NBA Game Notes (April 25, 2024)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on April 25, 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 ⭐️
Joel Embiid scored a playoff career-high 50 points as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the New York Knicks 125-114 in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference First Round series. The Knicks lead the series 2-1 with Game 4 Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia.
Embiid shot 13-19 from the field — including 5-7 from 3-point range — and made 19 of his 21 free throws. He also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds in his 41 minutes of action.
Second ⭐️
Aaron Gordon produced playoff career bests of 29 points and 15 rebounds in the Denver Nuggets’ 112-105 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of their Western Conference First Round series. Denver now owns a commanding 3-0 series lead with Game 4 Saturday night in Los Angeles.
Gordon sank 12 of his 18 shots from the floor, setting playoff career highs for field goals made and attempted. He committed just two turnovers and no personal fouls in his team-high 41 minutes played.
Third ⭐️
Paolo Banchero recorded game highs of 31 points and 14 rebounds as the Orlando Magic routed the Cleveland Cavaliers 121-83 in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference First Round series. The Magic cut the Cavaliers’ series lead to 2-1, with Game 4 Saturday afternoon in Orlando.
Banchero went 13-26 from the field (4-9 on 3-pointers), also handing out five assists in 29 turnover-free minutes. He’s the only player over the last 55 seasons to record at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in a playoff game while logging less than 30 minutes.
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Milestones
Embiid (50 points, 13-19 field goals) became the first player in NBA history to score at least 50 points in a playoff game in which he attempted fewer than 20 shots from the floor. The previous record-low of 22 field goal attempts in a 50-point playoff game was set by Bob Cousy on March 21, 1953. Cousy made a league-record 30 free throws in that game.
Speaking of free throws, Embiid tied Allen Iverson’s Sixers record for most free throws made in a playoff game with 19. Iverson went 19-20 from the charity stripe versus the Boston Celtics on April 28, 2002.
Four Denver Nuggets scored at least 20 points in their win over the Lakers: Gordon (29), Nikola Jokic (24), Jamal Murray (22), and Michael Porter Jr. (20). That ties the franchise record for most such players in a playoff game, achieved three times previously (plus an additional three times in the ABA).
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ 38-point loss to the Magic is the worst in franchise playoff history. The previous mark of 36 points was set on April 24, 2008, a 108-72 drubbing by the Washington Wizards.
Streaking
Nikola Jokic fell one assist shy of a triple-double, compiling 24 points (9-13 field goals), 15 rebounds, and nine assists in the Nuggets’ win over the Lakers. Jokic has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 22 playoff games, averaging 30.5 PPG, 13.7 RPG, and 9.5 APG with 56/45/82 shooting splits over that span.
The Knicks’ Jalen Brunson scored a team-high 39 points and dished out a game-high 13 assists in a loss to the Sixers. Brunson has recorded 14 consecutive 20-point games in the playoffs, the second-longest such streak in franchise history (Carmelo Anthony, 16). He’s averaging 27.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 6.3 APG over that stretch.
LeBron James had 26 points (12-20 field goals), nine assists, and six rebounds in the Lakers’ loss to the Nuggets. He’s scored at least 20 points in 14 straight playoff games, the longest such streak in NBA history by a player age 36 years or older. Over that span, James is averaging 25.7 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 7.7 APG with a field goal percentage of 52.7%.
James is just the second player in NBA history to score at least 20 points in seven consecutive playoff games, all losses. He joins Jokic, who recorded seven straight 20-point games in the playoffs without a win from June 7, 2021 to April 21, 2022.
James’ teammate, Anthony Davis, posted game highs of 33 points and 15 rebounds (tied with two others). Davis became the first player to record at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in each of the first three games of a playoff series since Amar’e Stoudemire in the 2005 Western Conference Semifinals.
Davis joined Wilt Chamberlain (1961) and Embiid (2020) as the only players in NBA history to record at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in three consecutive playoff games, all losses.
The Los Angeles Lakers have lost seven consecutive playoff games, matching the longest such streak in franchise history (May 19, 2012 to Aug. 18, 2020). All of those losses have come against the Nuggets. Including the regular season, the Lakers have dropped 11 straight games to Denver.
The Nuggets, meanwhile, have won six consecutive playoff games, the second-longest such streak in franchise history. Denver won seven playoff games in a row from May 9, 2023 to June 1, 2024.
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Miscellany
Embiid led all scorers last night with 50 points, a playoff career high. Six more players scored at least 25 points: Brunson (39), Davis (33), Banchero (31), Gordon (29, playoff career high), James (26), and the Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey (25).
Davis, Gordon, and Jokic were the night’s top rebounders with 15 boards apiece (a playoff career high for Gordon). Banchero (14) and the Nuggets’ Michael Porter Jr. (10) also snagged double-digit rebounds.
Brunson was the only player to deliver double-digit dimes, recording a playoff career-high 13 assists last night. He was followed by James, Jokic, and the Nuggets’ Jamal Murray with nine assists each.
Embiid is just the second player in NBA history to make at least 15 free throws, 10 field goals, and five 3-pointers in a playoff game. He joins Dirk Nowitzki, who accomplished the feat on June 1, 2006.
Embiid became the third player in Sixers history to record a 50-point game in the playoffs, joining Iverson (three times) and Billy Cunningham (April 1, 1970).
Banchero (31 points, 14 rebounds, five assists) became just the fourth player in NBA history age 21 years or younger to record at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in a playoff game. He joins LeBron James (three times), Magic Johnson (May 16, 1980), and Luka Doncic (Aug. 23, 2020).
Brunson (39 points, 13 assists) is just the second player in Knicks history to record at least 35 points and 10 assists in a playoff game. He joins Walt Frazier, who had 36 points and 19 assists in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals.
Embiid (50 points) and Maxey (25) have each scored at least 25 points in the same playoff game six times, tying Julius Erving and Doug Collins for the second-most such games in Sixers history. The franchise record of 11 dual 25-point games is held by Chamberlain and Hal Greer.
Davis (33 points, 15 rebounds), Gordon (29 points, 15 rebounds), and Jokic (24 points, 15 rebounds) each recorded at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in the Nuggets’ win over the Lakers. It’s the first playoff game to feature three such players since May 8, 1995, when the Lakers’ Elden Campbell and the San Antonio Spurs’ David Robinson and Dennis Rodman accomplished the feat.