NBA Game Notes (May 9, 2025)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on May 9, 2025.

May 10, 2025

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 ⭐️

Donovan Mitchell poured in a game-high 43 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 126-104 victory over the Indiana Pacers, cutting Indiana’s lead to 2-1 in their Eastern Conference Semifinals series. Mitchell shot 14-29 from the field (5-13 on 3-pointers) and 10-14 from the free throw line. He also recorded nine rebounds, five assists, and one steal, posting a rating of plus-35 points in 37 minutes of court time.

Second ⭐️

Jamal Murray scored a team-high 27 points as the Denver Nuggets outlasted the Oklahoma City Thunder 113-104 in overtime to take a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference Semifinals series. Murray went 9-19 from the floor (2-5 on threes) and 7-8 from the charity stripe. He added a game-high eight assists, four rebounds, a game-high four steals, and one block in 48 minutes played.

Third ⭐️

Evan Mobley scored 18 points and pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds in the Cavaliers’ blowout win over the Pacers. Mobley also contributed game highs of three steals and three blocks (tied with Myles Turner) in 35 turnover-free minutes. He shot 6-13 from the field and 5-6 from the free throw line.

Milestones

The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic (20 points, six assist) and Murray each recorded at least 20 points and five assists in the same playoff game for the 31st time, breaking a tie with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen for the most such games in NBA history by a duo.
It wasn’t all good for Jokic (0-10 on 3-pointers), as he became just the sixth player in NBA history to miss at least 10 threes without a make in a playoff game. He also matched his playoff career high with eight turnovers.
Mitchell has scored 91 points over his last two games, the most over a two-game playoff span in Cleveland Cavaliers history. The previous record of 89 points was held by Mitchell himself (May 3-5, 2024).

Streaking

Mitchell is the just the second player in Cleveland Cavaliers history to score at least 40 points in back-to-back playoff games. He joins LeBron James, who did so twice (May 24-26, 2009 and June 13-16, 2016).
Jokic (20 points) has scored in double figures in each of his 90 career playoff games, the longest such streak in Denver Nuggets history by 31 games. He’s one of eight players in NBA history to start his playoff career with 90 such games in a row.

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Mitchell led the nightly scoring brigade, netting 43 points. The Thunder’s Jalen Williams ranked second with a playoff-career-high 32 points, while Murray placed third with 27.
The Thunder’s Chet Holmgren and Jokic were the top board men last night, hauling in 16 rebounds apiece. Also collecting double-digit boards were the Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (13), Mobley (13), the Cavaliers’ Jarrett Allen (12), and the Thunder’s Isaiah Hartenstein (10).
Murray was the night’s top playmaker, handing out eight assists. He was followed by Gilgeous-Alexander, the Pacers’ T.J. McConnell, and the Cavaliers’ Max Strus with seven each.
Mitchell (41.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 6.0 APG) is just the second player to average at least 40 PPG, 5 RPG, and 5 APG through the first three games of a conference semifinals series (the NBA introduced conference play in 1970-71). He joins Michael Jordan, who achieved the feat in the 1990 Eastern Conference Semifinals.