NBA Starting 5, Dec. 14: Giannis erupts for 64, Dame Top 5 in 3s
Only 12 players have ever scored 64 points in an NBA game.
Two of them currently play for the Bucks.
THE LINEUP
- Giannis erupts for 6️⃣4️⃣
- ⚔️ AD vs. Wemby duel
- 3️⃣ Nets spoil Suns’ Big 3 debut
- ⌚ Dame Top 5 all-time in 3s
- Dame on where it all started
Cavs-Celtics: 7:30 ET, NBA TV
Warriors-Clippers: 10:30 ET, NBA TV
5 more games on the NBA App
News: Green suspended indefinitely
1. GIANNIS ERUPTS FOR TEAM-RECORD 64 POINTS
Bucks 140, Pacers 126
Giannis called his shot back in April 2021 when he met up with Bucks legend Michael Redd in the tunnel.
- Giannis: “One day I’m going to break your record”
- Redd: “I know you will”
Three years later, Giannis proved them both right as he erupted for 64 points in Milwaukee’s win over Indiana, besting Redd’s previous franchise record (57) that stood for 17 years (Nov. 11, 2006).
- Giannis put the exclamation point on the night with a breakaway dunk for points 63 and 64 with 26 seconds to play
- “It’s a great feeling.” – Giannis on breaking the Bucks’ record
- “It was special to watch.” – Damian Lillard as Giannis joined him in a club of 12 players to ever reach 64 points in an NBA game
Giannis already had the highest-scoring game of the 2023-24 NBA season (54 points vs. Indiana on Nov. 9) and now just raised the bar by 10 points.
The past three 60+ point games belong to two Bucks teammates:
- Giannis: 64 on Wednesday
- Lillard: 71 points on Feb. 26, 2023 (POR vs. HOU)
- Lillard: 60 points on Jan. 25, 2023 (POR vs. UTA)
This was Giannis’ second 50+ point game against Indiana this season and the third of his career. He’s just the fourth player in the past 40 years with at least three 50+ games against a single opponent.
- He joined: Lillard (3 vs. Jazz), Kobe Bryant (3 vs. Grizzlies and Rockets) and Michael Jordan (3 vs. Knicks, Pistons and Cavs)
- More great company: Giannis joined Wilt Chamberlain (15 times!), Elgin Baylor (twice), David Robinson and Jordan as the only players with 64+ points and 14+ rebounds in a game
- Throwback game: Take a look at Giannis’ final shooting numbers from Wednesday: 20-28 FG, 0-3 3P, 24-32 FT. He scored the most points since 1979-80 without making a three
2. AD OUTDUELS WEMBY AS LAKERS TOP SPURS
Lakers 122, Spurs 119
Two multi-talented No. 1 picks separated by 11 years – 2012’s Anthony Davis and 2023’s Victor Wembanyama – put on an absolute show on Wednesday in San Antonio.
- Davis (37 pts, 10 reb, 4 stl) posted his third straight game with at least 37 points and 10 boards (including the In-Season Tournament championship game)
- Wemby (30 pts, 13 reb, 6 blk) became the 8th rookie since blocks were tracked in 1973-74 to post a 30/10/5 game
The Lakers never trailed after the game’s first three minutes, but the Spurs rallied in the fourth to make it a one-point game in the final minute. Watch the final 2:47
- Will we get similar drama when the teams meet again on Friday (7:30 ET, ESPN)? And will LeBron join the party after sitting out Wednesday with a calf injury?
Speaking of 30/10 games…
Sixers 129, Pistons 111
- Joel Embiid needed only the first half to extend his streak of 30/10 games to eight straight games. He finished with 41 points, 11 boards and five assists in three quarters as the Sixers beat the Pistons, tying MJ for 10th all-time in 40/10/5 games with 18
3. NETS SPOIL SUNS’ BIG 3 DEBUT
Nets 116, Suns 112
Cam Thomas scored 24 points, while former Suns Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson added 21 and 15, respectively, as Brooklyn spoiled the debut of Phoenix’s new big three
- Devin Booker (34), Kevin Durant (27) and Bradley Beal (14) combined for 75 points in their first regular-season game together
Wednesday marked the first meeting between the Suns and Nets since last season’s blockbuster trade that sent KD to Phoenix.
