This Date in the NBA: April
Key dates in NBA history:
Jan | Feb | Mar | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec
April 1, 1973
Boston’s John Havlicek connected on 24 field goals, an NBA playoff record he shares with Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan, as the Celtics defeated Atlanta in Boston 134-109 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Havlicek finished the game with 54 points.
April 1, 1999
Detroit’s Joe Dumars becomes the 10th player in league history to play 1,000 games with the same team and one of eight to play 1,000 games with his only team.
April 1, 1999
Philadelphia head coach Larry Brown wins his 900th professional game with a 88-84 win over the Miami Heat. At the time, Brown compiled a 671-547 NBA record to go along with a 229-107 ABA ledger for a combined record of 900-654.
April 2, 1975
Buffalo’s Bob McAdoo was awarded MVP honors for the 1974-75 season. McAdoo led the NBA with 2,831 points (34.5 ppg).
April 2, 1993
Cleveland’s Mark Price had his consecutive free throw streak end at 77, during a 114-113 loss at Charlotte. That fell one short of Calvin Murphy’s NBA record of 78 straight free throws, which was later broken by Minnesota’s Micheal Williams, who put together a streak of 97 at the close of the 1992-93 season and the beginning of the 1993-94 season.
April 2, 1996
The Vancouver Grizzlies lost their 23rd consecutive game, setting an NBA single-season record for most consecutive losses. Denver tied the record when it lost its 23rd straight on January 23, 1998.
April 3, 1987
The New Jersey Nets honored Julius Erving before his last game against his former club by retiring No. 32, which Erving wore during his ABA days with the Nets. He also has had his No. 6 retired by Philadelphia.
April 3, 1996
Vancouver defeated visiting Minnesota 105-103 to snap its NBA record streak of 23 consecutive losses.
April 3, 1998
Michael Jordan reached 29,000 career points in a 107-93 win over Minnesota. At the time, Jordan joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to reach that plateau.
April 3, 1999
Kendall Gill of the New Jersey Nets tied an NBA record which had stood for more than 22 years when he recorded 11 steals against the Miami Heat. Larry Kenon of the San Antonio Spurs notched 11 steals against the Kansas City Kings on December 26, 1976.
April 4, 1996
Chicago beat Miami 100-92 to win its NBA record 44th consecutive home game (over two seasons) and its NBA record 37th consecutive home game at the start of a season. The Bulls lost their next game to the Hornets 98-97 on April 8, 1996, ending both streaks. Also in this game, Michael Jordan recorded four steals to become the fourth NBA player to reach 2,000 career steals.
April 4, 1996
The visiting Boston Celtics defeated the Orlando Magic 100-98, snapping Orlando’s NBA record 51-game home winning streak against Eastern Conference opponents, dating back to April 1994.
April 4, 1997
Utah’s Karl Malone became the first NBA player to reach the 2,000-point plateau in 10 consecutive seasons in the Jazz’s 106-79 victory against the Grizzlies.
April 5, 1967
Wilt Chamberlain, playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, grabbed an NBA playoff record 41 rebounds in a 115-104 win over Boston.
April 5, 1981
The Philadelphia 76ers rejected an NBA playoff record 20 shots in a 125-122 win over the Milwaukee Bucks at the Spectrum in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
April 5, 1984
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hit his trademark skyhook in a game against Utah in Las Vegas to surpass Wilt Chamberlain’s career total of 31,419 points, becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer as the Lakers defeated the Jazz 129-115. Abdul-Jabbar would go on to score a record 38,387 points in his legendary career.
April 5, 1995
Charlotte limited Philadelphia to a franchise-low 66 points during the Hornets’ 84-66 win over the visiting Sixers. The teams also combined to score an NBA record-low 19 second-quarter points, with the Hornets accounting for 11 and the Sixers eight.
April 5, 2001
Wang Zhizhi of the Dallas Mavericks played in his first NBA game, a 108-94 win over Atlanta, becoming the first Chinese player to compete in the NBA. Wang had six points and three rebounds in eight minutes of play.
April 5, 2009
Jason Kidd sets the Dallas Mavericks record for first-half assists (16) and assists in regulation (20) as Kidd passes Magic Johnson (10,141) for the NBA’s 3rd most leader in assists with (10,148) as Dallas beat Phoenix, 140-116.
April 6, 1975
Washington’s Wes Unseld grabbed 30 rebounds in a 119-103 victory over New Orleans to win the NBA rebounding title, edging Dave Cowens 14.8 rpg to 14.7.
April 6, 1991
Isiah Thomas of Detroit scored 16 points in the Pistons’ 101-88 road loss at New York, surpassing the 15,000 point mark for his career.
April 6, 1995
Danny Ainge of Phoenix hit a pair of 3-point field goals during the Suns’ 127-123 win at Washington, making him the third NBA player to reach 1,000 career 3-pointers, joining Dale Ellis and Reggie Miller.
April 6, 1996
Charlotte’s Robert Parish became the NBA’s all-time leader in games played, surpassing the previous record of 1,560 set by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Parish went on to play a record 1,611 games in his career.
April 6, 2000
Utah’s Karl Malone reaches the 12,547-rebound mark against Phoenix, moving him into 14th place on the NBA career list ahead of Charles Barkley.
April 7, 1959
Boston Celtics playmaker Bob Cousy dished off for 19 assists, at the time tying an NBA playoff record, as the Celtics defeated Minneapolis 123-110 en route to a four-game sweep of the Lakers in the Finals.
April 7, 1977
After a 114-100 victory over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, Indiana’s Don Buse finished the season with 8.5 assists per game and 3.47 steals per game, leading the NBA in both categories. Buse thus duplicated his feat of the previous season when he led the ABA in both steals (346) and assists (689).
April 7, 1989
FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, voted to drop restrictions on professional basketball players competing in international events such as the Olympics.
April 7, 1989
Utah guard John Stockton won his second straight NBA assist title, picking up a total of 1,118 assists, becoming the first NBA player to record consecutive seasons of over 1,000 assists. Stockton stretched that 1,000 assist streak to a total of five seasons, 1988 through 1992.
April 7, 1998
Karl Malone scored an NBA season-high 56 points in a 101-99 win at Golden State.
April 7, 1999
Miami head coach Pat Riley notched the 936th coaching victory of his career in defeating Dallas 93-87. The win moves him into fourth place on the all-time charts, passing Dick Motta who has 935 wins.
