NBA Game Notes (April 12, 2026)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on April 12, 2026.
This is my last game notes column of the 2025-26 NBA regular season. If you’re a free subscriber, please give some thought to upgrading to a paid subscription, or you could simply buy me a coffee. Thank you for your support.
Three Stars
Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games, with the “first star” considered the top performer.
First ⭐️
Paul Reed scored a game-high 26 points as the Detroit Pistons beat the Indiana Pacers 133-121 to reach 60 wins for the season. Reed did not miss a shot, going 11-11 from the field and 4-4 from the free throw line. He also contributed six rebounds, three assists, a team-high three steals (tied with two others), and a team-high three blocks in 22 turnover-free minutes.
Second ⭐️
Joan Beringer produced career highs of 24 points, 13 rebounds, and seven blocks to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 132-126 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Beringer went 9-12 from the floor and 6-9 from the charity stripe. He was not charged with a turnover in 31 minutes of action.
Third ⭐️
Scottie Barnes recorded his ninth career triple-double, compiling 18 points, a team-high 12 rebounds, and a game-high 12 assists in the Toronto Raptors’ 136-101 rout of the Brooklyn Nets. Barnes was very efficient, hitting eight of his 11 attempts from the floor. He added a game-high three blocks and one steal, committing just one turnover and no personal fouls in 32 minutes played.
Milestones
Reed broke the Detroit Pistons’ record for most field goals made in a game without a miss with 11. The previous mark of 10 makes without a miss was set by Dennis Rodman on March 14, 1987.
Nikola Jokic (23 points) reached 18,000 career points as the Denver Nuggets beat the San Antonio Spurs 128-118 to pick up their 12th straight win. He’s the 14th active player and the 84th player in NBA history to attain that milestone.
Stephen Curry (24 points, 7-14 field goals) recorded his 748th career 20-point game in the Golden State Warriors’ 115-110 loss to the LA Clippers, tying Moses Malone for 15th place on the NBA’s all-time list. He also moved into 25th place on the league’s career leaderboard for field goals made with 9,022, surpassing Jerry West.
Klay Thompson (4-9 on threes) made his 200th 3-pointer of the season in the Dallas Mavericks’ 149-128 win over the Chicago Bulls. It’s the 11th time he’s reached that mark, the second-most such seasons in NBA history behind Curry’s 12.
The Mavericks’ Ryan Nembhard (23 assists) set a franchise record for most assists in a game by a rookie, besting Jason Kidd’s 17 helpers on March 13, 1995. Only three rookies in NBA history have recorded more assists in a game: Ernie DiGregorio (25 on Jan. 1, 1974), Nate McMillan (25 on Feb. 23, 1987), and Ramon Sessions (24 on April 14, 2008).
AJ Green (5-14 on threes) broke the franchise record for most 3-pointers made in a season in the Milwaukee Bucks’ 126-106 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Green’s 232 triples eclipsed the previous mark of 229 set by Ray Allen in 2001-02.
LaMelo Ball (5-16 on threes) set the franchise record for most 3-pointers attempted in a season in the Charlotte Hornets’ 110-96 win over the New York Knicks. His 740 tries from beyond the arc exceeded the previous mark of 731 established by Kemba Walker in 2018-19.
The Spurs’ De’Aaron Fox (4-14 on threes) tied the franchise record for most 3-pointers missed in a game with 10. Victor Wembanyama (twice), Patty Mills, and Devonte’ Graham are the other Spurs who have missed 10 triples in a game.
The Pelicans’ Jeremiah Fears (36 points, 10 rebounds) and Derik Queen (30 points, 22 rebounds) became just the second rookie teammates in NBA history to each record at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in the same game. They join the Boston Celtics’ Bill Russell and Tom Heinsohn, who achieved the feat on Feb. 22, 1957.
The Detroit Pistons reached 60 wins in a season for just the third time in franchise history. They previously won 63 games in 1988-89 and a franchise-record 64 games in 2005-06.
The Indiana Pacers set a franchise record with their 63rd loss of the season, topping the previous high of 62 losses in the 1982-83 campaign. They also tied the NBA record for most losses by a team that reached the Finals the previous season, matching the 1964-65 San Francisco Warriors and the 2018-19 Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Utah Jazz lost their 60th game of the season, falling to the Los Angeles Lakers 131-107. It’s just the second time in franchise history they’ve reached that mark, with the first such occurrence coming last season.
