NBA Game Notes (April 25, 2026)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on April 25, 2026.
Three Stars
Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games, with the “first star” considered the top performer.
First ⭐️
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a playoff-career-high 42 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Phoenix Suns 121-109 to take a commanding 3-0 lead in their Western Conference First Round series. Gilgeous-Alexander shot a sizzling 15-18 from the field and made 11 of his 12 free throw attempts. He also contributed a game-high eight assists, four rebounds, and one steal in 38 minutes played.
Second ⭐️
Ayo Dosunmu came off the bench to score a career-high 43 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 112-96 victory over the Denver Nuggets, giving Minnesota a 3-1 lead in their Western Conference First Round series. Dosunmu was red-hot, going 13-17 from the floor (5-5 on threes) and 12-12 from the charity stripe. He also recorded four rebounds, one block, and just one turnover in 42 minutes of action.
Third ⭐️
Karl-Anthony Towns recorded his first career playoff triple-double, scoring 22 points to go with game highs of 10 rebounds (tied with OG Anunoby) and 10 assists in the New York Knicks’ series-tying 114-98 win over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference First Round series. Towns shot 6-10 from the field and 7-9 from the free throw line. He also swiped two steals in 29 minutes played.
Milestones
Gilgeous-Alexander is just the fifth player in NBA history to record a 40-point playoff game with 80% shooting from the field. He joins Terry Porter (May 19, 1992), Elton Brand (May 8, 2006), Dirk Nowitzki (May 17, 2011), and Devin Booker (May 5, 2023).
Dosunmu became just the fourth bench player to score at least 40 points in a playoff game since the NBA began tracking starters in 1970-71. The others to achieve the feat are Fred Brown (April 15, 1976), Nick Van Exel (May 10, 2003), and Stephen Curry (May 9, 2016).
Gilgeous-Alexander and Dosunmu each scored at least 40 points on 75% shooting from the field. It’s the first time in NBA postseason history there have been two such performances on the same day.
Towns is just the fourth player in New York Knicks history to record a triple-double in a playoff game, joining Walt Frazier (four times), Dick McGuire, and Josh Hart.
Desmond Bane tied the franchise record for most 3-pointers made in a playoff game with seven as the Orlando Magic defeated the Detroit Pistons 113-105 to take a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference First Round series. Dennis Scott also hit seven triples in a playoff game for the Magic on May 25, 1995.
The Pistons’ Cade Cunningham set a franchise record for most turnovers in a playoff game with nine, surpassing the eight errors committed by Isiah Thomas on May 26, 1988 and Chauncey Billups on May 25, 2005.
Streaking
Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 12 playoff games, a stretch in which he’s posted figures of 32.5 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 6.8 APG, 1.5 SPG, and 1.,1 BPG.
The Phoenix Suns have lost nine consecutive playoff games, the longest such streak in franchise history by four games. They have been outscored by an average margin of 17.9 PPG over that span, with eight of those losses coming by double digits.
Miscellany
Dosunmu was the day’s top bucket getter, netting 43 points. He was followed by Gilgeous-Alexander (42 points), the Suns’ Dillon Brooks (33), the Nuggets’ Jamal Murray (30), and Cunningham (27).
The Magic’s Wendell Carter Jr. was the leading rebounder yesterday, pulling down 17 boards. Also snagging double-digit rebounds were the Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert (15), the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic (15), the Magic’s Paolo Banchero (12), the Knicks’ OG Anunoby (10), the Suns’ Collin Gillespie (10), and Towns (10).
Towns took home daily honors in assists, handing out 10 helpers. Banchero, Cunningham, and Jokic were runners-up with nine dimes apiece.
Dosunmu recorded a true shooting percentage of 96.5%, the third-highest such figure in NBA history in a 40-point playoff game. The two players ahead of him both accomplished the feat playing for the Portland Trail Blazers: Terry Porter (101.7% on May 19, 1992) and Damian Llllard (96.8% on June 1, 2021).
The Pistons’ Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson each recorded five blocks. The last teammates to each block at least five shots in the same playoff game were the Indiana Pacers’ David West and Roy Hibbert on May 3, 2014.