April 7, 2001
The Houston Rockets defeated the Atlanta Hawks 110-97 to become the first NBA team in 18 years to sweep an entire division. The Rockets won all 16 games against Central Division opponents, becoming the first team to sweep a division since the 1982-83 Los Angeles Lakers swept all 12 games against the Central Division.
April 7, 2019
The Houston Rockets connect on 27 3-pointers in a 149-113 win against the Phoenix Suns to set a single-game record for most 3-pointers made. Houston’s record barrage came just five days after they tied the previous mark of 26. At the time of their hitting 27 3-pointers, the Rockets held the top three single-game performances, and four of the top 10.
April 8, 1940
John Havlicek was born in Martins Ferry, Ohio.
April 8, 1978
The Braves played their final home game in Buffalo, losing to the Knicks 118-107. The franchise moved to San Diego and changed its name to Clippers. The Clippers have since moved to Los Angeles.
April 8, 1989
Denver’s Alex English passed the 2,000-point mark during the Nuggets’ 110-106 win over Utah, becoming the first player in NBA history to record eight straight seasons of 2,000 or more points.
April 8, 1991
Seattle coach K. C. Jones became the 14th coach in NBA history to win 500 games as he led the SuperSonics to a 118-112 home win over the Denver Nuggets.
April 8, 1993
Golden State’s 122-116 OT win over the visiting Los Angeles Lakers gave Warriors coach Don Nelson his 750th career victory, the eighth NBA coach to reach that plateau.
April 8, 1995
New York coach Pat Riley chalked up his 750th career victory after the host Knicks defeated Detroit 113-96.
April 8, 1996
Charlotte beat Chicago 98-97 to snap the Bulls’ NBA-record 44-game home winning streak (over two seasons) as well as snapping the Bulls’ NBA-record 37 consecutive home game winning streak to start a season
April 8, 1996
George McCloud of Dallas set a then single season record for 3-point attempts, when he attempted his 612th. He finished the season shooting 678 times from behind the arc. His mark was almost doubled by James Harden in 2018-19, when he attempted 1,023 3-pointers to set the latest mark.
April 8, 2006
Denver Nuggets star Julius Hodge is shot after leaving a nightclub and comes within minutes of bleeding to death.
April 8, 2017
Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers scores 59 points in a 101-86 win over the Utah Jazz.
April 9, 1957
Bob Cousy of Boston dished off a then NBA Finals record 19 assists in the Celtics’ 124-109 win over St. Louis in Game 5. Magic Johnson set the current NBA Finals record of 21 assists in Game 3 of the 1984 NBA Finals, during the Lakers’ 137-104 win over Boston.
April 9, 1958
Bob Pettit of the St. Louis Hawks made 19 free throws in his team’s 102-100 Game 5 victory over Boston. Pettit set an NBA Finals record for most free throws made in one game.
April 9, 1959
The Boston Celtics beat the Minneapolis Lakers 118-113 in Minneapolis in Game 4 of the 1959 NBA Finals to complete the first sweep in Finals history and capture their first of eight consecutive NBA Championships.
April 9, 1978
Denver’s David Thompson made 13 field goals in the first quarter of a 139-137 loss at Detroit to set an NBA record. Thompson finished the game with 73 points, at the time the most points ever scored in an NBA game by a guard. But that night, George Gervin of the San Antonio Spurs scored 63 points and edged Thompson 27.22 ppg to 27.15 ppg to win the NBA scoring title in the closest scoring race ever.
April 9, 1978
John Havlicek played his final game at Boston Garden and was the leading scorer with 29 points as the Celtics defeated Buffalo 131-114.
April 9, 1982
Boston retired Jo Jo White’s No. 10 jersey in Boston Garden. White played all but 120 games of his 837-game NBA career with the Celtics.
April 9, 1990
The Phoenix Suns sank an NBA record 61 free throws (out of 80 attempts) in beating the Utah Jazz 119-115 in overtime.
April 9, 1998
Seattle coach George Karl recorded the 500th victory of his NBA coaching career.
April 9, 2002
In defeating the Washington Wizards 101-88, the New Jersey Nets won their first division title since joining the NBA in 1976 and set an NBA franchise mark with their 50th victory. The Nets won 58 games in 1974-75 as a member of the ABA.
April 9, 2017
Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder scores 50 points in a 106-105 win over the Denver Nuggets.
April 9, 2019
Dirk Nowitzki, 40, scores 30 points in a 120-109 win against the Phoenix Suns. After the game, the 14-time All-Star tells the crowd assembled for his last home that season that he will be retiring at season’s end. “This is obviously super, super emotional. Just too many people to really thank,” Nowitzki said. “I put you guys on a helluva ride with a lot of ups and downs, and you guys always stuck with me and supported me, so I appreciate it.”
April 9, 2019
Jamal Crawford scored 51 points, one off his career high, in a 120-109 Phoenix Suns loss to the Dallas Mavericks. In doing so, he became the oldest player to reach the 50-point plateau.
April 9, 2019
Before and after the Miami Heat’s 122-99 win against the Philadelphia 76ers, Dwyane Wade took the spotlight. In a pregame ceremony, the Heat honored their former Finals MVP with a lengthy tribute, which included videos and a speech from Wade. After the game — in which he scored 30 points — Wade spoke to the home crowd as he looked forward to his retirement from the NBA after a storied career.
April 10, 1986
In a game against New Jersey, Atlanta’s Dominique Wilkins made 21 field goals, scoring a total of 57 points in the Hawks’ 126-117 victory. Wilkins won the NBA scoring title during that 1985-86 season, finishing with a 30.3 ppg average, edging Utah’s Adrian Dantley and Denver’s Alex English.
April 10, 1991
Dallas guard Derek Harper scored a game-high 34 points in the Mavericks’ 97-91 loss to the Jazz at the Salt Palace, becoming the first player in NBA history to improve his scoring average in each of his first eight seasons in the league, as he averaged 19.7 ppg.
April 10, 1999
The Chicago Bulls lost 82-49 to the Miami Heat. The 49 points by Chicago are the fewest points scored by an NBA team since the introduction of the shot clock prior to the 1954-55 season. Chicago’s 18 field goals made is also an NBA record-low.
April 10, 2002
The Greenville Groove defeated the North Charleston Lowgators 76-68 at the North Charleston Coliseum to win the 2002 NBDL Finals.
