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 ⭐️
James Harden scored a team-high 28 points and handed out a game-high eight assists in the LA Clippers’ 109-97 win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of their Western Conference First Round series. Harden went 8-17 from the field with six 3-pointers made, also sinking all six of his free throws. He committed just one turnover and one personal foul in 39 minutes of action.
Second ⭐️
Damian Lillard scored a game-high 35 points — all of them coming in the first half — as the Milwaukee Bucks knocked off the Indiana Pacers 109-94 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference First Round series. Lillard shot 11-24 from the field, including a 6-11 effort from 3-point range. He also made all seven of his attempts from the free throw line.
Third ⭐️
Jayson Tatum recorded his first career playoff triple-double, scoring a team-high 23 points to go with game highs of 10 rebounds and 10 assists as the Boston Celtics routed the Miami Heat 114-94 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference First Round series. Tatum was held to 7-18 shooting from the floor (1-8 on 3-pointers), but hit all eight of his free throws. He also recorded a game-high two steals (tied with two others) in 41 minutes played.
Milestones
Lillard’s 35 first-half points broke the Bucks’ franchise record for most points scored in a single half of a playoff game. The only other player over the last 25 seasons to score at least 35 points in the first half of a playoff game is Kevin Durant with 38 on April 26, 2019.
The New Orleans Pelicans’ Trey Murphy III attempted 12 3-pointers in a 94-92 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, matching the franchise record for most 3-pointers attempted in a playoff game. He tied Baron Davis, who did so twice (April 26, 2003 and April 27, 2004).
The New Orleans Pelicans attempted a franchise-playoff-record 39 3-pointers in their loss to the Thunder. They misfired on 28 of those tries, setting a franchise record for most 3-pointers missed in a playoff game.
The Boston Celtics made 22 3-pointers in their win over the Heat, tying the franchise single-game playoff record. The Celtics also sank 22 threes on May 15, 2022 versus the Milwaukee Bucks.
Seven Celtics made multiple 3-pointers: Sam Hauser (four), Kristaps Porzingis (four), Derrick White (four), Jaylen Brown (three), Jrue Holiday (two), Al Horford (two), and Payton Pritchard (two). That ties the NBA playoff record for most such players in a game, achieved four times previously.
The LA Clippers led the Mavericks by 26 points after two quarters, matching the largest halftime lead in a playoff game in franchise history. They also had a 26-point halftime lead over the Golden State Warriors on April 21, 2014, a game they eventually won 138-98.
Streaking
Paul George scored 22 points in the Clippers’ win over the Mavericks, his 20th consecutive playoff game with at least 20 points. It’s the longest such streak in franchise history by seven games. George is averaging 26.7 PPG, 9.5 RPG, and 5.3 APG over that span.
Luka Doncic scored a game-high 33 points for the Mavericks, adding team highs of 13 rebounds and seven assists. Doncic has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 19 playoff games, one shy of Dirk Nowitzki’s franchise record. Over that stretch, Doncic is averaging 32.9 PPG, 9.6 RPG, and 7.4 APG.
Tatum has recorded a double-double in each of his last seven playoff games, the longest such streak by a Celtic since Larry Bird also had a seven-game run from May 26, 1988 to April 28, 1990. Tatum is averaging 24.3 PPG, 10.7 RPG, and 6.7 APG over that span, shooting 45.0% from the field and 89.6% from the free throw line.
George (four 3-pointers made) and the New Orleans Pelicans’ CJ McCollum (20 points, two 3-pointers made) have each made at least one 3-pointer in 38 straight playoff games, tied for the fourth-largest such streak in NBA history.
Doncic has made at least one 3-pointer in each of his 29 career playoff games, tying Tim Hardaway for the second-longest such streak to start a playoff career in NBA history. The record of 132 such games in a row is held by (who else?) Stephen Curry.
The Indiana Pacers have lost 10 consecutive playoff games, the longest such streak in franchise history (by four games) and tied for the seventh-longest such streak in NBA history. The Pacers last won a playoff game on April 27, 2018 versus the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Miscellany
The Pacers’ Pascal Siakam led all scorers with a playoff career-high 36 points yesterday. He was followed by Lillard (35), Doncic (33), the Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving (31), the Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (28), and Harden (28).
The Pelicans’ Jonas Valanciunas was the leading board man yesterday, hauling in 20 rebounds. Seven more players collected double-digit boards: the Clippers’ Ivica Zubac (15); Doncic (13); Siakam (13, tying his playoff career high); the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren (11); the Bucks’ Bobby Portis (11) and Khris Middleton (10); and Tatum (10).
Tatum was yesterday’s leading playmaker, dishing out 10 assists. The Bucks’ Patrick Beverley, the Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton, and Harden were next in line with eight dimes apiece (a playoff career high for Beverley).
The Thunder’s Chet Holmgren tallied 15 points, 11 rebounds, and five blocks in a win over the Pelicans. The last player to record at least 10 rebounds and five blocks in his playoff debut was Shaquille O’Neal on April 28, 1994 (it was O’Neal’s second season). The only other rookie to produce at least 15 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks in his playoff debut is David Robinson on April 26, 1990 (blocks have been tracked since the 1973-74 season).
Valanciunas recorded his second career 20-rebound playoff game for the Pelicans. He’s the only player in franchise history to record such a game, his first coming on April 17, 2022 (25 rebounds).
Valanciunas logged 29 minutes, becoming just the second player over the last 55 seasons to record at least 20 rebounds in a playoff game while playing fewer than 30 minutes. He joined Kevon Looney, who grabbed 23 rebounds in 29 minutes on May 2, 2023.