A record 17 home-opener sellouts brought NBA attendance to 95 percent capacity for the first week of the season.
The league said Thursday that the record eclipsed the previous home-opener sellout mark of 15 established during the 1997-98 season.
During the first 10 days of the season, there were eight overtime games, which also tied a record for that span, set in 1985-86.
MILESTONE: Miami Heat center Shaquille O’Neal eclipsed the 22,000-point plateau Thursday night, becoming the 20th player in NBA history to accomplish the feat. O’Neal’s follow-up slam off a missed shot with 3:43 remaining in the third quarter against the Dallas Mavericks gave him 20 points in the game and 22,000 points in 814 career regular-season games.
SIDELINED: Houston Rockets guard Tracy McGrady sat out Thursday night’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves because of nagging hip and groin strains. … Dallas Mavericks guard Michael Finley was placed on the injured list Thursday with a sprained right ankle.
WON: Kevin Garnett hit a jumper with 8.3 seconds left and finished one assist shy of a triple double, leading Minnesota to a 96-91 win over Houston on Thursday night. Garnett had 20 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists.