April 10, 2011
Denver Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson shoots the lights out in a 130-106 victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Lawson opens the game by going 10 for 10 from beyond the arc to set a new NBA record for the most consecutive 3-pointers to open a game. He would finish 10-11 from 3-point land.
April 11, 1961
The Celtics captured their fourth NBA championship with a 121-112 win over the St. Louis Hawks in Game 5 at Boston Garden.
April 11, 1967
The Philadelphia 76ers defeated Boston 140-116 in Game 5 of the Eastern Division Finals to end the Celtics’ eight-year reign as NBA champions. The Sixers went on to take the NBA title, and in 1980 they were voted the greatest team in league history.
April 11, 1991
Adrian Dantley of Milwaukee scored five points in the Bucks’ 111-92 win over Boston at the Bradley Center, moving him into what was then ninth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 23,152 points.
April 11, 1998
Michael Jordan dished out his 5,000th career assist in an 87-78 win over Orlando.
April 11, 1999
The New Jersey Nets retired the No. 52 jersey of Buck Williams in ceremonies at New Jersey’s home game against New York. Williams accumulated 16,784 points and 13,017 rebounds during his standout 17-year NBA career with New Jersey, the Portland Trail Blazers and Knicks.
April 11, 1999
Miami coach Pat Riley recorded coaching win No. 938 with a 95-92 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, tying Red Auerbach for third all-time.
April 11, 2014
Lou Hudson of the Hawks, a 6-time All-Star, dies at the age of 69.
April 12, 1954
The Minneapolis Lakers became the first team to win three NBA titles in a row by defeating the Syracuse Nationals 87-80 in Game 7 of the 1954 NBA Finals.
April 12, 1958
Bob Pettit poured in 50 points as the St. Louis Hawks, who missed the championship by a whisker a year earlier, beat the Boston Celtics 110-109 in Game 6 of the 1958 NBA Finals to dethrone the Celtics as NBA champions.
April 12, 1994
Denver’s Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf stretched his consecutive free throw streak to 53, during the Nuggets’ 107-102 home loss to Phoenix. Earlier in the 1993-94 season, Abdul-Rauf also compiled consecutive FT streaks of 81 and 57, making him only the second player in NBA history (along with Bill Sharman) to have three FT streaks of 50 or more in the same season.
April 12, 1996
Indiana’s Reggie Miller hits 6-of-11 attempts from 3-point range during the Pacers’ 111-101 road win at Orlando, becoming the second NBA player to reach 1,200 career 33-pointers
April 12, 2001
The NBA Board of Governors approved four rules changes recommended by a select committee on playing rules. The rules changes provided for included the elimination of illegal defense guidelines, the institution of a defensive three seconds call, a reduction of the time to advance the ball into the frontcourt from 10 to eight seconds and a relaxation of the rules against hand-checking. All changes were scheduled to go into effect for the 2001-02 season.
April 12, 2015
Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder scores 54 points in a 116-104 loss to the Indiana Pacers.
April 13, 1948
The Baltimore Bullets (the original Bullets franchise which folded in 1954), with the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history, overcame a 21-point halftime deficit and defeated the host Philadelphia Warriors 66-63 in Game 2.
April 13, 1957
The Boston Celtics claimed the first of their 16 championships as Tom Heinsohn, a 6-7 rookie forward, scored 37 points and grabbed 23 rebounds and Boston beat St. Louis 125-123 in double-overtime in Game 7.
April 13, 1975
Larry McNeill of the KC-Omaha Kings shot 12-for-12 from the field, setting an NBA playoff record for most field goals without a miss, in a 102-95 win over Chicago in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
April 13, 1986
The Boston Celtics closed out the 1985-86 season with a 135-107 win over New Jersey at Boston Garden. That gave the Celtics a 40-1 record at home, setting records for the most home court wins and the highest home winning percentage (.976) in a season in NBA history.
April 13, 1996
The final two spots on Dream Team III, the team that competed at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, were filled by Phoenix’s Charles Barkley and Sacramento’s Mitch Richmond.
April 13, 1999
Former NBA players Connie Hawkins, Charlie Scott and Dwayne “Pearl” Washington visit Bosnia from April 13-20 to meet with American military personnel stationed in the area. They made several stops within the country, also giving brief instructional clinics and a demonstration of basketball skills.
April 13, 1999
Miami head coach Pat Riley reaches win 939 with a win over the Chicago Bulls. The win moves him into sole possession of third place on the all-time victory list, ahead of legendary Red Auerbach.
April 13, 2012
The NBA’s Board of Governors unanimously approve the New Jersey Nets name change to the Brooklyn Nets as well as the team’s move to New York.
April 13, 2016
Kobe Bryant retires with a bang, scoring 60 points in the Lakers’ 101-96 win over the Utah Jazz.
April 13, 2020
The mother of Karl-Anthony Towns — Jacqueline Towns — dies at 59 due to complications from COVID-19, the Minnesota Timberwolves announced in a statement from a Towns family spokesperson.
April 13, 2022
The Minnesota Timberwolves rally to defeat the LA Clippers, 109-104, in the Play-In Tournament to secure the No. 7 seed. The win gives the Wolves their first playoff appearance since 2018.
April 14, 1962
Elgin Baylor of the Los Angeles Lakers scored an NBA Finals record 61 points in Game 5 at Boston Garden as the Lakers defeated the Celtics 126-121. Baylor’s 22 field goals made set an NBA Finals record that was tied five years later by San Francisco’s Rick Barry.
April 14, 1975
In Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals, Golden State defeated Seattle 123-96. Led by Rick Barry’s then playoff record eight steals, the Warriors set an NBA playoff record with a total of 22 steals for the game.
April 14, 1976
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Los Angeles Lakers won the fourth of his record six NBA MVP awards, after averaging 27.7 ppg and league-leading totals of 16.9 rpg and 4.12 bpg.
April 14, 1985
Mark Eaton of Utah concluded the 1984-85 season with 456 blocked shots for an average of 5.56 bpg, both NBA records.
April 14, 1992
New Jersey defeated host Miami 105-100, as Nets coach Bill Fitch established a record for the most games coached in NBA history (passing Dick Motta), with 1,720. Fitch was later passed in total games coached by all-time leader Lenny Wilkens.