- The Suns honored Bridges and Johnson with a video tribute, while KD and Royce O’Neale remembered their handshake from their days in Brooklyn
⚜️ Pelicans 142, Wizards 122
- Brandon Ingram had to be cooled off by his teammates postgame after scorching the Wizards with 40 points on 14-of-23 shooting in the Pelicans win
Raptors 135, Hawks 128
- Pascal Siakam (33 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast) and Scottie Barnes (27 pts, 10 reb) led the Raptors past the Hawks to snap a four-game losing streak. Trae Young (35 pts, 17 ast) and the Hawks have another shot at Toronto on Friday
Heat 115, Hornets 104
- Duncan Robinson hit six 3s and finished with 23 points, while Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 17 including this coast-to-coast bucket as Miami took control late in the first half
Rockets 117, Grizzlies 104
- Tari Eason (25 pts, 14 reb), Jabari Smith Jr. (20 pts, 10 reb) and the Rockets overcame a career-high 44 points from Jaren Jackson Jr. to extend their win streak to four
Jazz 117, Knicks 113
- Lauri Markkanen scored 23 points in his return after missing eight games (hamstring) and Collin Sexton added a season-high 26 points as the Jazz overcame a 32-point game from Julius Randle
4. DAME ENTERS TOP 5 ALL-TIME IN 3S
With a catch-and-shoot 3 in the third quarter, Damian Lillard made his 2,451st career 3-pointer, passing Kyle Korver for fifth on the all-time list.
- Lillard joined an exclusive club of the top shooters in the history of the NBA
- Only Steph Curry (3496), Ray Allen (2973), James Harden (2795) and Reggie Miller (2560) have made more 3s than Lillard
- Dame needs 110 more 3s to pass Reggie for fourth place. Based on his current rate of 2.9 per game, he would need 38 games to get there
- Congrats from Korver: “You’re one of those guys that’s changed the game.”
Shot Chart
Here’s what 2,451 made 3-pointers looks like.
For Dame, his two signature shots correlate with his two nicknames.
- Logo Lillard: There is no shot outside of Dame’s range as the chart above illustrates. He’s one of the innovators of the deep 3, launching from well beyond the arc, many times while standing on the half-court logo.
- Lillard has made 192 regular-season 3s from 30+ feet away, shooting 33.3% from that distance
- Dame Time: With a well-earned reputation for delivering with the game on the line, 142 of Dame’s 2,451 regular-season 3s have come in clutch situations
A Few Of Dame’s Best Regular Season 3s
Dec. 16, 2012: In his 23rd career game, Dame hit his first regular-season game-winning 3 with to beat the Hornets.
Nov. 2, 2017: The signature Dame Time celebration after hitting the game-winning 3 to beat the Lakers.
Dec. 27, 2018: Game-winner vs. the Warriors in his final regular-season visit to Oracle Arena in his hometown of Oakland.
Feb. 26, 2023: A career night with 71 points (tied 8th most in a game ever) and 13 3-pointers (tied 2nd most in a game ever).
Dec. 13, 2023: Dame hit a catch-and-shoot 3 against the Pacers to pass Kyle Korver for fifth on the all-time list.
Video Archive
- The best Logo Lillard 3s from the past 5 seasons
- 1 full hour of Lillard’s best career 3-pointers
- Dame and Steph’s shooting display from the 2021 All-Star Game
- Dame wins the 2023 Starry 3-Point Contest
5. SHOOTING AT A TREE, TO TOP 5 IN 3S
Dame hit 34 regular-season 3s inside Oracle Arena in Oakland.
One of the greatest players in the history of the game of basketball learned how to shoot on a tree branch in Oakland.
When that tree was cut down, Damian Lillard’s grandfather found another way.
Lillard told us this story 11 years ago, the night before he became Weber State’s first-ever first-round Draft pick.
In honor of Dame entering the Top 5 in 3-pointers made, let’s revisit how his shot first came to be.
I learned how to play on a tree.
We didn’t have a basketball court — it was a tree branch.
It was like half of a branch, shaped like the front of a basketball hoop. That’s what I started to shoot on. Me and my cousins, we’d shoot on that. That was our court.
They chopped the tree down, and I didn’t have nothing to shoot on, so my grandfather, he brought milk crates.
The guy next door he’d cut out the milk crates, cut out the bottom of them. He’d nail them up onto the telephone pole, and I’d start to shoot on those.
That’s what I had for a few years, you know, just a milk crate, and I got to the point where I was shooting so well on a milk crate that when I got on a real court it was like heaven.
Tap to watch Lillard tell the story of his journey, special for the Starting 5 family.
