edwards' 1st quarter tonight:
— NBA (@NBA) October 30, 2024
🔥 24 PTS
🔥 8-10 FGM
🔥 6 3PM pic.twitter.com/Cud3EZxdg6
He also drilled seven threes, becoming just the second player after Stephen Curry to tally five treys or more in four straight games to open the season.