April 14, 1994
Seattle became the second NBA team to have 10 different players score in double figures, during a 150-101 win over the visiting Los Angeles Clippers, as Detlef Schrempf led the scoring parade for the Sonics with 21 points. Seattle also had 10 double-figure scorers in a 135-104 win over Portland on March 30, 1980, with Gus Williams notching a team-high 23 points. Phoenix joined the group on November 23, 1994 during a 140-109 triumph over the visiting LA Clippers, as rookie Wesley Person’s 19 points led 10 double-figure scorers for the Suns.
April 15, 1965
John Havlicek’s steal might be the most famous play in NBA history. It came with five seconds left and the Boston Celtics clinging to a precarious 110-109 lead over the 76ers in Game 7 of the 1965 Eastern Conference Finals. As Philadelphia’s Hal Greer got set to inbound the ball from the baseline under his own basket, Havlicek peeked over his shoulder. Anticipating a lob pass, Havlicek tipped the ball to teammate Sam Jones, who dribbled out the clock as the fans at Boston Garden — and Celtics broadcaster Johnny Most — went into a frenzy. “Havlicek stole the ball! It’s all over! It’s all over!” bellowed Most as the Celtics won en route to their seventh of eight consecutive NBA titles.
April 15, 1980
A playoff-record crowd of 40,172 turned out at the Kingdome in Seattle only to see the Sonics lose to Milwaukee 108-97 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals. The attendance record would last eight years, before being surpassed by Detroit at the Pontiac Silverdome on June 16, 1988, when 41,732 fans turned out to watch the Pistons defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 104-94 in Game 5 of the Finals.
April 15, 1984
John Lucas of San Antonio handed out 14 assists in the second quarter, an NBA record for one period, as the Spurs defeated Denver 157-154. Lucas finished with 24 assists for the game. His mark was matched by Steve Blake of Trail Blazers in Portland’s 116-87 win on Feb. 22, 2009 against the LA Clippers.
April 15, 1989
Phoenix retired the No. 44 jersey of Paul Westphal, who averaged 20.6 ppg in six seasons with the Suns. He was named the team’s head coach for the 1992-93 season, leading them into the NBA Finals against Chicago.
April 15, 1991
By dropping a 112-94 decision to Minnesota at the Target Center, the Sacramento Kings set an NBA record for most consecutive road losses with 35. Losses at Utah and Portland extended the streak to 37 at the conclusion of the 1990-91 season, and the Kings lost six more road games at the start of the 1991-92, season, before the streak ended at 43 games.
April 15, 1991
Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers handed out 19 assists in a 112-106 win over Dallas at the Great Western Forum, allowing him to move into the top spot on the NBA’s all-time assist list — ahead of Oscar Robertson — with 9,898. John Stockton of Utah eventually surpassed both men to become the NBA’s all-time assists leader.
April 15, 1992
Atlanta’s Maurice Cheeks collected four steals in the Hawks’ 95-94 win over New York at the Omni, and those four thefts moved him past Julius Erving as the all-time leader (ABA/NBA combined) in steals with 2,274. John Stockton of the Utah Jazz eventually surpassed Cheeks to become the NBA’s all-time steals leader.
April 15, 1995
Miami’s Glen Rice made 20-of-27 field goal attempts, including seven 33-pointers and finished the game with a then franchise-record 56 points, leading the Heat to a 123-117 home win over Orlando. His mark was surpassed by LeBron James on March 3, 2014, when he scored a career-best 61 points in a 124-107 win.
April 15, 1995
Tom Chambers of Utah scored 15 points in the Jazz’s 105-83 victory over the visiting LA Clippers, becoming the 20th player in NBA history to surpass 20,000 career points. With teammate Karl Malone having reached the 20,000-point plateau against Cleveland on January 20, 1995, Utah became the first team in NBA history to have two players reach 20,000 career points during the same season.
April 15, 2001
Eddie Gill of the New Jersey Nets scored the eight millionth point in NBA history when he converted a layup with 10:37 remaining in a 95-88 loss to Boston at the FleetCenter.
April 15, 2001
Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz played his 1,271st career game, all in a Jazz uniform, to pass John Havlicek and move into second place for the most games played with one team. Malone trailed only teammate John Stockton, who passed Havlicek’s long-standing record earlier in the 2000-01 season.
April 15, 2007
During a game between the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks referee Joey Crawford infamously throws Spurs star Tim Duncan out of the game while Duncan was sitting on the bench. Crawford would be suspended from the league only a few days later for improper conduct.
April 15, 2008
The Boston Celtics beat New Jersey 105-94 to complete their regular season with a 66-16 record. Boston, with 42 more wins than the previous season capping one of the best single-season turnarounds in NBA history.
April 15, 2010
At 21 years old, Oklahoma City superstar Kevin Durant becomes the youngest NBA player in history to win the regular season scoring title.
April 15, 2022
The New Orleans Pelicans defeat the LA Clippers, 105-101, in the Play-In Tournament to secure the No. 8 seed. With the win, the Pelicans clinched their first playoff berth since 2015-16 and did so after a 1-12 start to the 2021-22 season.
April 16, 1947
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was born in New York on the same day that the opening game of the first NBA Finals was played–with the Philadelphia Warriors defeating the Chicago Stags 84-71 in Game 1. Abdul-Jabbar went on to play in a record 20 seasons with Milwaukee and the Los Angeles Lakers, setting an NBA record for points scored (38,387) and playing on six NBA Championship teams.
April 16, 1967
Wilt Chamberlain grabbed an NBA Finals record 26 rebounds in one half as Philadelphia defeated San Francisco 126-95 in Game 2. Also, both teams combined for 169 rebounds, tying an NBA Playoffs record.
April 16, 1983
In the regular season finale for both teams, San Antonio defeated Dallas at Reunion Arena 132-120. By hitting 53-of-75 shots, the Spurs set an NBA record for FG percentage (.707) in a single game.
April 16, 1991
The Philadelphia 76ers, in a 108-99 loss to New York at Madison Square Garden, set an NBA record for playing in the most overtime games in a season at 14. The Sixers were 8-6 in those OT games.
April 16, 1993
Following a 113-110 win over visiting Orlando, Cleveland coach Lenny Wilkens moved into second place on the NBA all-time wins list (trailing only Red Auerbach) with his 865th career victory. Seven weeks later, Wilkens left the Cavaliers to become coach of the Atlanta Hawks, a franchise he began his NBA playing career with when it was located in St. Louis.