The Sacramento Kings also lost their 60th game of the season, bowing to the Portland Trail Blazers 122-110. It’s only the second time the franchise has reached that undistinguished mark, the first coming in the 2008-09 season.
The LA Clippers finished the season with a record of 42-40, becoming the first team in NBA history to post a winning record after falling at least 15 games below .500 during the season. They were just 6-21 after losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 18, 2025.
The Brooklyn Nets suffered their eighth loss by 35 or more points this season, tying the 2022-23 San Antonio Spurs for the most such losses in a single season in NBA history.
The Miami Heat (58-103 field goals) tied the franchise record for most field goals made in a game in their 143-117 blowout win over the Atlanta Hawks. They previously made 58 field goals on April 11, 2025.
The Pacers (23-54 on threes) broke the franchise record for most 3-pointers attempted in a game with 54, surpassing their 52 attempts on Dec. 21, 2023.
The Atlanta Hawks (117 points) set the franchise record for most points scored in a season with 9,714, topping their 9,711 points in the 2022-23 campaign.
The Charlotte Hornets (110 points) broke the franchise record for most points scored in a season with 9,513. The previous mark of 9,457 points was set in 2021-22.
The Memphis Grizzlies (13-49 on threes) set a franchise record for most 3-pointers made in a season in their 132-101 loss to the Houston Rockets. They hit 1,143 triples, two more than the previous mark established last season.
The New Orleans Pelicans (126 points, 31-38 free throws) broke the franchise single-season record for points scored with 9,473 and tied the franchise single-season record for free throws made with 1,649. They eclipsed the 9,466 points they scored in 2018-19, and matched the 1,649 free throws they made in 2005-06.
The Toronto Raptors (136 points, 51-80 field goals) set franchise single-season records for points scored with 9,400 and field goals made with 3,495. The previous marks of 9,384 points and 3,466 field goals made were established in 2018-19 and 2023-24, respectively.
The Jazz (107 points, 25 assists) broke the franchise records for most points and most assists in a season. The prior marks of 9,600 points and 2,407 assists were set in 2022-23 and 1987-88, respectively.
Streaking
Fears became the first teenager in NBA history to record three consecutive 35-point games. The only other player in New Orleans Pelicans history to produce at least three such games in a row is Anthony Davis (three times).
Curry (4-9 on threes) has made at least one 3-pointer in 92 straight games, the ninth-longest such streak in NBA history. He’s hit at least two triples in each of his last 32 contests, the 10th-longest such streak in league history.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: Denver Nuggets (12).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Washington Wizards (10) and Memphis Grizzlies (eight).
The Nuggets have won 12 straight games, matching the second-longest such streak since the franchise joined the NBA in 1976. The franchise record of 15 wins in a row was set in the 2012-13 season.
Miscellany
Fears led the nightly scoring brigade, bagging 36 points. He was followed by the Hawks’ Buddy Hield (31 points), Queen (30), the Boston Celtics’ Baylor Scheierman (career-high 30), and the Jazz’s Oscar Tshiebwe (29).
Queen was the chairman of the boards, hauling in a career-high 22 rebounds last night. The Mavericks’ Moussa Cisse was runner-up with a career-high 20 rebounds, while Tshiebwe placed third with 17 boards.
Nembhard was the night’s top playmaker, handing out a career-high 23 assists. Also delivering double-digit dimes were the Pistons’ Cade Cunningham (14 assists), the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Nikola Topic (career-high 14), Barnes (12), the Orlando Magic’s Paolo Banchero (career-high-tying 11), the Sixers’ VJ Edgecombe (career-high-tying 11), the Grizzlies’ Jahmai Mashack (11), the Trail Blazers’ Deni Avdija (10), the Timberwolves’ Joe Ingles (10), the Bulls’ Lachlan Olbrich (career-high 10), and the Lakers’ Marcus Smart (10).
Olbrich produced his first career triple-double, registering career highs of 10 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists. He’s the fourth rookie in Chicago Bulls history to record a triple-double, joining Michael Jordan (three times), Jay Williams, and Kirk Hinrich.
Banchero recorded his fifth career triple-double, compiling 23 points, 10 rebounds, and a career-high-tying 11 assists in the Magic’s 113-108 loss to the Celtics. He’s the second player in franchise history to reach that mark, joining Elfrid Payton (eight).
Queen is just the second rookie this century to record a 30-point, 20-rebound game. He joins Victor Wembanyama, who accomplished the feat on March 29, 2024.