NBA Game Notes (March 9, 2025)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on March 9, 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 recorded his third straight 40-point game, scoring a game-high 40 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Denver Nuggets 127-103. Gilgeous-Alexander shot an uncharacteristically inefficient 15-32 from the field (2-11 on 3-pointers), but made all eight of his free throw attempts. He also recorded eight rebounds, five assists, and three blocks, committing just one turnover in 35 minutes of action.
Second ⭐️
Naji Marshall compiled game highs of 34 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds (tied with two others), but the depleted Dallas Mavericks fell to the Phoenix Suns 125-116. Marshall went 13-22 from the floor (3-7 on 3-pointers) and 5-6 from the charity stripe. He also swiped two steals and was charged with just one personal foul in a career-high 41 minutes played.
Third ⭐️
Jalen Williams racked up 26 points, nine rebounds, and a team-high eight assists in the Thunder’s blowout win over the Nuggets. Williams shot 7-14 from the field (2-4 on 3-pointers) and 10-11 from the free throw line. He added a game-high two steals and one block, committing just one turnover and no personal fouls in 38 minutes of playing time.
Milestones
Gilgeous-Alexander reached 2,000 points in his 62nd game of the season, becoming the fastest player in Oklahoma City Thunder history to attain that milestone. The previous mark of 63 games was set by Kevin Durant in 2013-14, his MVP campaign.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo (game-high 30 points) moved into the top 50 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list in a 112-100 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Antetokounmpo (20,077 points) took over 50th place from Tom Chambers (20,049).
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (24 points, 13 rebounds) recorded his 50th double-double of the season, tying Domantas Sabonis for the league lead. It’s the sixth time he’s reached that mark, the most such seasons among active players.
Malik Beasley launched 11 threes in the Detroit Pistons’ 119-112 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, breaking the franchise record for most 3-pointers attempted in a season with 611. The previous mark of 610 attempts was set by Saddiq Bey in 2021-22.
Suns forward Kevin Durant made four free throws to raise his career total to 7,244, breaking a tie with Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki for eighth place on the NBA’s all-time list.
Streaking
Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 58 games, the second-longest such streak in franchise history and the 12th-longest such streak in NBA history. The only guards with a longer run of 20-point games are Oscar Robertson (79), Michael Jordan (72 and 69), and Kobe Bryant (63).
Gilgeous-Alexander became the first player in Oklahoma City Thunder history to record three consecutive 2,000-point seasons. The only other active players to produce at least three such seasons in a row are LeBron James (seven) and James Harden (six).
Jokic has recorded 10 straight double-doubles. He’s produced five triple-doubles over that span, missing four others by either a single rebound or a single assist.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: Cleveland Cavaliers (14), Oklahoma City Thunder (seven), and Minnesota Timberwolves (five).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Dallas Mavericks (five) and Utah Jazz (five).
The Cavaliers have won 14 consecutive games, scoring at least 110 points in each contest. The only other team in NBA history to record 14 such wins in a row is the 1985-86 Boston Celtics.
The Cavaliers went 19-47 from beyond the arc to extend their streak of regular season games with 10 or more 3-pointers made to 69, the third-longest such streak in NBA history. The Cavaliers and the 2020-21 Utah Jazz are the only teams to make double-digit threes in each of their first 64 games of a season.
The Timberwolves hit 21 triples in a 141-124 rout of the Spurs, the sixth straight game in which they’ve made 15 or more 3-pointers. That matches the longest such streak in franchise history, a feat that was achieved twice previously.
The Memphis Grizzlies held off the New Orleans Pelicans 107-104, the 66th consecutive regular season game in which they’ve scored at least 100 points. They are the fifth team in NBA history to open a season with 64 straight 100-point games, joining the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers, the 1979-80 San Antonio Spurs, the 1981-82 Denver Nuggets, and the 2023-24 Indiana Pacers.
Miscellany
Gilgeous-Alexander paced all scorers yesterday with his 40-point effort. He was followed by Marshall (career-high 34), the Trail Blazers’ Anfernee Simons (34), the Grizzlies’ Ja Morant (season-high-tying 32), the Sacramento Kings’ DeMar DeRozan (31), the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo (30), the Grizzlies’ Desmond Bane (30), and the Kings’ Zach LaVine (30).
The Kings’ Jonas Valanciunas was the top board man, hauling in a season-high-tying 17 rebounds yesterday. The Philadelphia 76ers’ Adem Bona and the Nuggets’ Michael Porter Jr. tied for second place with 15 rebounds apiece, a career high for Boma and a season high for Porter Jr.
The Pelicans’ Jose Alvarado and the LA Clippers’ James Harden were the day’s leading playmakers, each handing out 11 assists (a career high for Alvarado). Also delivering double-digit dimes with 10 each were the Utah Jazz’s Isaiah Collier, DeRozan (season high), Marshall (career high), and the Timberwolves’ Julius Randle (season high).
Bona (15 rebounds, five blocks) became the first Sixers’ rookie to record at least 15 rebounds and five blocks in a game since the NBA began tracking blocks in 1973-74.
The Thunder posted their 42nd double-digit victory of the season, the most such wins in NBA history by a team through its first 64 games of a season. The 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers and the 2015-16 San Antonio Spurs each recorded 41 double-digit wins through 64 games.