April 16, 1994
Golden State’s Don Nelson became the seventh coach in NBA history to win 800 career games, following the Warriors’ 109-105 triumph over visiting Utah Nelson reached 800 wins in 1,372 games, the second-fastest coach to reach that mark, trailing only Red Auerbach’s 1,227 games.
April 16, 1996
The Bulls bettered the 1972 Lakers NBA record of 69 wins in one season with their 86-80 victory at Milwaukee. Chicago finished the season with 72 wins and only 10 losses, a mark that would stand as the NBA’s best in a single season until 2015-16. That season, the Golden State Warriors surpassed the Bulls’ record with a 73-9 finish.
April 17, 1966
The Los Angeles Lakers, getting 41 points from Jerry West, came back from a 34-20 deficit after one quarter to beat the Boston Celtics 133-129 in overtime in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Boston, however, won the series in seven games. The Lakers’ comeback from 14 points down in the first quarter of Game 1 is the largest first quarter deficit ever overcome in NBA Finals play.
April 17, 1977
The Boston Celtics converted 27-of-28 free throws in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series against Philadelphia, beating the Sixers 113-111.
April 17, 1982
The Denver Nuggets’ frontcourt of Alex English (25.4 ppg), Dan Issel (22.9 ppg) and Kiki Vandeweghe (21.5 ppg) became the first trio to each average more than 20 ppg since Bob Pettit, Cliff Hagan and Clyde Lovellette of St. Louis did so in 1961.
April 17, 1990
The Minnesota Timberwolves drew 49,551 fans to the Metrodome during a 99-89 loss to Denver. That attendance figure was the third highest total in league history, and it helped the team set an all-time single-season attendance mark, as the Timberwolves drew 1,072,572 fans for 41 games in the Metrodome.
April 17, 1993
Atlanta’s Dominique Wilkins became the 11th player in NBA history to score 22,000 career points, after hitting for 41 in the Hawks’ 110-107 setback against Charlotte.
April 17, 1995
Buck Williams of Portland grabbed 12 rebounds during the Blazers’ 97-93 road win at Seattle, becoming the eighth NBA player to reach 12,000 rebounds and 15,000 points in a career.
April 17, 1999
Utah’s John Stockton records his 13,000th career assist when he passed to Karl Malone for a jumper in a 109-93 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
April 17, 2007
On the same day Clyde “The Glide” Drexler is eliminated from the hit reality show Dancing With The Stars, controversial NBA referee Joey Crawford is dismissed from the NBA by commissioner David Stern following an April 15th incident with San Antonio Spurs star Tim Duncan.
April 18, 1962
The Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers 110-107 in overtime in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, despite the 11th straight 30-plus point scoring performance by Lakers forward Elgin Baylor, an NBA playoff record. Bill Russell of Boston tied his own NBA Finals record by grabbing 40 rebounds in the game.
April 18, 1966
Bill Russell was named player-coach of the Boston Celtics upon Red Auerbach’s retirement. As coach of the Celtics, Russell won two NBA championships in three seasons.
April 18, 1967
Rick Barry of San Francisco scored 55 points as the Warriors beat Philadelphia 130-124 in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, a series Philadelphia eventually won in six games. Barry’s 55 points is tied for the second-highest point total in playoff history and his 22 field goals made tied Elgin Baylor’s NBA Finals record.
April 18, 1982
Cleveland closed out its season with a 116-113 OT loss to visiting Detroit. It was the Cavaliers’ 19th consecutive loss to close out the season, which was then an NBA record. That mark was surpassed by the Charlotte Bobcats on April 26, 2012 when they lost their 23rd straight game, falling 104-84 to the New York Knicks.
April 18, 1991
Utah guard John Stockton, in a 130-103 Jazz win over Seattle at the Salt Palace, dished out 11 assists to finish the 1990-91 season with 1,164 assists, breaking his own NBA record for assists in a season set the previous year.
April 18, 1994
Dominique Wilkins of the LA Clippers, who arrived from Atlanta via a trade on February 24, scored 37 points in the Clippers’ 134-131 loss to visiting Golden State, becoming the ninth player in NBA annals to score 24,000 career points.
April 18, 1996
Orlando’s Dennis Scott set a NBA single-game record by connecting on 11 3-point attempts against Atlanta.
April 18, 2001
A.C. Green of the Miami Heat played in his 1,192nd straight game, extending his all-time NBA record. The 37-year-old Green completed his 16th NBA season.
April 18, 2022
Boston’s Marcus Smart is named Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first guard to win the honor since Seattle’s Gary Payton in the 1995-96 season.
April 19, 1965
Five members of the Boston Celtics scored 20 or more points in a 129-123 victory over Los Angeles in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. This was the first time in Finals history there were five 20-point scorers on one team, a feat that would be matched twice in the 1987 NBA Finals between the same two teams.
April 19, 1986
Atlanta guard Spud Webb set an NBA rookie record for assists in a playoff game with 18, as the Hawks defeated Detroit 137-125 at the Omni in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first round series.
April 19, 1988
The Philadelphia 76ers honored Julius Erving prior to a home game against the Bucks, retiring his No. 6 uniform and unveiling a larger-than-life Dr. J statue.
April 19, 1991
Atlanta’s Moses Malone set an NBA record for playing in the most consecutive games without fouling out in the Hawks’ 126-120 loss to Detroit at the Omni. It was Malone’s 1,046th straight game without a disqualification, breaking Wilt Chamberlain’s mark.
April 19, 1992
Detroit’s Dennis Rodman won his first NBA rebounding title with 1,530 rebounds for an 18.7 rpg average. Those were the highest rebounding marks in the league since the Lakers’ Wilt Chamberlain pulled down 1,572 boards for a 19.2 rpg average during the 1971-72 season. Rodman’s total of 1,530 rebounds represented 42.1 percent of the Pistons’ total of 3,63 1 boards, which is the top individual percentage in NBA history. Rodman went on to lead the NBA in rebounding for seven consecutive seasons, an NBA record.
April 19, 1992
San Antonio’s David Robinson became only the third player in NBA history, along with Larry Bird (1985-86) and Cliff Hagan (1959-60), to rank among the league’s Top 10 in five different statistical categories. Robinson averaged 23.2 ppg (7th); 12.2 rpg (4th); 55.1% field goal percentage (7th); 2.32 spg (5th); and 4.49 bpg (1st).
