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 ⭐️
Kyrie Irving scored 28 of his game-high 30 points in the second half as the Dallas Mavericks eliminated the LA Clippers with a 114-101 victory in Game 6 of their Western Conference First Round series. Dallas advances to the conference semifinals, where they will square off against the Oklahoma City Thunder in a series that starts Tuesday.
Irving shot 11-19 from the floor, making five of his nine 3-point attempts. He added six rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks, committing just one turnover in 42 minutes played.
Second ⭐️
Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 50 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Cleveland Cavaliers fell to the Orlando Magic 103-96 in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference First Round series. The decisive Game 7 will be played in Cleveland Sunday afternoon.
Mitchell went 22-36 from the field (3-9 on 3-pointers) and 3-6 from the free throw line, adding four rebounds and four assists in 42 minutes of action. He scored the final 22 points of the game for the Cavaliers, including all 18 in the fourth quarter.
Third ⭐️
Paolo Banchero produced team highs of 27 points and four assists (tied with two others) in the Magic’s win over the Cavaliers. Banchero shot 9-20 from the field (2-5 on 3-pointers) and 7-10 from the free throw line. He also grabbed eight rebounds and did not commit a personal foul in a team-high 42 minutes played.
Milestones
Mitchell now has three career 50-point games in the playoffs, tying Allen Iverson for the third-most such games in NBA history. Michael Jordan ranks first with eight such games, followed by Wilt Chamberlain with four.
Mitchell joined Jordan as the only players in NBA history to be on the losing end of two playoff games in which they scored at least 50 points.
Mitchell and Jordan are also the only players in NBA history to record two 50-point games on the road in the playoffs. Note that Jamal Murray technically had two such games in the 2020 NBA Playoffs, but neither of those contests were true road games (they were hosted at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida).
Mitchell broke the Cavaliers record for most field goals made in a playoff game with 22. The previous mark of 20 field goals made was set by LeBron James on May 20, 2009.
James Harden recorded 13 assists in the Clippers’ loss to the Mavericks, increasing his playoff career total to 1,061. Harden broke a tie with Scottie Pippen and tied Steve Nash for ninth place on the NBA’s all-time postseason list.
Harden also moved into the top 15 on the postseason career lists for points with 3,764 (passing Hakeem Olajuwon to take over 15th place) and steals with 273 (passing Derek Fisher and tying Dwyane Wade for 14th place).
Streaking
Irving’s teams are now 13-0 in closeout games when he’s in the lineup. That ties Robert Horry (June 19, 2000 to May 19, 2005) for the most consecutive wins in closeout games in NBA postseason history. Irving is averaging 23.2 PPG with 48/40/81 shooting splits in those games.
Luka Doncic tallied 28 points, a game-high 13 assists (tied with Harden), and seven rebounds in the Mavericks’ win over the Clippers. Doncic has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 24 playoff games, the longest such streak in Mavericks history. He’s averaging 32.1 PPG, 9.3 RPG, and 8.0 APG over that span.
Doncic hit just one of his 10 attempts from 3-point range, but he has now made at least one 3-pointer in each of his 34 career playoff games. It’s the second-longest such streak to start a postseason career in NBA history, as well as the ninth-longest such streak overall.
Paul George had 18 points, a game-high 11 rebounds (tied with teammate Ivica Zubac), and five assists in the Clippers’ loss to the Mavericks. He made two 3-pointers, extending his streak of playoff games with at least one 3-pointer made to 43. It’s the fourth-longest such streak in NBA history.
Miscellany
Mitchell was the night’s leading scorer, pouring in 50 points. Irving (30), Doncic (28), Banchero (27), and the Magic’s Franz Wagner (26) also produced 25-point efforts.
George and Ivica Zubac were the top rebounders with 11 boards apiece last night. They were the only players to record double-digit rebounds.
Doncic and George were the leading playmakers last night, each handing out 13 assists. No other player delivered more than five dimes.