NBA Game Notes (April 23, 2026)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on April 23, 2026.
Three Stars
Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games, with the “first star” considered the top performer.
First ⭐️
Scottie Barnes produced playoff career highs of 33 points and 11 assists to lead the Toronto Raptors to a 126-104 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, cutting Cleveland’s lead to 2-1 in their Eastern Conference First Round series. Barnes shot 11-17 from the field (3-5 on threes) and 8-10 from the free throw line. He aded five rebounds, one steal, and one block, committing just one turnover in 35 minutes played.
Second ⭐️
OG Anunoby scored a game-high 29 points, but it wasn’t enough as the New York Knicks were edged out by the Atlanta Hawks 109-108 to give Atlanta a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference First Round series. Anunoby went 9-16 from the floor (4-8 on threes) and 7-7 from the charity stripe. He also contributed nine rebounds, a game-high three blocks, and one steal in 37 turnover-free minutes.
Third ⭐️
Ayo Dosunmu came off the bench to score a team-high 25 points in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 113-96 win over the Denver Nuggets, giving Minnesota a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference First Round series. Dosunmu was very efficient, going 10-15 from the field and 5-6 from the free throw line. He also dished out a game-high nine assists in 32 minutes of action.
Milestones
Dosunmu broke the Minnesota Timberwolves’ record for most points scored off the bench in a playoff game with 25. The previous mark of 24 points was set by Jaden McDaniels on April 29, 2022.
The Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards (6-15 field goals) became the franchise’s playoff career leader in field goals made with 419, surpassing Kevin Garnett’s 415 makes.
The Raptors’ Collin Murray-Boyles (22 points) became the first rookie in franchise history to record a 20-point game in the playoffs.
The Cavaliers’ James Harden (18 points, four assists) moved up the NBA’s playoff career leaderboards for points with 3,963 (passing Dwyane Wade to take over 12th place) and assists with 1,143 (tying Tony Parker for sixth place).
The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic (7-26 field goals) became the 40th player in NBA history to reach 1,000 career field goals made in the playoffs.
Streaking
Edwards has scored at least 15 points in each of his 45 career playoff games. The only other players in NBA history to open their postseason careers with at least 45 such games in a row are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, and Karl Malone.
The Hawks’ CJ McCollum (2-4 on threes) has made at least one 3-pointer in 44 consecutive playoff games, tying Reggie Miller (May 13, 1995 to April 29, 2000) for the fifth-longest such streak in NBA postseason history.
Miscellany
Barnes and Raptors teammate RJ Barrett were the night’s top bucket getters, each netting 33 points. They were followed by Anunoby with 29 points, Jokic with 27, and the Hawks’ Jalen Johnson with 26.
The Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns was the chairman of the boards, hailing in 17 rebounds last night. Also pulling down double-digit rebounds were Jokic (15), the Hawks’ Dyson Daniels (13), the Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert (12), Johnson (10), and the Timberwolves’ Jaden McDaniels (10).
Barnes was the nightly leader in assists, delivering 11 dimes. Next in line were Dosunmu (nine assists), Johnson (eight), the Timberwolves’ Donte DiVincenzo (seven), and the Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley (seven).
Barnes and Barrett became the first duo in Toronto Raptors history to each record at least 30 points and five assists in the same playoff game.
The Toronto Raptors snapped an NBA-record-tying 12-game postseason losing streak to the Cleveland Cavaliers, securing their first playoff win over Cleveland since Game 4 of the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals.