NBA Game Notes (March 3, 2025)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on March 3, 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 51 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 137-128 win over the Houston Rockets. Gilgeous-Alexander shot 18-30 from the field (5-9 on 3-pointers) and sank all 10 of his free throw attempts. He added a game-high seven assists, five rebounds, one steal, and one block in 36 minutes of playing time.

Second ⭐️

Desmond Bane recorded his first career triple-double, scoring a game-high 35 points to go with team highs of 10 rebounds and 10 assists, but the Memphis Grizzlies were edged by the Atlanta Hawks 132-130. Bane went 9-19 from the floor, making three of his eight 3-point tries. He also shot a perfect 14-14 from the free throw line, establishing a new carer high for free throws made.

Third ⭐️

Anfernee Simons scored a game-high 34 points as the Portland Trail Blazers blew out the Philadelphia 76ers 119-102 for their fifth win in the last six games. Simons went 13-26 from the field, hitting six 3-pointers in 11 attempts. He also contributed four rebounds, three assists, and a game-high two steals (tied with two others), posting a game-best rating of plus-22 points in 32 minutes of action.

---

Milestones

• Gilgeous-Alexander recorded his fourth 50-point game of the season, tying Russell Westbrook (2016-17) for the most such games in a single season in Oklahoma City Thunder history.

• Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 50 points four times in his last 19 games. He’s only the eighth different player in NBA history to record four such games in a span of fewer than 20 games, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, James Harden, and Luka Doncic.