NBA Game Notes (May 7, 2023)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on May 7, 2023.

Booker, Durant Lift Suns

Led by 36 points apiece from Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, the Phoenix Suns outscored the Denver Nuggets 129-124 to knot their Western Conference semifinal series at two games each. The series now shifts to Denver for Game 5 on Tuesday.

Booker shot 14-18 from the field — including 3-4 from 3-point range — and made five of his six free throws. Booker became the first player in NBA history to score at least 35 points on 75% shooting from the field in back-to-back playoff games.

Over his last two games, Booker has scored 83 points on 79.1% shooting from the field. He’s the first player in NBA history to score at least 80 points with a field goal percentage of 70% over a two-game postseason span.

Booker also dished out a game-high 12 assists and grabbed six rebounds. It’s the third straight game in which Booker has produced at least 35 points, five rebounds, and five assists. He’s the fifth player in NBA history to record at least three such games in a row in the playoffs, joining LeBron James (five times), Michael Jordan (three times), Oscar Robertson, and Jamal Murray.

Durant bounced back from poor shooting performances in Games 2 and 3 (combined field goal percentage of 37.9%), making 11 of his 19 attempts from the floor. Durant also hit 12 of his 13 free throws, adding a game-high 11 rebounds and six assists. Booker and Durant became the first duo in NBA history to each record at least 35 points, five rebounds, and five assists in consecutive playoff games.

The Suns’ Landry Shamet had a productive game coming off the bench, scoring 19 points on just nine shots from the field. Shamet made five of his eight 3-point attempts, including four in a span of 3:37 in the middle of the fourth quarter.

Shamet did not record a rebound, assist, steal, block, or turnover. Since the NBA began tracking individual turnovers in 1977-78, he’s just the fourth player to score at least 15 points in a playoff game without recording a rebound, assist, steal, block, or turnover:

• Kiki VanDeWeghe (May 11, 1989)

• Michael Finley (April 22, 2007)

• Mike Miller (June 11, 2013)

• Landry Shamet (May 7, 2023)

The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic was unstoppable in the loss, scoring a career-high 53 points on 20-30 shooting from the field. The only center in NBA history to score more points in a playoff game is Wilt Chamberlain with 56 on March 22, 1962.

Jokic also distributed a team-high 11 assists. He’s just the fifth player in NBA history to record at least 50 points and 10 assists in a playoff game, and the first non-guard to achieve the feat:

• Jerry West (April 23, 1969)

• Sleepy Floyd (May 10, 1987)

• Russell Westbrook (April 19, 2017)

• Damian Lillard (June 1, 2021)

• Nikola Jokic (May 7, 2023)

Jokic is averaging 40.7 PPG, 12.3 RPG, and 11.0 APG over his last three games. He’s the first player in NBA history to average a 40-point triple-double over a three-game playoff span.

Teammate Jamal Murray scored 28 points, hitting 13 of his 25 shots from the floor. Murray also recorded seven assists and five rebounds, and did not commit a turnover in 42 minutes played.