NBA Game Notes (April 28, 2025)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on April 28, 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 ⭐️

Jimmy Butler III returned from a one-game absence to score a team-high 27 points in the Golden State Warriors’ 109-106 win over the Houston Rockets, giving Golden State a 3-1 lead in their Western Conference First Round series. Butler III went 7-12 from the field and made all 12 of his free throw attempts. He also tallied a game-high six assists (tied with Fred VanVleet), five rebounds, and one block in 40 turnover-free minutes.

Second ⭐️

Jarrett Allen scored 14 points without missing a shot from either the floor (5-5) or the free throw line (4-4) as the Cleveland Cavaliers routed the Miami Heat 138-83 to sweep their Eastern Conference First Round series. Allen recorded game highs of 12 rebounds (tied with Bam Adebayo) and six steals, the latter also being a career high for any game, regular season or postseason. He posted a rating of plus-42 points in 25 minutes played, committing just one personal foul and no turnovers.

Third ⭐️

Alperen Sengun produced game highs of 31 points and 10 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough in the Rockets’ loss to the Warriors. Sengun shot 12-28 from the field and 7-10 from the charity stripe. He also dished out five assists, swiped a game-high two steals (tied with three others), and was not charged with a turnover in 42 minutes of action.

---

---

Milestones

• The Cleveland Cavaliers’ 55-point victory is the largest series-clinching win in NBA playoff history. The previous record of 54 points was set by the Chicago Bulls versus the Milwaukee Bucks on April 30, 2015.

• The Cavaliers posted the fourth-largest margin of victory in NBA playoff history, trailing 58-point wins by the Minneapolis Lakers (March 19, 1956) and the Denver Nuggets (April 27, 2009) and a 56-point win by the Los Angeles Lakers (April 21, 1973).

• The Cavaliers outscored the Heat by a combined 92 points in Games 3 and 4, the largest two-game point differential in NBA playoff history. They surpassed the previous mark of 79 points established by the Denver Nuggets on April 27 & 29, 2009.

• The Miami Heat became the first team in NBA history to lose back-to-back games by 30 or more points in a single postseason. It’s the first time in franchise history, regular season or postseason, they’ve lost consecutive home games by 30 or more points.

• The Cavaliers recorded a point differential of plus-122 points for the series, the largest such figure in a four-game sweep in NBA playoff history. The previous record of plus-101 points was set by the Orlando Magic in the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals versus the Atlanta Hawks.

• The Cavaliers became the first team in NBA history to score at least 120 points in each game of a four-game playoff series. Their 504 total points fell one short of the four-game record of 505 points set by the Toronto Raptors in the 2020 Eastern Conference First Round.

• The Cavaliers (22-47 on threes) tied NBA records for most 3-pointers made in a closeout game, most players with at least one 3-pointer made in a playoff game (10), and most players with multiple 3-pointers made in a playoff game (seven).

• The Cavaliers hit 77 triples overall, tying the NBA record for most 3-pointers made in a four-game playoff series. Cleveland also made 77 threes in the 2016 Eastern Conference Semifinals versus the Atlanta Hawks.

• The Cavaliers (138 points) set a franchise record for most points scored in a playoff game, surpassing the 137 they scored on June 9, 2017 versus the Golden State Warriors.

• The Cavaliers (15 steals) tied the franchise record most steals in a playoff game. They also recorded 15 thefts in playoff games on June 5, 2016 and June 4, 2017, both versus the Golden State Warriors.

• Allen tied the Cleveland Cavaliers’ record for most steals in a playoff game, matching the six thefts recorded by Ron Harper (May 8, 1988), Mark Price (May 1, 1993), Hot Rod Williams (April 29, 1995), and Kevin Love (June 7, 2017).

• Fred VanVleet (8-12 on threes) tied the Houston Rockets’ record for most 3-pointers made in a playoff game, equaling the eight triples hit by Matt Maloney (May 11, 1997), Chris Paul (May 8, 2018), and Jalen Green (April 23, 2025).

---

Streaking

• Stephen Curry (17 points) has scored in double figures in each of his last 109 playoff games, tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the ninth-longest such streak in NBA history.

• The Heat have lost seven consecutive playoff games, the longest such streak in franchise history. They have been outscored by an average of 27.1 PPG in those contests.

• The Cavaliers have scored at least 120 points in four straight playoff games, the longest such streak in franchise history. The NBA record of five such games in a row is shared by the Boston Celtics (1966), the Philadelphia 76ers (1967), the Denver Nuggets (1985), and the Milwaukee Bucks (1987).

---

---

Miscellany

• Sengun led the nightly scoring brigade, bagging 31 points. He was followed by Butler III with 27 points, the Warriors’ Brandin Podziemski with 26, and VanVleet with 25.

• The Heat’s Bam Adebayo and Allen were the top rebounders last night, each snagging 12 boards. Sengun also recorded double-digit rebounds with 10.

• Butler III and VanVleet were the night’s leading playmakers, each handing out six assists.