April 19, 1998
Karl Malone finished the season with 2,190 points, an NBA record 11th consecutive season he had reached the 2,000 point plateau.
April 19, 2017
Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder scores 51 points in a 115-111 loss to the Houston Rockets.
April 20, 1986
Chicago guard Michael Jordan scored an NBA playoff-record 63 points, but the Bulls dropped a 135-131 double-overtime decision to the Celtics at Boston Garden in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round. Jordan shot 22-of-41 from the field and 19-of-21 from the free-throw line in his record performance, breaking Elgin Baylor’s previous mark of 61 points in a playoff game, set during the Lakers’ 126-121 road win at Boston in Game 5 of the 1962 NBA Finals. After the game, Boston’s Larry Bird shook his head and proclaimed “That was God disguised as Michael Jordan.”
April 20, 1999
Washington’s Otis Thorpe became the 16th player in NBA history to compile 15,000 career points and 10,000 career rebounds during the Wizards’ 83-77 loss at Chicago.
April 20, 2002
Sacramento’s triumph over Utah in Game 1 of their first-round playoff matchup marked the first time the Kings franchise had won the opener of a playoff series since 1980-81, when the Kansas City Kings defeated Portland in Game 1 of a best-of-three first-round matchup.
April 21, 1970
Bob Cousy of Boston and Bob Pettit of St. Louis were inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
April 21, 1991
The Denver Nuggets, following a 131-125 road loss at Houston, set an NBA record for points allowed per game, with an average of 130.8 ppg. That broke the previous mark of 126.0 ppg set by Denver in 1981-82.
April 21, 1993
Milwaukee’s Moses Malone moved past Paul Silas into fifth place on the NBA’s all-time games played list, with 1,255, during the Bucks’ 119-111 loss to Charlotte.
April 21, 1996
Houston’s Hakeem Olajuwon rejected three shots in the Rockets’ season-ending 118-110 victory over Phoenix to reach 3,190 career blocks, giving him the all-time record and bettering Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s previous mark by one.
April 21, 1996
The Bulls defeated the Bullets 103-93 to finish the season with a 72-10 record and .878 winning percentage, which eclipsed the NBA record set by 1972 Lakers, who went 69-13 for an .841 percentage. The victory over Washington earned Chicago their 33rd road victory, the most ever at the time a season by an NBA team.
April 21, 1996
The NBA, boosted by the presence of Canadian expansion franchises in Toronto and Vancouver, sets an all-time attendance record for the 11th time in 13 seasons after drawing 20,513,218 fans to 1,189 games. The average attendance of 17,252 per game also sets a record, with Charlotte’s average of 24,042 fans per game leading the league.
April 21, 1996
Cleveland, despite an 89-88 road loss at Indiana to close the season, set an NBA record for the fewest points allowed per game (88.5) since the NBA began utilizing the shot clock during the 1954-55 season.
April 21, 1996
Chicago’s Michael Jordan sets an NBA record by winning his eighth NBA scoring title (breaking Wilt Chamberlain’s record of seven) after netting 2,491 points in 82 games for a 30.4 ppg average.
April 21, 1996
Utah’s John Stockton makes NBA history by earning his ninth consecutive NBA assist title, handing out 916 in 82 games for an 11.2 apg average, breaking Bob Cousy’s previous record run of eight straight titles from 1953-60.
April 21, 1996
Denver’s Dikembe Mutombo becomes the first player to lead the NBA in blocks for three straight seasons (blocks became an official statistic in 1973-74) after rejecting 332 shots in 74 games for a 4.49 bpg average.
April 21, 1996
Orlando’s Dennis Scott sets a then NBA single-season record for 3-point field goals by connecting on 267 3-pointers.
April 21, 1996
George McCloud of Dallas attempted a then NBA record 678 shots from 3-point range, making 257 of those shots. The 257 was, at the time, the second-most in NBA history, with Orlando’s Dennis Scott hitting 267 the same season.
April 21, 1999
Former NBA players Artis Gilmore, Dan Roundfield and Randy Smith tour Italy from April 21-28 to meet with American military personnel stationed in the area. They made several stops within the country, where they also gave brief instructional clinics and a demonstration of basketball skills.
April 21, 1999
Miami’s Dan Majerle became the 10th player in league history to record 1,100 career 3-pointers.
April 22, 1947
The Philadelphia Warriors defeated the Chicago Stags 83-80 in Game 5 to take the NBA’s first championship series 4-1.
April 22, 1987
The NBA granted expansion franchises to Charlotte, Miami, Minneapolis and Orlando. The Hornets and Heat joined the league in 1988-89, and the Timberwolves and Magic in 1989-90.
April 22, 1988
Charles Oakley of the Chicago Bulls grabbed 35 rebounds, the most in one game in the 1980s, in a 107-103 loss to Cleveland.
April 22, 1989
Utah guard John Stockton won his second straight NBA assist title, picking up a total of 1,118 assists (13.6 apg), becoming the first NBA player to record consecutive seasons of over 1,000 assists. Stockton stretched that 1,000-assist per season streak to a total of five seasons, up through the 1991-92 campaign.
April 22, 1990
San Antonio defeated Phoenix 108-93 to finish the season at 56-26, the Spurs’ 35-game improvement over the previous season being the greatest one-year jump in NBA history.
April 22, 1994
New York defeated Milwaukee 125-85 at the Bradley Center, as Pat Riley became the 11th coach in NBA history to compile 700 career victories.
April 22, 2000
Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone (36 years, 273 days) became the oldest player in NBA history to score 50 points or more in a playoff game when he recorded 50 points in Game 1 of the first round against Seattle.
April 22, 2000
Miami’s Pat Riley records his 150th career playoff coaching victory after a 95-85 victory over Detroit in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
April 23, 1950
The Minneapolis Lakers became the first team to win back-to-back NBA titles when they defeated the Syracuse Nationals 110-95 to win the series four games to two.
April 23, 1969
Jerry West of Los Angeles scored 53 points as the Lakers edged Boston 120-118 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, a series won by the Celtics in seven games. The 53 points by West ranked as the highest-scoring game by a guard in NBA Finals history, before Chicago’s Michael Jordan scored 55 points against Phoenix in Game 4 of the 1993 Finals, a 111-105 Bulls win over the Suns.
April 23, 1989
Alex English of the Denver Nuggets finished the 1988-89 season with 2,175 points, giving him 2,000 or more points for a then record eight consecutive seasons. Karl Malone later posted 11 consecutive 2,000-point seasons.
