NBA Game Notes (March 27, 2025)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on March 27, 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 scored a game-high 37 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Memphis Grizzlies 125-104 for their eighth straight win. Gilgeous-Alexander shot 15-25 from the field and 7-9 from the free throw line. He also recorded team highs of six assists and three steals (tied with Luguentz Dort), and was not charged with a turnover or a personal foul in 34 minutes of action.
Second ⭐️
Tyler Herro scored a game-high 36 points to lead the Miami Heat to a 122-112 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Herro shot a blistering 13-17 from the floor (4-6 on 3-pointers) and went 6-7 from the charity stripe. He also contributed four assists and two steals, committing just one personal foul in 38 minutes played.
Third ⭐️
Donovan Mitchell scored 25 points and dished out a career-high 14 assists in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 124-116 win over the San Antonio Spurs. Mitchell shot 8-18 from the field (4-9 on 3-pointers) and made all five of his free throw attempts. He added eight rebounds, one steal, and one block, recording just one turnover and one personal foul in 35 minutes of court time.
Milestones
Josh Giddey (25 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists) recorded his fifth triple-double of the season in the Chicago Bulls’ wild 119-117 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. He’s just the second player in franchise history to record at least five triple-doubles in a season, joining Michael Jordan (1988-89). Giddey’s night was highlighted by a buzzer-beating halfcourt heave that turned a one-point deficit into a two-point win.
The Bulls’ Coby White (5-10 on threes) made his 200th 3-pointer of the season, becoming the first player in franchise history to reach that mark in back-to-back seasons.
The Bulls’ Kevin Huerter (5-10 on 3-pointers) sank his 1,000th career three in the first quarter. He’s the third player from the 2018 NBA Draft class to attain that milestone, joining Luka Doncic and Trae Young.
Former Bull and current Sacramento King Zach LaVine (2-5 on 3-pointers) also hit his 200th triple of the season in a 128-107 rout of the Portland Trail Blazers. It’s the third time LaVine has attained that milestone.
The Hawks’ Trae Young (29 points, 12 assists) surpassed 12,000 career points in the first quarter, giving him totals of 12,020 points and 4,645 assists. At 26 years and 189 days old, he’s the second-youngest player in NBA history to reach 12,000 points and 4,000 assists, trailing only LeBron James (25 years, 350 days).
Herro has attempted 628 threes this season, breaking the Miami Heat single-season record of 624 set by Duncan Robinson in 2021-22. Herro’s 234 makes from beyond the arc this season rank third in franchise history.
The Indiana Pacers destroyed the Washington Wizards 162-109, the most points they’ve scored in a game since joining the NBA in 1976. Leaguewide, it’s the most points scored in a regulation game since the Denver Nuggets blew out the Seattle SuperSonics 168-116 on March 16, 2008.
The Pacers (27-47 on threes) set a franchise record for most 3-pointers made in a game. The previous mark of 23 had been achieved twice previously, most recently on Dec. 30, 2023.
Led by Tyrese Haliburton’s 29 points, the Pacers also tied a franchise single-game record with nine players scoring in double figures. They had 11 players make at least one 3-pointer (paced by Haliburton with seven), matching another franchise record.
On the flip side, the Washington Wizards set franchise single-game records for most points allowed (162) and largest margin of defeat (53 points). The result could have been worse, as the Pacers intentionally took three shot-clock violations in the last 1:46 of the game.
The Oklahoma City Thunder won their 61st game of the season, the team’s highest total since moving to Oklahoma City in 2008. The franchise single-season record of 64 victories was set in 1995-96, when the team was known as the Seattle SuperSonics.
Streaking
Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 66 games, the longest such streak in Oklahoma City Thunder history and the ninth-longest such streak in NBA history.
The Lakers’ Luka Doncic (25 points, 4-12 on threes) has scored at least 10 points with one 3-pointer made in 112 straight games, the longest such streak in NBA history. Points aside, his 112-game 3-point run ranks fifth on the league’s all-time list.
The Hawks’ Dyson Daniels (two steals) extended his streak of games with at least one steal to 44, the second-longest such run in franchise history (steals have been tracked since the 1973-74 season). He’s recorded multiple thefts in each of his last 10 games.
Paolo Banchero (35 points) recorded his fifth straight 30-point game in the Orlando Magic’s 101-92 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. He’s just the third player in franchise history to record at least five such games in a row, joining Tracy McGrady (three distinct streaks) and Shaquille O’Neal.
Banchero has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 15 games, the longest such streak of his career by seven games. He’s averaging 30.9 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 4.3 APG with 51.1/36.7/80.0 shooting splits over that span.
White has produced 14 consecutive 20-point games, the longest such streak of his career by eight games. Over that stretch, he’s averaging 29.1 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 4.0 APG with 49.1/36.2/89.2 shooting splits.
The Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton (six assists, one turnover) has recorded at least five assists with two or fewer turnovers in 15 straight games, the longest such streak since the NBA began tracking individual turnovers in 1977-78. He’s averaging 21.6 PPG and 11.5 APG with 53.4/45.6/92.7 shooting splits over that span, committing just 17 turnovers and 18 personal fouls.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: Oklahoma City Thunder (eight).
The Cleveland Cavaliers (17-48 on threes) have made 10 or more 3-pointers in 78 straight regular season games, the third-longest such streak in NBA history. They are the first team in league history to start a season with 73 such games in a row.
The Chicago Bulls have scored at least 110 points in each of their last 19 games, the longest such streak in franchise history by 10 games. Chicago has gone 11-8 in those contests, with a scoring average of 120.8 PPG.
Miscellany
Gilgeous-Alexander led the nightly scoring brigade, netting 37 points. Also producing 30-point efforts were Herro (36), Banchero (35), the Houston Rockets’ Alperen Sengun (33), and the Lakers’ Austin Reaves (30).
The Kings’ Domantas Sabonis was the top board man last night, hauling in 19 rebounds. The Cavaliers’ Jarrett Allen was next in line with 15 boards, followed by Giddey with 14.
Mitchell was the night’s leading playmaker, handing out a career-high 14 assists. The Lakers’ LeBron James (12), Young (12), Giddey (11), and the Kings’ DeMar DeRozan (season-high-tying 10) also delivered double-digit dimes.
Allen (29 points, 10-11 field goals) recorded his seventh career 25-point game with 90% shooting from the floor. The only player in NBA history with more such games is Wilt Chamberlain with 12.
Wilt has twelve games of 25 points with 90%+ FG.
Good call on the Pacers' intentional shot clock violations. God I hate these. Even the home crowd was booing. They came to see a 48 minute game, not 46.
There's no such thing as running up the score between pro teams, in any sport. They're paid to do it and don't need your mercy. Resting the starters is fine, but play till the buzzer sounds.