The performance of the night: Jaylen Brown, 50 points and a closed club
The new year almost started in a bad light for the Boston Celtics, rather surprised to have had to battle Sunday night, at home, once morest an Orlando Magic which has not taken to shaking its opponents this season ( 7 wins, 30 losses). In the absence of Jayson Tatum, present at the edge of the field, winger Jaylen Brown played the firefighters on duty.
First of all by slamming 11 of his team’s last 13 points following regulation time, in order to obtain the right to play an extension (100-100). Then by slamming a three-point shot to make the break in the additional period, which also allowed him to reach 50 points scored during the game (19 of 29 shooting, 11 rebounds, 4 assists). A personal best that only seven other players have reached in the history of his franchise: Larry Bird, Jayson Tatum, Kevin McHale, Sam Jones, Paul Pierce and Isaiah Thomas.
51
Jaylen Brown failed to one unit of the record for points scored in a game this season, held by Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets): 51 points.
« There was no way we would lose this gamecommented Brown following the game. I wanted to get the win for everyone. ” This success does not solve the problems of regularity of his club (18v-19d, 10th in the East), but it allows to stick, for the moment, to a leitmotif to perpetuate: ” We want to put 2021 behind us, it’s a new year. »
The rookie: Josh Giddey, precocity record
Failing to allow his team to win regularly (13v-23d, 13th in the West), the Australian leader Josh Giddey shows an impressive maturity and sense of responsibility for his age, namely 19 years old ( in October). If he still seems so inconstant when it comes to contributing offensively (17 points to 7 out of 16 on Monday), sometimes being clumsy as close as possible to the circle, the rookie from Oklahoma City nevertheless seized a record broken barely a year ago by LaMelo Ball: that of the youngest player to score a triple-double.
With 17 points, 13 rebounds and 14 assists, the Melbourne native became the category leader at 19 years and 84 days. Insufficient, however, to win at home once morest Dallas (86-95), which also frustrated Giddey: “ It’s nice, like I said earlier in the season. The individual stats are nice, we take advantage of them for an evening. But winning is always better than individual stats. If I line up 0-0-0 and we win, it’s still better than a triple-double and loss. “A commendable mentality, which does not however stick to the Thunder project, clearly focused on the development of players to the detriment of results. Which therefore benefits, quite largely, nuggets of the caliber of the sixth choice of the last draft.
On the winning side at OKC’s Paycom Center, the evening was doubly satisfying: in addition to having balanced their balance sheet (18v-18d, 8th in the West), the Mavs finally found their master to play Luka Doncic, absent since mid-December. A smooth return for the Slovenian (31 minutes), who still missed the triple-double for a small rebound (14 points to 6 of 14, 9 rebounds, 10 assists but 7 stray bullets).
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Hit in an ankle and then by the Covid, Luka Doncic had missed Dallas’ last ten matches. In the absence of its maestro, the Texas franchise did not sink (5v-5d).
« It was harddelivered the former Madrid player. The last time I made five once morest five, it must have been four weeks ago. It was a weird feeling, but I’m happy to be back. My chest was burning. I think it will come back slowly. It was special to take my shots, I didn’t know if they were going to come in. On a shot I said to myself ”he’s great he’s going to come in”, and it was finally an airball. “Doncic will have the opportunity to adjust the sights a little more on Monday evening, with a complicated duel to negotiate once morest the Denver Nuggets.
