Seven NBA games we will never forget from 2023

We will be watching NBA highlights from 2023 for decades to come — this became a year of firsts and historical moments for the Association. The Denver Nuggets’ first title. LeBron James became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. The first In-Season Tournament (we’ll see how that one holds up).

What games will we remember from 2023? Here’s a list of seven games we will not soon forget.

1) May 22: Jokic shot over AD symbolizes Nuggets title run

If one game and one shot could sum up Nikola Jokic’s play during the Denver Nuggets run to its first NBA title, it was this one over the Lakers’ Anthony Davis in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.

To set the stage, the Nuggets were up 3-0 in the series but LeBron James was not about to let his team get swept out of the playoffs on his home court — he scored 40 with four 3-pointers plus 10 assists. It was as good as LeBron was all year — which is saying something. However, Jokic is the best player in the world right now and reminded everyone of that with one shot.

The look on Anthony Davis’ face after that bucket says it all.

Jokic went on to have a triple-double of 30 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists in that Game 4, plus he hit the game-winner. The Nuggets swept the Lakers out of the playoffs and went on to knock off the Heat in five games in the NBA Finals, where Jokic was named Finals MVP.

Then he went back to Serbia to hang with his horses.

2) February 7: LeBron becomes NBA’s all-time leading scorer

For LeBron James, 2023 was about legacy building — strengthening his GOAT case — and nothing added to that more than when he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.

It was an emotional moment, one LeBron wanted to happen in front of the home Los Angeles crowd. After the bucket, he raised his hands to the air in celebration, but seconds later the moment washed over him and he doubled over with emotion, his hands on his knees. The game was stopped for a few minutes to celebrate, with both Abdul-Jabbar and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver coming out on the floor for a short ceremony.

As for LeBron’s legacy, Yahoo Sports’ Dan Devine summed things up well: LeBron has nine All-Star appearances, nine All-NBA selections (five First Team), five top-five finishes in MVP voting, two NBA championships and two Finals MVP trophies during five trips to the NBA Finals — and that’s all after he turned 30.

Cleveland paid a steep price to bring in Donovan Mitchell, asking him to be the elite scorer they needed to put themselves over the top. So far, the Cavaliers have not gone to the top, let alone over it, but Mitchell has been a bucket.

Just ask the Bulls, who watched him score 71 points — the most points in an NBA game since Kobe Bryant’s 81 17 years prior — shooting 22-of-34 in the process. However, the shot we all remember was his intentionally missed free throw, rebound and game-tying putback with 3 seconds left in regulation that forced overtime.

The Cavaliers won in OT, 145-134.

4) February 26: Damian Lillard goes off for 71

We didn’t know it at the time, but this game ended up being Lillard’s swan song, “Don’t forget about me” moment in Portland. He would demand a trade during the coming offseason and end up on a contender in Milwaukee.

These 71 points were a career and franchise-best mark for Lillard, who will always be remembered as one of the greatest — if not THE greatest — Trail Blazer ever and someone committed to the city, not just the team.

5) February 24: Kings 176, Clippers 175 in 2OT thriller

The Sacramento Kings were my favorite NBA story of 2023 — an entertaining, all-offense team that snapped a 16-year playoff drought. They lit the beam and long-starved Sacramento fans ate it up. The Kings were the most entertaining team to watch in 2023, and this was the single most fun game of the year.

This showdown proved to be the second-highest scoring game in NBA history, and the Kings showed fight — they were down 14 in the fourth and by six in both overtime periods yet came away with the win. Malik Monk had 45 off the bench and De’Aaron Fox — who has taken another step forward this season and is one of the game’s elite guards — added 42.

The Clippers would go on to add James Harden late in 2023 and after a slow start have gone 11-2 in their last 13 — they might give us memories we will not forget in 2024.

6) December 20: Joel Embiid scores 51 summing up MVP year

No player had a better 2023 than Joel Embiid, who was rewarded with his first MVP trophy.

And no name may have better summed up his season than the 51 points he dropped less than two weeks ago on the best defense in the NBA, the Timberwolves.

This was Embiid’s 12th consecutive game with 30+ points and 10+ rebounds (the longest streak since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it for 16 straight games in 1971-72 —Embiid’s streak is still alive at 13 (but he has missed time with a sprained ankle). We should add this game was part of Tyrese Maxey’s breakout season as he added 326 in the 127-113 Sixers victory.

7) December 9, Lakers win first In-Season Tournament Final

The Lakers made history — and raised a banner — by winning the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament. This was a success for the league: The level of play was better in tournament games, the ratings were up somewhat, and it got more casual NBA fans at least asking “What is with those courts?” For a first year, things went well (whether the league can build on it and if it is sustainable are the questions now).

Undoubtedly, part of the tournament’s success was having LeBron James and the Lakers winning it. The Lakers were built for the short burst of great games needed to win this event and in the championship game Anthony Davis was his peak self with 41 points and 20 rebounds, while LeBron scores 24 points and 11 boards.

The tournament also served as a coming-out party for Tyrese Halliburton (20 points, 11 assists in the Finals), as he has become a bona fide star in the league.