NBA Game Notes (Oct. 21, 2025)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on Oct. 21, 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 ⭐️
Luka Doncic fell one assist shy of a triple-double, posting game highs of 43 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists (tied with two others) in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 119-109 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Doncic shot 17-27 from the field and 7-10 from the free throw line, but went just 2-10 from 3-point range. He also recorded team highs of two steals (tied) and one block (tied) in 41 minutes of playing time.
Second ⭐️
Alperen Sengun scored a game-high 39 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Houston Rockets fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder 125-124 in double overtime. Sengun also contributed 11 rebounds, a game-high seven assists, a team-high two steals, and a team-high one block (tied) in 49 minutes played. He went 12-24 from the floor (5-8 on 3-pointers) and 10-11 from the charity stripe.
Third ⭐️
Jimmy Butler III scored a team-high 31 points in the Warriors’ win over the Lakers. Butler shot 7-14 from the field and made all 16 of his free throw attempts. He added five rebounds, four assists, and one steal, committing just one turnover in 35 minutes of action.
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Milestones
Doncic is just the seventh player in history to record a 40-point double-double on the NBA’s opening night, and the first to achieve the feat since Shaquille O’Neal on Nov. 5, 1993.
Butler III is only the second player in NBA history to make at least 16 free throws without a miss in his team’s season opener. Damian Lillard went 17-17 from the charity stripe to open the 2023-24 campaign, his first game as a Milwaukee Buck.
The Warriors’ Stephen Curry (three steals) increased his career total to 1,556 thefts, moving into a tie for 41st place on the NBA’s all-time list with Larry Bird (steals have been tracked since the 1973-74 season).
Rockets vs. Thunder was just the sixth opening night game in NBA history to go to double overtime. This also happened in the 1956-57, 1981-82, 1991-92, 1999-00, and 2005-06 seasons.
Streaking
The Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (35 points) recorded his 73rd straight 20-point game dating back to last season, breaking a tie with Michael Jordan and Kevin Durant for the fourth-longest such streak in NBA history.
Curry (3-9 on threes) has made at least one 3-pointer in each of his last 50 games. It’s the sixth time Curry has produced a 3-point run of at least 50 games, the most such streaks in NBA history.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games (dating back to last season): Oklahoma City Thunder (five).
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Miscellany
Doncic led all scorers last night, bagging 43 points. He was followed by Sengun (39), Gilgeous-Alexander (35), and Butler III (31).
The Rockets’ Steven Adams was the top board man, hauling in 13 rebounds. Also snagging double-digit caroms were Doncic (12) and Sengun (11).
Three players tied for the nightly lead in assists with nine apiece: Doncic, the Warriors’ Draymond Green, and the Lakers’ Austin Reaves.