NBA Game Notes (March 9, 2026)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on March 9, 2026.
Three Stars
Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games, with the “first star” considered the top performer.
First ⭐️
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 35 points in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s thrilling 129-126 win over the Denver Nuggets, tying Wilt Chamberlain’s NBA record with his 126th consecutive 20-point game (more on that below). Gilgeous-Alexander made 14 of his 21 attempts from the field, including the game-winning 3-pointer with just 2.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter. He added a career-high 15 assists, nine rebounds, one steal, and one block in 39 turnover-free minutes.
Second ⭐️
Nikola Jokic racked up team highs of 32 points, 14 rebounds (also a game high), and 13 assists, but it wasn’t enough as the Nuggets fell to the Thunder. Jokic went 12-19 from the floor (3-6 on threes) and 5-6 from the charity stripe. He also blocked one shot and did not commit a personal foul in 40 minutes of action.
Third ⭐️
Karl-Anthony Towns scored a game-high 35 points in the New York Knicks’ 126-118 loss to the LA Clippers. Town shot a sizzling 13-17 from the field (3-4 on threes) and 6-8 from the free throw line. He also contributed 12 rebounds, seven assists, and one block in 36 minutes played.
Milestones
James Harden (21 points) became the ninth player in NBA history to reach 29,000 career points in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 115-101 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. With a listed height of 6 feet 5 inches, Harden is the shortest player in that group.
Gilgeous-Alexander became just the second player to record at least 35 points and 15 assists in a game without committing a turnover since the NBA began tracking individual errors in 1977-78. He joins LeBron James, who accomplished the feat on March 21, 2018.
Gilgeous-Alexander reached 13,000 career points, becoming the second player from the 2018 NBA Draft class (with Luka Doncic) and the second Canadian-born player (with Andrew Wiggins) to attain that milestone.
Jokic recorded his 500th assist of the season, the eighth campaign in which he’s produced at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 500 assists. That breaks a tie with Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson for the second-most such seasons in NBA history.
The Sixers’ Andre Drummond (two offensive rebounds) tied Charles Oakley for 10th place on the NBA’s career leaderboard for offensive rebounds with 3,924. The league began tracking offensive and defensive boards in 1973-74.
The LA Clippers joined the 2016-17 Miami Heat as the only teams in NBA history to claw their way back to .500 after falling at least 15 games below the break-even point during a season. The Clippers owned a record of 6-21 after a loss on Dec. 18, but are now all square at 32-32.
Streaking
As noted earlier, Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 126 regular season games, tying Wilt Chamberlain (Oct. 19, 1961 to Jan. 19, 1963) for the longest such streak in NBA history. Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 32.5 PPG and 6.5 APG with 53.5/38.3/89.7 shooting splits over his record-tying run.
The Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard (29 points) recorded his 42nd consecutive 20-point game, tying Bob McAdoo (Jan. 13 to Nov. 12, 1974) for the second-longest such streak in franchise history. Over that span, he’s averaged 28.8 PPG with 49.9/36.8/89.7 shooting splits.
Jokic has scored at least 20 points in 15 straight games, a stretch in which he’s posted figures of 28.1 PPG, 13.7 RPG, and 9.5 APG with 13 double-doubles and eight triple-doubles.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: Oklahoma City Thunder (six).
Miscellany
Gilgeous-Alexander and Towns were the night’s leading scorers, each netting 35 points. They were followed by Jokic (32 points), Leonard (29), and the Thunder’s Jaylin Williams (29).
The Utah Jazz’s Kyle Filipowski was the top board man last night, collecting 15 rebounds. Jokic was runner-up with 14 rebounds, while the Knicks’ Josh Hart placed third with 13.
Gilgeous-Alexander was the nightly leader in assists, handing out a career-high 15 helpers. Also delivering double-digit dimes were Jokic (13 assists) and the Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green (11).
Jokic recorded his 188th career triple-double and 24th triple-double of the season. He was his team’s outright leader in points, rebounds, and assists for the 161st time, one shy of LeBron James’ NBA record of 162 such games.