NBA Game Notes (March 17, 2025)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on March 17, 2025.

Mar 18, 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 ⭐️

Quentin Grimes poured in a career-high 46 points, but the Philadelphia 76ers fell short in a 144-137 overtime loss to the Houston Rockets. Grimes shot 15-27 from the field, sinking eight of his 14 attempts from 3-point range. He also contributed a career-high 13 rebounds, four assists, a game-high two steals (tied with six others), and one block in 43 minutes played.

Second ⭐️

Desmond Bane scored a season-high 44 points, but it wasn’t enough in the Memphis Grizzlies’ 132-122 loss to the Sacramento Kings. Bane went 15-25 from the floor (7-7 on 3-pointers) and made all seven of his free throw attempts. He added six rebounds, four assists, and one steal in 41 minutes of playing time.

Third ⭐️

Obi Toppin bagged a season-high 34 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds remaining in overtime, as the Indiana Pacers took down the Minnesota Timberwolves 132-130. Toppin shot 12-19 from the field, hitting 7 of his 10 attempts from beyond the arc (including a 4-4 effort in overtime). He also recorded a game-high 10 rebounds, one steal, and one block, and did not commit a personal foul in 45 minutes of action.

Milestones

Josh Hart (12 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists) recorded his eighth tripe-double of the season in the New York Knicks’ 116-95 rout of the Miami Heat, tying the franchise single-season record. Walt Frazier also recorded eight triple-doubles in the 1968-69 campaign.
The Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards (19-20 on free throws) tied the franchise record for most free throws made in a game. He shares the mark with Kevin Love, who achieved the feat on Dec. 27, 2011.
Bane (7-7 on threes) broke the Memphis Grizzlies’ record for most 3-pointers made in a game without a miss. The previous mark of six was shared by Mike Bibby, Matt Barnes, and Vince Carter.
The Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (seven assists) took over 29th place on the NBA’s career leaderboard for assists in a 114-104 loss to the shorthanded Denver Nuggets. Curry has 6,480 career dimes, four more than the man he displaced, Nate Archibald.
Grimes (46 points, 13 rebounds) became just the second guard in Philadelphia 76ers history to record at least 45 points and 10 rebounds in a game. He joins Hal Greer, who achieved the feat on Feb. 14, 1959 (when the franchise was known as the Syracuse Nationals).
The Philadelphia 76ers shot a scorching 24-49 from beyond the arc, tying the franchise record for most 3-pointers made in a game. They also hit 24 triples in a game on March 31, 2024.
The Detroit Pistons destroyed the New Orleans Pelicans 127-81, matching the second-largest margin of victory in franchise history. The record of 52 points was set on Jan. 31, 2003 versus the Boston Celtics.
On the flip side, the New Orleans Pelicans matched the largest margin of defeat in franchise history. They previously lost a game by 46 points to the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 7, 2019.

Streaking

The Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic (21 points, 1-7 on threes) extended his NBA-record streak of games with at least 10 points and one 3-pointer made to 107 in a 125-109 win over the San Antonio Spurs. Points aside, his 107-game 3-point run ranks sixth in league history.
The Rockets have won the last 16 games in which Jalen Green (30 points) has scored at least 30 points, the longest such streak in franchise history. They are 10-0 when he records a 30-point game this season.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: Houston Rockets (seven).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Utah Jazz (10) and Miami Heat (eight).
The Miami Heat’s eight-game losing skid is the franchise’s longest since the 2007-08 season, when they finished a league-worst 15-67. They dropped to 10 games below .500 for the first time since early Feb. 2017.
The Utah Jazz have lost 10 consecutive games for the sixth time in franchise history. They have been outscored by an average of 11.2 PPG over that span.
The Memphis Grizzlies have scored at least 100 points in each of their last 71 regular season games, the longest such streak in franchise history (by 36 games) and the 17th-longest such streak in NBA history.

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Grimes was the night’s leading scorer, netting a career-high 46 points. He was followed by Bane (season-high 44), Edwards (38), the Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon (season-high 38), Toppin (season-high 34), Green (30), the Lakers’ Austin Reaves (30), the Portland Trail Blazers’ Anfernee Simons (30), the Rockets’ Jabari Smith Jr. (season-high 30), and the Pelicans’ Zion Williamson (30).
The Trail Blazers’ Donovan Clingan, Grimes, and Hart tied for the nightly lead in rebound with 13 apiece (a career high for Grimes). The Jazz’s Walker Kessler and the Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook were next in line with 12 boards each.
Westbrook was the top playmaker, handing out a season-high 16 assists. Also delivering double-digit dimes were Doncic (14), Green (career-high 13), the Pacers’ T.J. McConnell (season-high 13), the Chicago Bulls’ Tre Jones (season-high 12), and Hart (11).
Westbrook (12 points, 12 rebounds, 16 assists) recorded his 203rd career triple-double, extending his preexisting NBA record. It wasn’t all good for Westbrook, who shot just 5-18 from the field and committed seven turnovers.