NBA Game Notes (May 1, 2025)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on May 1, 2025.

May 02, 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 ⭐️

Jalen Brunson scored a game-high 40 points, including the series-winning 3-pointer with 4.3 seconds remaining, as the New York Knicks edged the Detroit Pistons 116-113 in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference First Round series. Brunson shot 15-33 from the field (3-10 on threes) and 7-8 from the free throw line. He also dished out a team-high seven assists and grabbed four rebounds in 42 minutes of action.

Second ⭐️

James Harden produced game highs of 28 points and eight assists (tied with two others) to lead the LA Clippers to a 111-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets, squaring their Western Conference First Round series at three games apiece. Harden went 10-20 from the floor (3-8 on 3-pointers) and 5-5 from the charity stripe. He added six rebounds, a team-high two steals (tied with two others), and one block in 47 minutes played.

Third ⭐️

Kawhi Leonard scored 27 points on 11-22 shooting from the field in the Clippers’ win over the Nuggets. Leonard also snagged a game-high 10 rebounds (tied with Russell Westbrook) and handed out five assists. He was charged with just one turnover and no personal fouls in 39 minutes of court time.

Milestones

Brunson recorded five 30-point, 5-assist games in the opening round of the playoffs, tying the NBA record for most such games in a single series. He shares the mark with Michael Jordan (three times), Kobe Bryant (twice), LeBron James (twice), Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Donovan Mitchell, Luka Doncic, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Brunson has produced seven career 40-point playoff games with the New York Knicks, tying Bernard King for the most such games in franchise history.
Harden moved up the NBA’s playoff career leaderboards for steals (280, 12th), games played (172, tied for 23rd), and field goals made (1,171, 24th).
Leonard increased his career total to 3,111 points, moving into the top 25 on the NBA’s all-time playoff scoring list. He took over the 25th spot from Julius Erving (3,088).
The Pistons’ Cade Cunningham (150 points, 50 rebounds, 52 assists) is just the third player in NBA history to accumulate at least 150 points, 50 rebounds, and 50 assists in his first playoff series, joining Nikola Jokic (2019) and Luka Doncic (2020).
The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic (25 points) and Jamal Murray (21) each scored at least 20 points in the same playoff game for the 40th time. They are the ninth duo in NBA history to reach that mark.

Streaking

Brunson has scored at least 15 points in each of his 30 playoff games with the New York Knicks, the longest such streak in franchise history. He’s averaging 30.5 PPG and 6.9 APG in those contests.
The Detroit Pistons lost their 10th consecutive home playoff game, breaking the NBA record they shared with the Philadelphia 76ers (April 15, 1968 to March 30, 1971). The Pistons’ last home playoff win came in Game 4 of the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals.

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Brunson led the nightly scoring brigade, pouring in 40 points. He was followed by Harden (28), Leonard (27), the Knicks’ Mikal Bridges (25), and Jokic (25).
The Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns was the chairman of the boards, pulling down 15 rebounds last night. Teammate Josh Hart, Leonard, and the Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook were runners-up with 10 boards each.
The Pistons’ Dennis Schroder was the night’s top playmaker, delivering nine assists. Four players shared second place with eight assists apiece: Cunningham, Harden, Jokic, and Murray.