NBA Game Notes (April 30, 2024)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on April 30, 2024.

May 01, 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 ⭐️

Tyrese Maxey scored a game-high 46 points — including seven in the final 25 seconds of regulation — as the Philadelphia 76ers staved off elimination with a 112-106 overtime win over the New York Knicks in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference First Round series. The teams will head back to Philadelphia for Game 6 Thursday night.

Maxey went 17-30 from the field, making seven of his 12 attempts from 3-point range. He also contributed nine assists and five rebounds in his team-high 52 minutes of playing time.

Second ⭐️

Khris Middleton produced game highs of 29 points (tied with teammate Bobby Portis) and 12 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks kept their hopes alive with a 115-92 rout of the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference First Round series. The teams will now travel to Indianapolis for Game 6 Thursday night.

Middleton shot 9-20 from the floor — including 4-7 from 3-point range — and made seven of his nine free throws. He also dished out five assists and committed just two turnovers in his game-high 40 minutes of action.

Third ⭐️

Jalen Brunson scored a team-high 40 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Knicks fell to the Sixers in overtime. Brunson also handed out a team-high six assists and recorded a game-high three steals (tied with teammate Mitchell Robinson). He shot 15-32 from the field (4-11 on 3-pointers) and 6-9 from the free throw line.

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Milestones

Joel Embiid recorded his first career playoff triple-double, scoring 19 points to go with game highs of 16 rebounds, 10 assists, and four blocks in the Sixers’ win over the Knicks. It wasn’t all good for Embiid, who went just 7-19 from the floor and committed nine turnovers, the latter figure matching his career high for any game (regular season or postseason).
Maxey and Embiid became the first duo in NBA history to each record a 45-point game in the same playoff series. Embiid scored a playoff career-high 50 points in Game 3.
Brunson tied the Knicks’ record for most 3-pointers attempted in a playoff game with 11. John Starks (twice), Allan Houston, and Obi Toppin have also hoisted 11 3-point shots in a playoff game for New York.

Streaking

Brunson has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 16 playoff games, tying Carmelo Anthony (April 30, 2012 to May 18, 2013) for the longest such streak in Knicks history. Brunson is averaging 29.9 PPG and 6.5 APG over that span.
Brunson became just the second player in franchise history to record consecutive 40-point games in the playoffs, joining Bernard King. King scored at least 40 points in four straight playoff games in April 1984.
Maxey has made at least one 3-pointer in 23 straight playoff games, breaking a tie with JJ Redick (April 14, 2018 to May 12, 2019) for the longest such streak in Sixers history.
Middleton has posted at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in three consecutive games. He’s the third player in Bucks history to record at least three such games in a row in the playoffs, joining Kareem Adbul-Jabbar (three distinct streaks, high of five) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (four).

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Maxey led all scorers with 46 points last night, a playoff career high. He was followed by Brunson (40); the Orlando Magic’s Paolo Banchero (39); the Bucks’ Middleton (29) and Bobby Portis (29, playoff career high); and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell (28).
Embiid was the night’s leading board man, bringing down 16 rebounds. Also recording double-digit boards were the Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley (13, playoff career high), Middleton (12), the Magic’s Wendell Carter Jr. (11), and Portis (10).
The Bucks’ Patrick Beverley was the top playmaker last night, distributing a playoff career-high 12 assists. Embiid and Maxey were next with 10 and nine assists, respectively (a playoff career high for Embiid).
Brunson has produced 126 points and 29 assists over his last three games. Only two others players in NBA history have recorded at least 125 points and 25 assists over a three-game playoff span: Michael Jordan (1989) and LeBron James (2018).
Maxey and Embiid are just the third duo in NBA history to record a 45-point game and a triple-double, respectively, in the same playoff game. They join Wilt Chamberlain & Tom Gola and Kevin Durant & Draymond Green, each of whom did so twice.