NBA Game Notes (May 14, 2024)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on May 14, 2024.

May 15, 2024

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 ⭐️

Nikola Jokic recorded game highs of 40 points and 13 assists as the Denver Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-97 in Game 5 of their Western Conference Semifinals series. The Nuggets will take a 3-2 series lead to Minneapolis for Game 6 Thursday night.

Jokic went 15-22 from the floor (2-3 from 3-point range) and made eight of his nine free throw attempts. He also contributed seven rebounds and a game-high two steals (tied with two others) in 41 turnover-free minutes.

Second ⭐️

Jalen Brunson posted game highs of 44 points (28 of them in the first half) and seven assists in the New York Knicks’ 121-91 rout of the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals series. The teams will head back to Indianapolis for Game 6 Friday with the Knicks holding a 3-2 series edge.

Brunson shot 18-35 from the field (2-6 on 3-pointers) and 6-7 from the free throw line. He registered a game-high rating of plus-31 points in 43 minutes of playing time.

Third ⭐️

Aaron Gordon tallied 18 points, a team-high 10 rebounds, and five assists in the Nuggets’ win over the Timberwolves. Gordon made seven of his 14 field goal attempts and sank all four of his free throws.

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Milestones

Jokic became just the second player to record a 40-point, 10-assist playoff game with zero turnovers since the NBA began tracking individual turnovers in 1977-78. The first player to accomplish the feat was Chris Paul on May 8, 2018.
Jokic is the only center to record at least 10 assists with zero turnovers in a playoff game since the NBA began tracking the latter statistic in 1977-78. He’s now done so twice, the first occurrence coming on April 27, 2019.
Brunson hoisted 35 shots from the floor, tying the Knicks’ franchise record for most field goals attempted in a playoff game. He shares the mark with Bernard King (April 19, 1984) and Carmelo Anthony (April 28, 2013).
Brunson has recorded five 40-point games this postseason. He’s just the 11th player (13th instance) in NBA history to produce at least five such games in a single playoff run. Only three other guards have achieved the feat: Michael Jordan (three times), Jerry West (1965), and Allen Iverson (2001).
It’s also Brunson’s fifth 40-point, 5-assist game of these playoffs. The only other players to record at least five such games in a single postseason are Jordan (twice), West (1965), and LeBron James (2018).
Isaiah Hartenstein hauled in a game-high 17 rebounds in the Knicks’ victory over the Pacers, 12 of them on the offensive end. He tied Charles Oakley (May 15, 1994) for the most offensive rebounds in a playoff game in franchise history (the NBA began tracking the statistic in 1973-74).
The New York Knicks became just the third team in NBA history to follow up a 30-point loss with a 30-point win in the same playoff series. They join the 2008 Washington Wizards (Eastern Conference First Round) and the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA Finals).

Streaking

Brunson has scored at least 15 points in each of his last 22 playoff games, breaking a tie with Patrick Ewing (May 13, 1995 to May 18, 1997) for the longest such streak in Knicks history.
The Denver Nuggets have recorded effective field goal percentages of 62.5%, 65.2%, and 60.6% in their last three games. It’s the first time in franchise history they’ve produced a figure of 60% or higher in three straight playoff games. The league record of four such games in a row is held by the Utah Jazz (Aug. 19-25, 2020).

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Brunson was the night’s leading scorer, pouring in 44 points. Jokic was next with 40 points, followed by the Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns (23) and the Pacers’ Pascal Siakam (22).
Hartenstein was the top board man last night, grabbing a playoff career-high 17 rebounds. The Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert (11), the Knicks’ Josh Hart (11), and Gordon (10) also collected double-digit boards.
Jokic led all distributors with 13 assists last night. The Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards ranked second with a playoff career-high nine assists, while Brunson was third with seven dimes.
Jokic has appeared in 30 playoff games over the last two seasons, averaging 29.6 PPG, 13.4 RPG, and 9.5 APG with 55/41/83 shooting splits. He’s recorded 26 double-doubles and 12 triple-doubles over that span.
In 22 playoff games with the Knicks, Brunson is averaging 30.9 PPG and 6.6 APG. He’s produced six 40-point games, 10 30-point games, and 21 20-point games over that span.