NBA Game Notes (April 21, 2025)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on April 21, 2025.

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 ⭐️

Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high 39 points as the LA Clippers defeated the Denver Nuggets 105-102 to even their Western Conference First Round series at one game apiece. Leoanrd shot a blistering 15-19 from the field (4-7 on 3-pointers) and sank all five of his free throw attempts. He added five assists, two steals, and one block, committing just one turnover and one personal foul in 39 minutes of action.

Second ⭐️

Cade Cunningham scored a team-high 33 points to lead the Detroit Pistons to a 100-94 victory over the New York Knicks, squaring their Eastern Conference First Round series at one game each. Cunningham went 11-21 from the floor and 10-12 from the charity stripe. He also grabbed 12 rebounds and swiped a team-high two steals (tied with Ausar Thompson) in 42 minutes played.

Third ⭐️

Nikola Jokic recorded his 19th career playoff triple-double, compiling a team-high 26 points, 12 rebounds, and a game-high 10 assists in the Nuggets’ Game 2 loss to the Clippers. Jokic shot 8-16 from the field, making four of his eight 3-point attempts. He also recorded a game-high three steals (tied with two others) in 43 minutes of court time.