April 23, 1989
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played in the final game of his NBA-record 1,560-game career, as the Lakers downed Seattle 121-117. Abdul-Jabbar finished his career with an NBA record 38,387 points.
April 23, 1995
After handing out eight assists in Utah’s 103-97 road win at Houston, John Stockton captured his eighth straight NBA assist title — tying Bob Cousy’s NBA record — after dishing off for 1,011 assists in 82 games for a 12.3 apg average. Stockton broke the tie by leading the NBA in assists for a record ninth straight season in 1995-96.
April 23, 1995
Steve Kerr of Chicago set the record for the highest 3-point field goal percentage in a season at .524. His mark was surpassed in the 2009-10 season when Kyle Korver of Utah shot .536 from 3-point range.
April 23, 2017
The Cleveland Cavaliers defeat the Indiana Pacers 106-102 for a 4-0 series win in the Eastern Conference first round.
April 23, 2019
The closing moments of Game 5 of a first-round series against the Thunder was Damian Lillard’s time to shine. Lillard finished with a franchise playoff-record 50 points as the Portland Trail Blazers ousted Oklahoma City with a 118-115 win. With the game tied, Lillard dribbled just inside of halfcourt near the Blazers logo and then pulled up and hit the game-winner at the buzzer from 37-feet.
April 24, 1963
Bob Cousy ended his Boston career on a high note as he helped the Celtics defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 112-109 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals for the team’s fifth consecutive NBA championship. It was Cousy’s last game in a Celtics uniform, although he did appear in seven games as player-coach for the Cincinnati Royals during the 1969-70 season.
April 24, 1964
Wilt Chamberlain of the San Francisco Warriors grabbed 38 rebounds against the Boston Celtics and arch-rival Bill Russell, in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, a 98-95 Boston win. During the regular season, however, Russell led the league in rebounding with a 24.7 rpg mark to Chamberlain’s 22.3 rpg.
April 24, 1967
The 1967 Philadelphia 76ers, who in 1980 were voted the NBA’s all-time greatest team, beat San Francisco 125-122 in Game 6 of the Finals to win the NBA championship, ending Boston’s eight-year string of league titles.
April 24, 1988
Milwaukee’s Jack Sikma became the tallest player (7-0) in NBA history to win the NBA free throw title by shooting 92 percent from the line.
April 24, 1993
The Milwaukee Bucks retired No. 33 worn by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for six seasons. Abdul-Jabbar led the Bucks to the 1971 NBA championship with a sweep of the Baltimore Bullets in the Finals. He had previously had his jersey retired by the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom he won five NBA titles.
April 24, 1994
David Robinson of San Antonio became just the fourth NBA player to score 70 points in a game, hitting for 71 in the Spurs’ 112-97 road win against the LA Clippers. Robinson finished the 1993-94 season as the NBA’s scoring champion, edging out Orlando’s Shaquille O’Neal 29 8 to 29 3 ppg.
April 24, 1994
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf of Denver finished the 1993-94 season by hitting 219-of-229 free throw attempts for a 95.6 percent free throw percentage, the second-highest in NBA history behind Calvin Murphy’s mark of 95.8 percent in 1980-81.
April 24, 1995
Atlanta coach Lenny Wilkens, the NBA’s all-time leader in victories with 968 at the close of the 1994-95 season, was named coach of the 1996 United States Olympic Men’s Basketball team.
April 24, 1996
The NBA Board of Governors approved the concept of the Women’s National Basketball Association to begin play as a summer league in 1997.
April 24, 2023
Miami Heat swingman Jimmy Butler finishes with 56 points in a 119-114 overtime win against the No. 1-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in Game 4. The performance lifts Miami to a 3-1 series edge and ties the fourth-highest playoff scoring effort in NBA history.
April 25, 1950
Chuck Cooper of Duquesne became the first black player ever selected (by Boston in the second round) in the NBA Draft.
April 25, 1950
New York purchased the contract of Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton from the Harlem Globetrotters making him the first black player to sign an NBA contract.
April 25, 1968
The nickname “Suns” was chosen as the name of the Phoenix franchise, in a contest sponsored by a local newspaper.
April 25, 1965
Jerry West of Los Angeles averaged 46.3 points per game as the Lakers defeated the Baltimore Bullets in six games in the 1965 Western Division Finals. West scored at least 40 points in every game in posting the highest scoring average for a playoff series in NBA history.
April 25, 1993
Chicago’s Michael Jordan captured his seventh straight NBA scoring title (32.6 ppg), tying Wilt Chamberlain’s NBA record. Jordan also led the league in steals (2.83 spg) for the third time in his career, becoming the fourth NBA player to collect 1,800 career thefts.
April 25, 1993
Minnesota’s Micheal Williams, in a 113-111 win over Utah in the season finale, went 10-for-10 from the free-throw line, allowing him to finish the 1992-93 season with an NBA record 84 consecutive free throws made. Williams, who stretched the streak to 97 consecutive free throws early in the 1993-94 season before missing, broke Calvin Murphy’s NBA record of 78 consecutive FTs, which had stood since the 1980-81 season.
April 25, 1993
Cleveland became the first team in NBA history to lead the league in field goal percentage (.497), free throw percentage (.802), and 3-point field goal percentage (.381). The Cavaliers finished the season with a 54-28 record.
April 25, 2015
The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Dallas Mavericks 118-104 in the Western Conference first round for a 4-0 series win.
April 26, 1972
The Knicks’ Bill Bradley sank 11 of 12 field goal attempts as New York defeated Los Angeles 114-92 in the opening game of the NBA Finals. It was the Knicks’ only win of the series, however, as the Lakers went on to take the title in five games.
April 26, 1984
The New Jersey Nets surprised the highly favored defending champion Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 1984 NBA Playoffs, winning the deciding Game 5 by a 101-98 score at the Spectrum in Philadelphia.
April 26, 1985
Mark Eaton of Utah blocked a playoff-record 10 shots in a 96-94 loss to Houston, a record that would be matched by Houston’s Hakeem Olajuwon against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 29, 1990.
April 26, 1988
The NBA added a third referee to the league’s officiating crews for the 1988-89 season.
April 26, 2012
With a 104-84 loss to the New York Knicks in the final game of the 2011-2012 season, the Charlotte Bobcats (7-59) set a new record for the lowest winning percentage in NBA history at 0.110.
