NBA Game Notes (Dec 5, 2025)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on Dec. 5, 2025.
Three Stars
Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games, with the “first star” considered the top performer.
First ⭐️
Nikola Jokic scored 30 of his game-high 40 points in the second half as the Denver Nuggets rallied from a 23-point deficit to defeat the Atlanta Hawks 134-133. Jokic shot 13-26 from the field and 13-15 from the free throw line. He added a team-high nine rebounds, eight assists, one steal, and one block in 36 minutes played.
Second ⭐️
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 33 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Dallas Mavericks 132-111 to pick up their 14th straight win. Gilgeous-Alexander was incredibly efficient, going 10-12 from the floor (2-2 on threes) and 11-12 from the charity stripe. He also recorded a team-high six assists, five rebounds, and one block in 29 minutes of action.
Third ⭐️
Cade Cunningham scored 13 of his team-high 29 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Detroit Pistons to a 122-116 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Cunningham went 7-15 from the field (2-4 on threes) and 13-14 from the free throw line. He also contributed a game-high nine assists, four rebounds, a game-high three steals, and one block in 36 minutes played.
Milestones
Kevin Durant (28 points) became the eighth player in NBA history to reach 31,000 career points in the Houston Rockets’ 117-98 win over the Phoenix Suns. He tied LeBron James as the third-fastest player to attain that milestone (1,141 games).
Durant (2-2 on threes) increased his career total to 2,223 3-pointers made, breaking a tie with Jamal Crawford for 12th place on the NBA’s all-time list.
Jokic recorded his 33rd career 40-point game, tying Alex English for the most such games in Nuggets history. It was also his 163rd career 30-point game, tying Carmelo Anthony for second place on the franchise’s all-time list (English, 273).
Gilgeous-Alexander has produced nine 30-point games in which he’s played exactly 30 minutes or less this season. That ties Giannis Antetokounmpo (2019-20) for the most such games in a single season in NBA history.
The Hawks’ Jalen Johnson (21 points, 18 rebounds, 16 assists) became the first player in franchise history to record at least 15 points, 15 rebounds, and 15 assists in a game. It was his fifth career triple-double, tying Cliff Hagan and Bill Bridges for second place on the franchise’s all-time list (Mookie Blaylock, seven).
The New York Knicks scored the first 23 points of the game en route to a 146-112 blowout win over the Utah Jazz. It’s the largest game-opening run in the NBA’s play-by-play era (i.e., since 1997-98).
The Utah Jazz trailed 41-13 at the end of the first quarter, matching the largest deficit after the opening period of a game in franchise history. They also trailed by 28 points after one quarter of play on Nov. 7, 2025 versus the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Streaking
Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 20 points in 95 consecutive regular season games, the second-longest such streak in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain’s record 126-game run.
The Trail Blazers’ Deni Avdija (35 points, nine rebounds, seven assists) recorded his fifth straight 25-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist game, tying Damian Lillard (Jan. 20–31, 2020) for the longest such streak in franchise history.
Franz Wagner (32 points) extended his streak of 15-point games to 50 as the Orlando Magic got by the Miami Heat 106-105. The only other player in franchise history to reach that mark is Shaquille O’Neal, with runs of 134 and 54 games.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: Oklahoma City Thunder (14).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Chicago Bulls (six).
The Denver Nuggets won their ninth consecutive road game, the longest such streak in franchise history. They’ve scored at least 120 points in each of their last seven games (home or away), the franchise’s longest such streak since the 1988-89 season.
The Chicago Bulls extended their run of 100-point games to 50 in a 120-105 loss to the Indiana Pacers. It’s the longest such streak in franchise history, doubling the previous record of 25 games.
Miscellany
Jokic was the night’s leading scorer, bagging 40 points. He was followed by the Los Angeles Lakers’ Austin Reaves (36 points), the Pacers’ Pascal Siakam (36), Avdija (35), the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson (33), and Gilgeous-Alexander (33).
Johnson was the top board man last night, matching his career high with 18 rebounds. The Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo was runner-up with 15 rebounds, while the Memphis Grizzlies’ Cedric Coward and the Trail Blazers’ Robert Williams III shared third place with 14 apiece (a career high for Coward).
Johnson was also the nightly leader in assists, handing out a career-high 16 helpers. The Nuggets’ Jamal Murray was the only other player to deliver double-digit dimes with 12.
The Thunder are just the fourth team in NBA history to open a season with at least 22 wins in their first 23 games, joining the 1969-70 New York Knicks, the 1993-94 Houston Rockets, and the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors.