NBA Game Notes (May 30, 2024)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on May 30, 2024.

May 31, 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 ⭐️

Luka Doncic scored a game-high 36 points (tied with teammate Kyrie Irving) in the Dallas Mavericks’ series-clinching 124-103 rout of the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. The Mavericks will take on the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the NBA Finals next Thursday night.

Doncic also contributed team highs of 10 rebounds, five assists (tied with Irving), and two steals (tied with two others) in his 37 minutes of action. He shot 14-22 from the floor, making six of his 10 attempts from 3-point range.

Second ⭐️

Kyrie Irving matched Doncic’s game-high 36 points in the Mavericks’ win over the Timberwolves. He went 14-27 from the field (4-10 on 3-pointers) and 4-4 from the free throw line. Irving also tied Doncic for the team lead in assists with five and did not commit a turnover in his team-high 40 minutes played.

Third ⭐️

Anthony Edwards scored a team-high 28 points (tied with Karl-Anthony Towns) and dished out a game-high six assists in the Timberwolves’ loss to the Mavericks. Edwards shot 10-18 from the floor, hitting four of his six 3-point attempts. He also grabbed nine rebounds and was charged with just one turnover in a game-high 43 minutes of playing time.

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Milestones

Doncic and Irving became just the third duo in NBA history to each score at least 35 points in the same conference finals game. They join Terry Porter & Clyde Drexler (May 19, 1992) and Kobe Bryant & Shaquille O’Neal (May 25, 2001).
Doncic and Irving each scored at least 30 points in the same game three times in the 2024 Western Conference Finals. The only other duo in NBA history to record at least three such games in a single postseason series are Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, who did so in the 1962 NBA Finals (four games) and the 1966 Western Division Finals (three).
Doncic and Irving have each scored at least 30 points in the same game four times this postseason. They are the only backcourt duo in NBA history to record four such games in a single playoff run.
Doncic has led his team — either outright or tied — in points, rebounds, and assists in 24 playoff games. The only player in NBA history with more such games is LeBron James with an astounding 75.
Doncic has accumulated 489 points, 164 rebounds, and 150 assists in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. He’s just the fourth player in NBA history to record at least 450 points, 150 rebounds, and 150 assists in a single postseason, joining LeBron James (six times), Larry Bird (1987), and Nikola Jokic (2023).
Doncic has made 57 3-pointers in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, breaking the Mavericks’ franchise record for most 3-pointers made in a single postseason. The previous mark of 52 was set by Reggie Bullock Jr. in 2022.
Irving is just the second player to score at least 35 points with zero turnovers in a win to clinch a trip to the NBA Finals (individual turnovers have been tracked since 1977-78). He joins Chris Paul, who accomplished the feat on June 30, 2021.
The Mavericks’ Dereck Lively II went a perfect 16-16 from the floor in the 2024 Western Conference Finals. That’s the most field goals made without a miss in a playoff series in NBA history.
Edwards scored 441 points in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, breaking the Timberwolves’ franchise record for most points in a single postseason. The previous mark of 438 points was set by Kevin Garnett in 2004.
Edwards produced 441 points, 112 rebounds, and 104 assists in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. The only other player in NBA history age 22 years or younger to record at least 400 points, 100 rebounds, and 100 assists in a playoff run is LeBron James in 2007.
The Dallas Mavericks are just the fifth team in NBA history to knock off three 50-win teams to reach the NBA Finals. They join the 1995 Houston Rockets and the 2001, 2008, and 2010 Los Angeles Lakers.
The fifth-seeded Mavericks are just the sixth team with a conference seed or five or higher to reach the NBA Finals. The others are the 1981 Houston Rockets (sixth), the 1995 Rockets (sixth), the 1999 New York Knicks (eighth), the 2020 Miami Heat (fifth), and the 2023 Heat (eighth).
The Mavericks led by 29 points after two quarters, tied for the fourth-largest halftime lead in conference finals history. It’s the largest such lead in a series-deciding game in conference finals history.

Streaking

Doncic has made at least one 3-pointer in 44 consecutive playoff games, breaking a tie with Reggie Miller (May 13, 1995 to April 29, 2000) for the third-longest such streak in NBA postseason history.
Doncic is just the second player in NBA history to record at least 15 points, five rebounds, and five assists in each of his first 17 games of a postseason. Magic Johnson was the first player to achieve the feat in 1987.
Dating back to 2022, Doncic has recorded at least 15 points, five rebounds, and five assists in 19 straight playoff games, breaking a tie with LeBron James (April 26, 2015 to April 17, 2016) for the fourth-longest such streak in NBA history.
The Mavericks have won five straight playoff games on the road, matching the longest such streak in franchise history set in 2011 (April 28 to May 23).

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Doncic and Irving were the night’s leading scorers, bagging 36 points apiece. They were followed by Edwards and teammate Karl-Anthony Towns, who each scored 28 points.
Towns was the top rebounder last night, pulling in 12 boards. Doncic was next with 10 rebounds, followed by Edwards and the Mavericks’ Daniel Gafford with nine apiece.
Edwards led all playmakers with six assists last night, while Doncic and Irving paced the Mavericks with five dimes each.
The Mavericks have reached the NBA Finals for the third time in franchise history. They faced the Miami Heat in their two previous appearances, losing in six games in 2006 and winning in six games in 2011.