NBA Game Notes (May 7, 2026)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on May 7, 2026.
Three Stars
Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games, with the “first star” considered the top performer.
First ⭐️
Chet Holmgren scored a team-high 22 points (tied with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 125-107 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, giving the Thunder a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference Semifinals series. Holmgren shot 7-11 from the field (3-5 on threes) and 5-7 from the free throw line. He added a team-high nine rebounds, a game-high four steals, and a game-high two blocks (tied with Isaiah Hartenstein) in 33 minutes played.
Second ⭐️
Cade Cunningham scored a team-high 25 points as the Detroit Pistons beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 107-97 to take a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference Semifinals series. Cunningham went 7-14 from the floor (3-6 on threes) and 8-8 from the charity stripe. He also contributed a game-high 10 assists, a team-high two blocks (tied with Tobias Harris), and one steal in 42 minutes of action.
Third ⭐️
Austin Reaves dropped a game-high 31 points, but it wasn’t enough in the Lakers’ loss to the Thunder. Reaves was very efficient, going 10-16 from the field (3-6 on threes) and 8-10 from the free throw line. He also dished out a game-high six assists (tied with two others) in 38 minutes played.
Milestones
The Lakers’ LeBron James appeared in his 300th career playoff game, becoming the first player in NBA postseason history to reach that mark. Derek Fisher ranks a distant second with 259 career playoff games.
The Cavaliers’ James Harden moved up several of the NBA’s postseason career leaderboards: he ranks 17th in games played with 182 (tying John Stockton); eighth in free throws made with 1,168 (tying Shaquille O’Neal); and fifth in turnovers with 637 (breaking a tie with Tim Duncan).
Streaking
Cunningham has scored at least 20 points in 15 straight playoff games, the longest such streak in franchise history. He’s just the fourth player in NBA history to open his playoff career with 15 consecutive 20-point games, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (27 in a row), LeBron James (19), and Anthony Davis (16).
James tallied 23 points to extend his streak of playoff games with double-digit scoring to 148, breaking a tie with Karl Malone (April 18, 1986 to May 25, 1999) for the fourth-longest such streak in NBA postseason history.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: Oklahoma City Thunder (seven) and Detroit Pistons (five).
Miscellany
The Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell and Reaves led the nightly scoring brigade, each bagging 31 points. They were followed by Cunningham (25 points), James (23), the Cavaliers’ Jarrett Allen (22), the Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (22), and Holmgren (22).
The Lakers’ Deandre Ayton and the Pistons’ Jalen Duren were the top rebounders last night, collecting 10 boards apiece. Next in line were Holmgren and teammate Isaiah Hartenstein with nine rebounds each.
Cunningham was the night’s premier playmaker, handing out 10 assists. James, the Thunder’s Ajay Mitchell, and Reaves were runners-up with six dimes apiece.