The 2023–24 NBA season has come and gone, and with that, a plethora of memorable moments became permanently etched into NBA history. This season saw the introduction of a brand new tournament, historic streaks, insane comebacks, the emergence of new stars, and much more.
The season reached its climax with the 2024 NBA Finals, ending when the Boston Celtics won it to clinch their record-breaking 18th championship. With the conclusion of the season in the rearview mirror, it is time to take a look at the top ten moments of the 2023–24 NBA season (not in chronological order).
10. Pistons-Jazz Overtime Thriller
The Detroit Pistons had a memorable 2023–24 season, but for all the wrong reasons. Shortly following the snapping of their historic losing streak, which will be discussed later, the Pistons found themselves taking on the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. And what would ensue would be a battle of the three-pointers.
Lauri Markkanen of the Jazz and Alec Burks of the Pistons exchanged three-pointers in the final few seconds of the game, ballooning the score into the 130s for each team. The Pistons showed fight and resilience throughout their losing streak, and they did it again in this game.
With one second remaining on the clock, Burks let a three-pointer fly, and it swished through the net at the buzzer. That sent the Utah crowd into a frenzy as they could not believe what just happened, and the Pistons had life.
They would ultimately lose the game by a score of 154–148, a microcosm of the woes they went through this season. But there is no doubt that Burks’ buzzer-beater three pointer to extend the game and give his team life was one of the most thrilling moments of the entire season.
9. Jokic’s Insane 40-Foot Buzzer-Beater
The Pistons-Jazz game which saw Alec Burks drain a buzzer-beating three occurred on January 3, 2024. Just one night later, on January 4, the then-defending champions Denver Nuggets were in San Francisco to take on the Warriors, and the game would feature events in similar fashion to the aforementioned Pistons-Jazz game.
The game would end up being tied at 127 with three seconds to go. Aaron Gordon received the ball and passed it to Nikola Jokic. That is when the Serbian superstar launched the ball at the basket from forty feet away, just past half court. The shot went in at the buzzer to give Denver the 130–127 win.
The shot was a stunner, silencing the Golden State crowd. Their team had been mediocre for most of the season up to that point, and the realization that their team was no longer the greatest set in at that moment. Jokic capped off an excellent 34-point performance, executing the play to perfection.
8. Pistons Snap Historic Losing Streak
On October 28, 2023, the Pistons were a winning team. They had a record of 2–1, having lost their opening game but taking the next two. Unfortunately for them, that day would mark both the only time and final time that they were a winning team with a record over .500 this season.
What would ensue would be a losing streak of historic proportions. Detroit would drop their next 28 games, breaking the record for most consecutive losses in a single season and tying the overall record (which spanned two separate seasons). But what made the streak more painful was that the Pistons were competitive and put up fights in most of the games they lost — they just could not finish.
After loss number 28, it appeared that the Pistons may never win another game again. Of course, they were bound to win eventually, and that is what happened on December 30, 2023, over two months after their last win. They barely lost their previous game against the Boston Celtics, a game which the Celtics had a comfortable lead in but blew it, only for them to hold on and win in overtime.
But this time, it would be the Toronto Raptors to blow a game against Detroit, and this time, the Pistons were able to finish it off. They barely edged out the Raptors to take the game by a score of 129–127, and the Pistons home crowd went into a frenzy.
Detroit would go on to lose the next seven games after that. But their win that broke the streak showed that, yes, anything is possible — including a Pistons win.
7. Historic Offense at the All-Star Game
The direction in which the nature of NBA games are heading in has been the subject of debate over the past season. The league is continuously seeing a massive increase in offense, with players putting up numbers never before seen. That has led to an arguably decrease in value in points, as teams often put up figures well in the hundreds on any given night.
But one night where it truly does not matter is the night of the NBA All-Star Game. That event sees the league’s top superstars let it rip, with defense taking a back seat as players wish to not risk injury. The All-Star Game reverted back to the traditional East versus West format, and this year, it would be the East to notch the win.
Not only did they get the win, but for the first time in NBA history, a team put up over 200 total points in a game of any kind — the East defeated the West by a score of 211–186. Even if offense has gotten out of control, there is no denying that seeing a ‘200’ on the scoreboard is nothing short of cool
6. Mac McClung Repeats as Champion
Query an average NBA fan, and there is a high chance that they will not know the name Mac McClung. It is understandable, as the 25-year-old has only played four games in the NBA over his three-year career.