April 26, 2023
The Miami Heat make history on several fronts in rallying to win 128-126 in overtime in Game 5 of their first-round series against the No. 1 overall seed, the Milwaukee Bucks. Led by Jimmy Butler’s 42 points, Miami — the No. 8 seed by virtue of getting there via the Play-In Tournament — becomes the first Play-In team to win a first-round series. The Heat are also the sixth No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 seed in NBA history and the first since 2012 to accomplish the feat.
April 27, 1950
Arnold “Red” Auerbach, 32 years old and a veteran of three seasons of coaching with the Washington Capitols and one with the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, was named coach of the Boston Celtics. He would go on to coach nine NBA championship teams in Boston.
April 27, 1983
San Antonio guard Johnny Moore handed out 20 assists, at the time a playoff record, in the Spurs’ 126-109 win over Denver. Magic Johnson and John Stockton now share the record of 24.
April 27, 1984
Isiah Thomas and Bernard King engaged in a great playoff shoot-out in Game 5 of the 1984 Eastern Conference first round playoff series won by New York 127-123 in overtime. King scored 12 of his game-high 44 points in the final 5:12 of the fourth quarter but Thomas stole his thunder by tallying Detroit’s final 14 points in a span of just 1:34 to send the game into overtime where each star had four points. “Sometimes Zeke is magical — you saw it tonight,” Pistons coach Chuck Daly said of Thomas.
April 27, 1994
The NBA Board of Governors granted a franchise to a Vancouver group headed by Vancouver Canucks owner Arthur Griffiths. The Vancouver Grizzlies became the NBA’s 29th franchise, and second located in Canada, joining the Toronto Raptors in entering the league for the 1995-96 season. The franchise moved to Memphis prior to the 2001-02 season.
April 27, 1998
San Antonio’s Tim Duncan is named the Schick Rookie of the Year after receiving 113 of a possible 116 votes. Duncan, the first selection in the 1997 NBA Draft, averaged 21.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.51 blocked shots, while shooting .549 (706-for-1,287) from the field in 39.1 minutes per game.
April 27, 2000
NBA announced that a team representing the NBA’s new developmental league would be one of six teams competing in the 2000 Asian Basketball Association League. The team, called the NBA Ambassadors, would be one of two squads based in Hong Kong slated to compete in a six-week competition (June 8-July 13) against teams from China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.
April 28, 1966
Red Auerbach retired as Boston’s coach after guiding the Celtics to a 95-93 triumph over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Auerbach coached Boston to nine NBA championships — including eight straight titles from 1959-66 — more than any other coach.
April 28, 1979
Oscar Robertson became the first Milwaukee Buck to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Robertson, who helped the Bucks to the franchise’s only NBA title in 1971, finished his career with 26,710 points and 9,887 assists.
April 28, 1990
The Boston Celtics set an NBA single-game playoff scoring record in beating the New York Knicks 157-128 in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first round series. The Celtics shot .670 from the field (63-of-94 FG attempts), setting another playoff mark.
April 28, 2013
The Miami Heat defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 88-77 in the Eastern Conference first round for a 4-0 series win.
The San Antonio Spurs defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 103-82 in the Western Conference first round for a 4-0 series win.
April 28, 2014
The Miami Heat defeated the Charlotte Bobcats 109-98 in the Eastern Conference first round for a 4-0 series win.
April 29, 1969
The Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 89-88 in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. A combined total of 21 assists were recorded in the game, an all-time NBA low.
April 29, 1970
Los Angeles Lakers guard Jerry West hit a 60-foot desperation shot at the buzzer to tie Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks. In overtime, however, the Lakers scored just six points and lost 111-108.
April 29, 1990
The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Houston Rockets 104-100 for coach Pat Riley’s 100th career playoff victory, breaking Red Auerbach’s record of 99. Houston’s Hakeem Olajuwon had 10 blocked shots, tying the NBA playoff record set by Mark Eaton of Utah on April 26, 1985 against the Rockets.
April 29, 2011
Behind a 31-point, 11-rebound game from Zach Randolph, the Memphis Grizzlies defeat the San Antonio Spurs, 99-91, in Game 6 of their first-round series. With the victory, Memphis ousts the No. 1-seeded Spurs, marking the first time a No. 1 seed lost in the first round since the 1999 playoffs.
April 29, 2018
LeBron James steals the ball of the Pacers’ Bojan Bogdanovic on the left baseline, giving him 396 career steals in the playoffs. That number moved him past Bulls legend and Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen for the No. 1 spot all-time in that category.
April 29, 2021
Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr., 20, erupted for 50 points and 11 assists. He became the youngest player in NBA history to reach the 50-point, 10-assist mark as the previous youngest player to do so was LeBron James (who achieved the feat at 23 years old).
April 30, 1956
The Boston Celtics traded “Easy” Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan to St. Louis for the Hawks’ No. 1 draft pick, which they used to select Bill Russell.
April 30, 1971
The Milwaukee Bucks, led by young Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and veteran Oscar Robertson, beat the Baltimore Bullets 118-106 to complete a four-game sweep of the NBA Finals, capturing the franchise’s only NBA championship.
April 30, 1975
Larry O’Brien was named the third commissioner of the NBA, succeeding J. Walter Kennedy.
April 30, 1988
Sleepy Floyd scored 42 points and Hakeem Olajuwon added 41 as Houston downed Dallas 119-108 in Game 2 of their Western Conference first round series, marking only the second time in NBA Playoff history that teammates surpassed 40 points in a game.
April 30, 2002
Seattle SuperSonics guard Gary Payton became only the second player in league history to be named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team nine times. Payton joined the Washington Wizards’ Michael Jordan as the only nine-time members of the All-Defensive First Team. Jordan was named to the squad nine times as a member of the Chicago Bulls.
April 30, 2009
Ray Allen of the Boston Celtics scores 51 points in a 128-127 loss to the Chicago Bulls.
April 30, 2023
Stephen Curry scored a playoff career-high 50 points as the Golden State Warriors beat the Sacramento Kings 120-100 in Game 7. Curry’s points are the most in NBA history in a Game 7, topping former teammate Kevin Durant’s 48 for the Nets against Milwaukee in 2021. Curry’s 50 points tied the NBA record for most points scored in a playoff game by a player 35 or older, match a feat accomplished by Karl Malone in 2000.
