Boston takes off again. Authors of 20 three-point baskets in Louisiana, the Celtics quickly took off against the Pelicans (40-25 at the end of the first quarter). In the final period, New Orleans certainly came back from -13 to -6, but Jaylen Brown’s teammates (27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists) have mastered their subject.
“Sometimes we take the lead and let the game get away from us… That’s our challenge, to take the lead and stay focused,” Brown said. The other teams are not going to surrender. They know that we reached the final last year and will give the best. »
With 13 wins for only three losses, the big green men are taking their ease at the top of the Eastern Conference, ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks (11-4) who have not managed to manage their advantage on the Sixers floor: while ‘She led 62-55 at the break, the Wisconsin franchise lost 110-102.
Without James Harden, Tobias Harris and Furkan Korkmaz, Philadelphia was once again able to count on its great player of the moment, Joel Embiid: with 32 pts (including 19 in the second half), 11 rebounds and 8 assists, the Cameroonian pivot won his duel against the “Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo (25 pts, 14 rebounds, 4 assists).
The Sixers switch to the green (8th, 8-7), but recorded one more injury with the exit before the break of the back Tyrese Maxey (24 points), touched on one foot.
Golden State is reassured (a little)
In the West, the performance of the evening came from Dallas, where Luka Doncic led the Mavs to victory against Denver (127-99) by scoring the 50th triple-double of his young career at just 23 years old! The Slovenian prodigy crushes all passing times in the history of the NBA: you have to go back more than half a century back, to Oscar Robertson, to find the trace of such precocity.
“It’s great,” simply reacted Doncic, who martyred the Nuggets with 33 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. But “a victory is a victory,” tempered the Slovenian, who is aiming even higher this season: Dallas (9-6) is currently fourth behind Portland, Utah and Memphis.
Among this trio, the Jazz won by a hair against the Suns (134-133), thanks to 38 points from Lauri Markkanen (his personal best), while Portland did not play. The Grizzlies also won against the Thunder (121-110), but they lost their leader Ja Morant, hit in the left ankle and whose duration of unavailability is to be determined.
Much lower in this ranking, Golden State, the defending champion, was (a little) reassured after the 130 points against Phoenix, dominating the New York Knicks (111-101). “We have finally been a little more efficient defensively,” rejoiced rightly Stephen Curry, author of a double-double (24 points, 10 rebounds).
Rejoicing, however, is not yet a question for the Lakers. Without LeBron James, absent through injury for the third meeting in a row, LA has certainly gleaned its 4th victory (for ten defeats). But the Lakers hardly dominated (128-121) weak Pistons (3-14), dead last in the standings in the East. The road to recovery will still be long for the Californian franchise.
Jazz brings the blues to Portland
The following night, Utah asserted itself a little more like the good surprise of the start of the NBA season by winning the shock of the Western Conference against the Blazers, Saturday in Portland (118-113), thanks in particular to the 15 points scored by Jordan Clarkson in the last quarter.
Who would’ve believed that ? Here is Utah, a solid leader in the West, with this 12th victory (in 18 games) obtained with the guts on the floor of one of its runners-up.
In the offseason, the Jazz had however lost Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. So what ? He once again showed his strength of character in Oregon, especially in the second half, when the Blazers managed to close a 19-point gap on the scoreboard.
At 108-107 for Portland, and two minutes to play, Clarkson took matters into his own hands, allowing the Jazz to regain a 115-109 lead, including a three-pointer followed by a pull-up.
The surprising Finnish winger Lauri Markkanen was also still present for the Jazz, with a double-double (23 points, 10 rebounds), and Malik Beasley scored 29 points, two more than against the Phoenix Suns the day before.
As for the Blazers, the defeat is all the more bitter as the Oregon franchise lost its pivot Damian Lillard, injured at the start of the season in a calf and who relapsed.
Suspenseful evening
Utah now has two wins ahead of Portland (10-6) and Memphis. The Grizzlies did not play on Saturday but had confirmation that they would have to do without Ja Morant for several games, injured in his ankle the day before against “OKC”.
In Atlanta, the Hawks (10-6) indeed overcame Toronto in overtime (124-122), while the Magic almost surprised the Pacers (113-114). Indiana is 5th (9-6) while Orlando remains stuck in 13th position (5-12).
There was no photo, on the other hand, in LA, where the Clippers largely dominated the Spurs (119-97), with in particular 26 points from the back Norman Powell, his third best total of the season.
Thanks to this 10th success (for 7 losses), the teammates of Kahwi Leonard, who scored 11 points (1 rebound, 4 assists), remain in the rhythm of the leading pack of the Western Conference.
Source: AFP
Boston takes off again. Authors of 20 three-point baskets in Louisiana, the Celtics quickly took off against the Pelicans (40-25 at the end of the first quarter). In the final period, New Orleans certainly came back from -13 to -6, but Jaylen Brown’s teammates (27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists) have mastered their subject. “We sometimes take the…