But on All-Star Weekend, McClung emerges in the headlines. Specifically, the Slam Dunk Contest is where he makes his name known. He took the world by storm when he won last year’s Slam Dunk Contest, and this year, McClung repeated as that champion.
There is something special about seeing a lesser-known name take center stage, at least for a little bit. McClung possesses tremendous basketball skills which may not have translated to the NBA, but definitely translated to the Slam Dunk Contest.
5. Lakers Win In-Season Tournament
The 2023–24 NBA season will always be known for the first iteration of the In-Season Tournament. Commissioner Adam Silver implemented the tournament to boost ratings and spice up the fabric of the standard season, by making certain games count towards a separate, standalone championship.
The true significance of the In-Season Tournament still remains a mystery to the majority, but it still marked an important presence in the season and the history of the NBA. The Tournament’s distinctive painted courts let the viewer know the game meant more than just a standard regular-season game.
The illustrious Los Angeles Lakers would end up winning the very first iteration of the midseason classic, defeating the Indiana Pacers in the championship game. The final game was played in Las Vegas, marking the very first time that the NBA played a game in the state of Nevada.
4. Luka Doncic Puts Up 73 Points
Luka Doncic has been one of the most prominent faces of the NBA for the past few seasons, but the 2023–24 season saw him put up numbers like no other. He led the league in points, scoring 2,370, and 73 of those came in a game against the Atlanta Hawks on January 26.
Doncic’s 73 points put up in that game became the fourth-most ever by a single player in NBA history, behind only Wilt Chamberlain and Kobe Bryant. The offensive explosion cemented the 148–143 win over the Hawks, and was a sign of great things to come for the Dallas Mavericks.
3. T’Wolves Pull Off Historic Comeback
2024 was a year kind to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The season saw the emergence of Anthony Edwards, the league’s next superstar, and thanks to his clutch playoff performance, the team reached the Conference Finals for only the second time in their history.
Minnesota’s Conference Finals appearance came courtesy of them making history. After forcing a Game 7 against the defending champions Denver Nuggets, the Timberwolves found themselves down by twenty in that game. With the realization setting in that no team had ever successfully surmounted a deficit of more than 15 points in any Game 7 in NBA history, the team took action.
Edwards had only four points in the game at halftime, but a solid second half would be all that the T’Wolves needed to secure the 20-point comeback, the largest in the history of the NBA, to win the game by a score of 98–90. With that, the Nuggets’ reign had come to an end, and the young and rowdy T’Wolves kicked the defending champions to the curb to advance.
2. DiVincenzo’s Frenzy-Inducing Three
One of the most dramatic comebacks in the history of the NBA occurred in this year’s playoffs. The Knicks finished with the second seed in the Eastern Conference (behind the eventual champion Boston Celtics) and were set up with a first-round date with the Philadelphia 76ers.
After taking Game 1 at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks had blown an eight-point lead late in Game 2, and trailed by five points within the final 30 seconds. Jalen Brunson had an off shooting night, but nailed a three-pointer from the corner which bounced on the rim and fell in to get the team within two.
After multiple misses, including a Donte DiVincenzo three point attempt that missed, the Knicks managed to grab the offensive rebound and pass the ball to Josh Hart. That is when Hart passed it to DiVincenzo who stood at the perimeter, and he let it fly. This time, the three-pointer was good.
The shot sent The Garden into a frenzy, and even induced a rare “double bang” from announcer Mike Breen. The go-ahead shot stunned the Sixers and allowed the Knicks to take a 2–0 series lead. They would eventually win the series in six, upsetting Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia faithful.
1. Boston Celtics Win The Title
All seasons come to an end when one out of 29 other teams emerges victorious. In 2024, it was the Boston Celtics who clinched their 18th title, breaking a tie with the Lakers for most championships in league history. The storied franchise did it by defeating the Dallas Mavericks in just five games.
All season long, the league was the Celtics’ for the taking. They cruised to a 64–18 record, miles better than any other team. They then backed up that play by going 16–3 in the playoffs, for a final and total record of 80–21.
The elite play of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, combined with the support of Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porziņģis, and Al Horford, was what got the team to the finish line. It was only fitting that the 2023–24 season capped off with one of the most dominant beginning-to-end stretches the league has seen in quite some time.
With that, the 2023–24 season officially came to an end. Now, the basketball world will look ahead to the new memories and history that will be made in the 2024–25 season.
Chris K is a writer and publisher who travels America, and loves doing it. He also loves pizza, video games, and sports, and can tell you a thing or two about each. Follow him on Twitter and on Medium to be informed of new articles.
