NBA Game Notes (April 8, 2026)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on April 8, 2026.
Three Stars
Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games, with the “first star” considered the top performer.
First ⭐️
Chet Holmgren produced game-highs of 30 points and 14 rebounds as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the LA Clippers 128-110 to pick up their seventh straight win. Holmgren shot a sizzling 10-13 from the field (3-4 on threes) and 7-10 from the free throw line. He also contributed five assists, a game-high four blocks, and two steals in 31 minutes played.
Second ⭐️
Terrence Shannon Jr. came off the bench to drop a career-high 33 points in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 132-120 loss to the Orlando Magic. Shannon Jr. was incredibly efficient, going 11-14 from the floor (5-7 on threes) and 6-6 from the charity stripe. He also dished out a team-high five assists in 31 minutes of action.
Third ⭐️
Devin Booker scored a game-high 37 points to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 112-107 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Booker went 13-27 from the field and 9-9 from the free throw line. He also recorded a game-high nine assists and five rebounds in 37 minutes played.
Milestones
Nikola Jokic (14 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists) recorded his 34th triple-double of the season as the Denver Nuggets raced past the Memphis Grizzlies 136-119 to extend their winning streak to 10 games. He tied Russell Westbrook (2018-19) and himself (2024-25) for fourth place on the NBA’s single-season list.
The Nuggets’ Jonas Valanciunas appeared in his 1,000th regular season game. He’s the 19th active player and the 156th player in NBA history to attain that milestone.
The Orlando Magic (132 points) set a franchise record for most points scored in a season with 9,256. The previous mark of 9,136 points was established in the 2022-23 campaign.
The Phoenix Suns (14-35 on threes) broke the franchise record for most 3-pointers made in a season with 1,183, eclipsing the 1,176 triples they hit last season.
The Memphis Grizzlies (19-50 on threes) set a franchise record for most 3-pointers attempted in a season with 3,140. The previous mark of 3,106 attempts was established last season.
Streaking
The Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (20 points) has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 140 regular season games, the longest such streak in NBA history by 14 games. He’s averaged 32.1 PPG and 6.5 APG with 53.8/38.4/88.9 shooting splits over that span.
The Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard (20 points) extended his streak of 20-point games to 56, one shy of the franchise record of 57 such games in a row held by Bob McAdoo. Over that stretch, he’s averaged 28.6 PPG on 50.6/38.7/88.3 shooting.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: Denver Nuggets (10) and Oklahoma City Thunder (seven).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Memphis Grizzlies (six).
The Nuggets have recorded their first double-digit winning streak since winning a franchise-record 15 games in a row from Feb. 23 to March 23, 2014.
The Nuggets have scored at least 130 points in four consecutive games, all wins. The only other team this century to record four such wins in a row is the 2022-23 Sacramento Kings.
The Milwaukee Bucks (17-50 on threes) made 15 or more 3-pointers for the seventh straight game in their 137-111 loss to the Detroit Pistons, matching the longest such streak in franchise history (Jan. 6–17, 2023).
Miscellany
Booker led the nightly scoring brigade, bagging 37 points. He was followed by Shannon Jr. (career-high 33 points), the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell (31), Holmgren (30), and the Portland Trail Blazers’ Deni Avdija (29).
The Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley was the top board man last night, matching his career high with 19 rebounds. Next in line were Jokic (16 rebounds), the Magic’s Goga Bitadze (15), Holmgren (14), and the Suns’ Khaman Maluach (career-high 14).
Gilgeous-Alexander was the night’s premier playmaker, handing out 11 assists. Also delivering double-digit dimes were the Pistons’ Cade Cunningham, Jokic, and the Bucks’ Jericho Sims, each with 10 assists (a career high for Sims).
Sims produced his first career triple-double, registering 11 points and 11 rebounds to go with his career-high 10 assists.
The Nuggets have scored at least 120 points in 53 games this season, tying the 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers for the fourth-most such games in a single season in NBA history.
The San Antonio Spurs beat the Trail Blazers 112-101 to improve to 29-3 in their last 32 games, with 23 of those wins coming by double digits. They’ve outscored their opponents by an average of 13.6 PPG over that span.
Not to be outdone, the Oklahoma City Thunder have posted a record of 22-2 since the All-Star break, recording an average point differential of plus-13.0 PPG over that stretch. They have clinched the best record in the NBA and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
The Thunder are just the third team in NBA history to win at least 64 games in consecutive seasons, joining the Golden State Warriors (2014-15 to 2016-17) and the Chicago Bulls (1995-96 and 1996-97).