Surprise of the night: Utah falls in Detroit
Deprived of Rudy Gobert for four matches, Utah conceded a third consecutive defeat on Monday night in Detroit (116-126). Penultimate in the Eastern Conference, the Pistons made a nice comeback after being led by 21 points in the second quarter (29-50, 18th). Rookie Cade Cunningham signed the best game of his young career (29 points, 8 assists), well supported by Cory Joseph (16 points) and Saddiq Bey (29).
Donovan Mitchell’s 31 points weren’t enough for Utah, who saw Memphis fall to third place in the Western Conference. Holder in Detroit, French leader Killian Hayes finished with five points and three assists.
Action of the night: Jayson Tatum saves Boston
Torrey Craig is unvarnished. A very good defender, the Indiana winger saw DeMar DeRozan deliver the victory to Chicago with an incredible shot against him on December 31. Monday night, Jayson Tatum planted another decisive basket against Craig. After a dribble, the Boston winger (24 points) got up to equalize at 1”9 from the buzzer and send the game into overtime. Five additional minutes that smiled in Boston (101-98, ap) thanks to the activity of the pivot Robert Williams (14 points, 12 rebounds, 4 interceptions, 3 blocks).
The series: Embiid in the footsteps of Iverson and Chamberlain
Traveling to Houston with Philadelphia, Joel Embiid did not give the Rockets any hope. With 31 points, the Cameroonian pivot led the Sixers to a quiet victory (111-91). Embiid even took the opportunity to sign his seventh consecutive game over 30 points. He is the third “Philly” player to achieve this performance behind Wilt Chamberlain and Allen Iverson, two legends of the franchise. The duo stopped at eight matches in a row, a record that Embiid could erase in the coming days.
Julius Randle booed by his fans
In the NBA, time flies faster in New York than in other franchises. Eight months after receiving a standing ovation from Madison Square Garden with chants of “MVP, MVP!” Julius Randle faced a much more hostile crowd on Monday night. The Knicks have yet won against San Antonio (111-96), thanks to 31 points from RJ Barrett and 18 from Evan Fournier. Randle missed his game (2 points, 12 rebounds).
Booed when he committed a loss of ball, he suffered chants in honor of his replacement (Obi Toppin). The relationship between the strong-winger and the New York public has deteriorated over the past week. Facing Boston (108-105), Randle had pointed his thumb down in response to initial boos, then explained at a press conference that he was asking the fans ” to close it “. The NBA had fined him $ 25,000, and despite his apologies, some Knicks fans were eagerly awaiting the strong-winger.
The unfinished comeback: Sacramento
In Ohio, Cleveland supporters had a much more stressful evening than expected (109-108). With 2’20 ” to play, their team had yet made the gap in Sacramento (109-102, 46th). But the Cavs’ attack stalled and the Kings launched a crazy comeback. After two free throws from De’Aaron Fox, the Californians even caused a loss of ball from Evan Mobley (17 points) to afford the ball to win. But the same Fox’s mid-range shot didn’t find its way to the circle. Much to the relief of the Cavaliers, still sixth in the East.
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