After the All-Star hiatus and nine long days, the NBA is finally back! The Celtics made short work of the Nets, with Cleveland and Memphis two teams with playoff ambitions had to accept bankruptcies. The Suns and Warriors each celebrated victories, in Sacramento the teams caused a stir with a political message.
Detroit Pistons (14-45) – Cleveland Cavaliers (35-24) 106:103 (BOXSCORE)
- After hosting All-Star Weekend, Cleveland headed to Detroit, where it was surprise team versus Kellerkind. Before the duel, the focus was on Evan Mobley and Cade Cunningham, two hot contenders for the title of Rookie of the Year.
- The No. 1 pick of the 2021 draft seemed particularly motivated when the Pistons won and showed a good all-round performance with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, even if the playmaker’s efficiency left a lot to be desired (4/16 FG). Mobley had 12 points and 8 boards, while the Cavs’ top scorer was Lauri Markkanen with 22 points.
- The hosts were pretty thin in the backcourt, Darius Garland (back problem) and Caris LeVert (foot injury) were unavailable to the Cavs, which put veteran Rajon Rondo in the starting five. LeVert will probably be out for a week or two. In addition, Brandon Goodwin (15 points, 5 assists) took over playmaking duties for the Cavs.
- Hamidou Diallo, better known for his athleticism, sunk three triples for the Pistons in the first 12 minutes, with a buzzer-beater at full speed he put the final point on the first quarter (33:27 for the Cavs). With 21 points, he was the best thrower for the hosts.
- After two relatively even quarters, the Pistons temporarily took an 11-point lead in the final section, but the Cavs revolted. Isaac Okoro completed a 9-0 run with a three-pointer from the corner and ensured the tie regarding a minute and a half before the end ( 102:102). In the end, Cunningham decided the game with four converted free throws. The guests had three chances to equalize, but mightn’t take advantage of any of them.
Brooklyn Nets (31-29) – Boston Celtics (35-26) 106:129 (BOXSCORE)
- The Boston Celtics celebrated a clear victory at the Barclays Center, the Nets remained without a chance without the injured Kevin Durant, without Ben Simmons and without Kyrie Irving, who is still not allowed to play home games.
- The Celts’ offensive was already in full swing in the first few minutes, and in the last 17 games Boston has only stayed below 100 points once. In the first quarter, Boston scored 35 points (Nets: 22), hitting almost 60 percent from the field (10/17 FG, 5/10 3FG).
- The game was almost decided following a 10-2 run by the Celts at the start of the second quarter, with Boston leading by up to 29 points at times. Seth Curry (22 points) and Bruce Brown (15) tried to counter it, but ultimately mightn’t do anything.
- Jayson Tatum, who was defended for long stretches by Brown, finished the game with 30 points and provided the highlight of the game when he scored a Poster dunk over two Nets defenders showed no mercy.
- Six Kelten players scored in double figures, Brown had 18 points, Al Horford recorded a double-double (11 points, 13 rebounds). Daniel Theis came on towards the end in garbage time and contributed 4 points and 2 rebounds in four minutes of play.
Chicago Bulls (39-21) – Atlanta Hawks (28-31) 112:108 (SPIELBERICHT)
Minnesota Timberwolves (32-28) – Memphis Grizzlies (41-20) 119:114 (BOXSCORE)
- About a month ago, D’Angelo Russell reached out to the Timberwolves home fans and wanted to encourage them to make more noise. Against the Grizzlies, he personally freaked out the crowd. With 37 points, Russell was the guarantee for victory.
- Karl-Anthony Towns was also convincing (22 points, 11 rebounds), Anthony Edwards showed a weak performance (5 points, 1/11 FG). On the visitors’ side, Ziaire Williams and Jaren Jackson Jr. each had 21 points. Ja Morant, who injured his hip in the third quarter and went into the dressing room in the meantime, ended the game with 20 points (7/25 FG).
- The Grizzlies got off to a better start, taking advantage of the Timberwolves’ weak transition defense, which mightn’t keep up with the visitors’ pace. Memphis led with up to 15 points, but lost the thread in the second quarter on offense (8/25 FG).
- So the T-Wolves came back and Patrick Beverly equalized with a three-pointer shortly before the break tea (52:52). In the third quarter, both teams were on a similar level, from Minnesota’s point of view they went into the last quarter with +1 (84:83).
- In the closing stages Russell ran hot and scored 23 of his 37 points here. After a tip-in from Brandon Clarke to equalize (114:114) 1:40 minutes before the end, the Wolves star delivered a treble in response on the other side. As a result, the hosts did not let the victory be taken away.