NBA Game Notes (April 5, 2026)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on April 5, 2026.
Three Stars
Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games, with the “first star” considered the top performer.
First ⭐️
Cooper Flagg poured in a game-high 45 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 134-128 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Flagg shot 14-27 from the field (2-4 on threes) and 15-17 from the free throw line. He added a team-high nine assists, a team-high eight rebounds, a game-high two steals (tied with five others), and one block in 39 minutes played.
Second ⭐️
Rayan Rupert recorded his first career triple-double, racking up career highs of 33 points, 10 rebounds (tied), and 10 assists in the Memphis Grizzlies’ 131-115 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Rupert went 9-19 from the floor and 13-16 from the charity stripe. He also swiped a team-high four steals (tied with Taylor Hendricks) and blocked one shot in 39 minutes of action.
Third ⭐️
Kevin Durant scored a game-high 31 points as the Houston Rockets edged out the Golden State Warriors 117-116 to pick up their sixth straight win. Durant shot 10-17 from the field (3-6 on threes) and 8-9 from the free throw line. He also contributed eight rebounds, a team-high eight assists, and a game-high three blocks in 37 minutes played.
Milestones
Flagg recorded his fourth career 40-point game, breaking a tie with LeBron James for the most such games in NBA history by a teenager. The last rookie to produce at least four such games was Allen Iverson in 1996-97 (five).
At 41 years and 96 days old, the Lakers’ LeBron James (30 points, 15 assists) became the oldest player in NBA history to record a 30-point, 15-assist game. The previous mark of 34 years and 306 days was set by James on Nov. 1, 2019.
The Warriors’ Stephen Curry (29 points, 11-21 field goals) became the fifth active player and the 26th player in NBA history to reach 9,000 career field goals made. He recorded his 747th career 20-point game, tying Hakeem Olajuwon for 16th place on the league’s leaderboard.
DeMar DeRozan (nine points) moved into 16th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list in the Sacramento Kings’ 138-109 loss to the LA Clippers. His 26,711 career points are one more than Oscar Robertson, the player he displaced.
Payton Pritchard (1-3 on threes) made his 200th 3-pointer of the season in the Boston Celtics’ 115-101 win over the Toronto Raptors. He and teammate Derrick White are just the fourth duo in NBA history to each hit at least 200 triples in multiple seasons.
The Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Utah Jazz 146-111, registering their 10th win by 30 or more points this season. That ties the 1971-72 Milwaukee Bucks and the 2023-24 Boston Celtics for the most such wins in a single season in NBA history.
The Indiana Pacers lost their 60th game of the season, falling to the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-108. They are just the third team in NBA history to reach that mark one season after appearing in the Finals, joining the 1964-65 San Francisco Warriors (traded Wilt Chamberlain midseason) and the 2018-19 Cleveland Cavaliers (lost LeBron James to free agency in the offseason). The Pacers, of course, lost superstar Tyrese Haliburton to a torn Achilles tendon in Game 7 of last season’s Finals.
Two games were decided by at least 20 points yesterday, raising the NBA season total to 261. That breaks a tie with the 2024-25 campaign for the most 20-point wins in a single season in league history.
Streaking
Flagg became just the third rookie in NBA history to score at least 45 points in back-to-back games, joining Wilt Chamberlain (1959-60) and Walt Bellamy (1961-62). At 19 years and 105 days old, he’s the youngest player in league history to record consecutive 40-point games.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander extended his NBA-record streak of 20-point games to 138, a span in which he’s averaged 32.3 PPG and 6.5 APG with 53.7/38.3/89.0 shooting splits.
The Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard (26 points) has scored at least 20 points in 54 straight games, tying Elgin Baylor (Jan. 14 to Nov. 25, 1960) for the 19th-longest such streak in NBA history. Over that stretch, he’s averaged 28.7 PPG on 50.6/38.2/89.2 shooting.
The Celtics’ Jaylen Brown (26 points) has recorded nine straight 25-point games, matching the second-longest such streak of his career. He’s posted figures of 31.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 5.8 APG over that run.
Curry has made at least one 3-pointer in each of his last 89 games, tying Dana Barros (Dec. 23, 1994 to Jan. 10, 1996) for the ninth-longest such streak in NBA history. He already owns the top two spots with runs of 268 and 157 games.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: Houston Rockets (six) and Oklahoma City Thunder (five).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Utah Jazz (nine), New Orleans Pelicans (eight), Chicago Bulls (seven), and Washington Wizards (six).
The Pacers (17-44 on threes) hit at least 15 triples for the eighth consecutive game, the longest such streak in franchise history and tied for the 12th-longest such streak in NBA history.
Miscellany
Flagg was the day’s leading scorer, dropping 45 points. He was followed by the Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell (38 points), the Charlotte Hornets’ LaMelo Ball (35), the Jazz’s Brice Sensabaugh (34), and Rupert (career-high 33).
The Orlando Magic’s Paolo Banchero, the Lakers’ Luke Kennard, and the Wizards’ Julian Reese were the top board men, each collecting 16 rebounds yesterday (a career high for Kennard).
James took home daily honors in assists, handing out 15 helpers. Also delivering double-digit dimes were the Warriors’ Draymond Green (12 assists), Kennard (career-high-tying 11), and Rupert (career-high 10).
Kennard recorded his first career triple-double, scoring 15 points to go with his career highs of 16 rebounds and 11 assists (tied).
James and Kennard are just the second teammates since the ABA-NBA merger to record a 30-point, 15-assist game and a triple-double, respectively, in the same game. They join the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic and Russell Westbrook, who achieved the feat on Jan. 10, 2025.
The Sacramento Kings have lost 16 games by 25 or more points this season, tying the 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats and the 2025-26 Washington Wizards for the second-most 25-point losses in a single season in NBA history. The 2021-22 Portland Trail Blazers hold the record with 18 such losses.