NBA Game Notes (April 10, 2024)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on April 10, 2024.

Three Stars

The three stars in ice hockey are the three best players in a game, with the “first star” considered the best of the three players, similar to the player of the match in other sports. Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games.

First ⭐️

Nikola Jokic scored a game-high 41 points as the Denver Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-107. Denver now owns a one-game lead over Minnesota and the Oklahoma City Thunder for the number-one seed in the Western Conference with two games to play.

Jokic also grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds, handed out seven assists, and swiped a game-high three steals. He went 16-20 from the floor against the NBA’s best shot defense (and one of the league’s premier defenders, Rudy Gobert).

Second ⭐️

Devin Booker scored a game-high 37 points (tied with Bones Hyland) as the Phoenix Suns used a big fourth quarter to pull out a 124-108 victory over the shorthanded LA Clippers. The Clippers played without the services of usual starters Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and James Harden, plus sixth man Russell Westbrook.

Booker went 13-24 from the field — including 5-12 from 3-point range — and hit all six of his free throws. He committed just one turnover and one personal foul in a team-high 39 minutes of action.

Third ⭐️

Bobby Portis did an admirable job filling in for the injured Giannis Antetokounmpo, producing game highs of 30 points, nine rebounds, and five steals (also a career high) in the Milwaukee Bucks’ 117-99 win over the Orlando Magic. The Bucks now have a 1.5-game lead over the New York Knicks for the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

Portis made 14 of his 18 shots from the field, including both of his 3-point attempts. Since the NBA began tracking steals in 1973-74, the only other Buck to record a 30-point, 5-steal game with a field goal percentage of at least 75% was Blue Edwards on Nov. 7, 1992.