NBA Game Notes (March 15, 2025)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on March 15, 2025.

Mar 16, 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 ⭐️

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in a game-high 48 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder held off the Detroit Pistons 113-107. Gilgeous-Alexander shot 17-26 from the field (4-6 on 3-pointers) and sank all 10 of his free throw attempts. He added a team-high six assists, four rebounds, a game-high three steals (tied with two others), and one block in 38 minutes played.

Second ⭐️

Nikola Jokic fell one assist shy of a triple-double, compiling 40 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists in the Denver Nuggets’ stunning 126-123 loss to the Washington Wizards. Jokic went 16-30 from the floor (but just 1-8 on threes) and a perfect 7-7 from the charity stripe. He also recorded two blocks and one steal in 39 minutes of court time.

Third ⭐️

Tyrese Haliburton scored 24 points and dished out a game-high 15 assists, but the Indiana Pacers fell to the Milwaukee Bucks 126-119. Haliburton shot 9-16 from the filed (2-6 on 3-pointers) and 4-5 from the free throw line. He also contributed six rebounds and a game-high five steals (Taurean Prince) in 37 turnover-free minutes.

Milestones

Payton Pritchard (5-8 on threes) broke the NBA single-season record for most 3-pointers made in games coming off the bench in the Boston Celtics’ 115-113 win over the Brooklyn Nets. His 220 triples surpasses the mark of 218 set by Wayne Ellington in 2017-18.
The Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook (22 points) became the 21st player in NBA history to reach 26,000 career points. He needs 59 points to pass Kevin Garnett and take over 20th place on the league’s all-time scoring list.
Stephen Curry (five assists) moved into the top 30 on the NBA’s all-time list for assists as the Golden State Warriors edged the New York Knicks 97-94. He has 6,473 career dimes, taking over 30th place from Stephon Marbury (6,471).
The New Orleans Pelicans’ CJ McCollum (5-12 on threes) moved into the top 20 on the NBA’s career leaderboard for 3-pointers made in a 119-115 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. He’s made 1,980 career threes, pushing Joe Johnson (1,978) into 21st place.
At 19 years and 323 days old, Alex Sarr (34 points) became the youngest player in Washington Wizards history to record a 30-point game. The previous record of 20 years and 135 days was held by Bradley Beal.
Gilgeous-Alexander recorded his 25th career 40-point game with the Oklahoma City Thunder, joining Kevin Durant (46) and Russell Westbrook (43) as the only players in franchise history to reach that mark.
Jokic produced his eighth 40-point game of the season, tying Kiki VanDeWeghe (1983-84) and Alex English (1985-86) for the most such games in a season by a Denver Nugget since the franchise joined the NBA in 1976.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr picked up his 558th career regular season victory, breaking a tie with Al Attles for the most such wins in franchise history. Kerr was already the franchise leader in postseason wins with 99, 68 more than any other head coach.

Streaking

Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 61 games, the second-longest such streak in Oklahoma City Thunder history and the 12th-longest such streak in NBA history.
Haliburton (15 assists, zero turnovers) has recorded double-digit assists with two or fewer turnovers in nine straight games, the longest such streak since the NBA began tracking individual turnovers in 1977-78.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: Golden State Warriors (seven) and Houston Rockets (six).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Miami Heat (seven).
The Memphis Grizzlies routed the Miami Heat 125-91, their 70th consecutive game scoring at least 100 points. It’s the longest such streak in franchise history (doubling the previous record) and tied for the 17th-longest such streak in NBA history.

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Gilgeous-Alexander paced all scorers with 48 points last night. He was followed by Jokic (40), the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo (34), Sarr (career-high 34), the Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr. (31), and the Pacers’ Aaron Nesmith (career-high 30).
The Nets’ Day’Ron Sharpe was the night’s top board man, hauling in a season-high 16 rebounds. The Rockets’ Alperen Sengun placed second with 15 boards, while the Wizards’ Justin Champagnie and Jokic tied for third with 13 apiece.
Haliburton was the leading playmaker last night, matching his season high with 15 assists. Also delivering double-digit dimes were the Celtics’ Jrue Holiday (season-high 12), the Grizzlies’ Scotty Pippen Jr. (11), the Pistons’ Dennis Schroder (11), and Westbrook (11).
The Warriors improved to 14-1 with Jimmy Butler III in the lineup, including seven straight wins. Their average scoring differential is plus-13.6 PPG in those contests.