The game: Trae Young and the Hawks sink the Mavericks
The playoffs are slipping away for Dallas. The Mavericks are not yet eliminated but they conceded another defeat last night, this time against the Hawks (130-132). A setback decided on a bit of bad luck at the very end of overtime, when Trae Young stepped on Josh Green’s foot before falling on Kyrie Irving. The referees gave two free throws to the Atlanta All-Star point guard, who finished his opponents 1.8 seconds from the final buzzer.
Luka Doncic missed his last attempt. He finished with 22 points while Irving planted 41. The boxes of the two stars do not change anything for the Texas franchise, which has a string of poor performances. It remains on three straight losses and occupies eleventh place in the Western Conference. She won only 4 of the 15 matches played together by Doncic and Irving…
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The player: Anthony Davis plants 40 points, the Lakers come back
The fear of Anthony Davis, injured during the match played on Saturday evening, was forgotten the next day. The All-Star inside held up well against Houston and he dominated in the key. His 40 points and 9 rebounds led the Lakers to victory against the Rockets (134-109). A sixth success in the last seven games for the Angelenos, who moved up to seventh in the Western Conference. LeBron James compiled a triple-double (18 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists).
Things are still much better for the Lakers, especially because Davis is playing at a stratospheric level. The team is more balanced since the changes made around the deadline and it could play spoilsports in the playoffs.
The performance: The Knicks validate their ticket for the playoffs
The great season of the Knicks materializes with a qualification for the playoffs which is now assured following the victory of the New Yorkers against Washington (118-109). Jalen Brunson and Quentin Grimes led the team with 27 points each while Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley also passed the 20 point mark. The Knicks picked up their 46th win of the season. They are fifth in the East and are expected to face the Cavaliers in the first round.
The duel: Antetokounmpo and the Bucks take over Embiid and the Sixers
Giannis Antetokounmpo is still in the running for MVP and he scored points dominating his duel with Joel Embiid last night. The Bucks, first in the East, won the clash of the evening against the Sixers, third (117-104). Antetokounmpo therefore marked the meeting with his mark by compiling 33 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists. Embiid finished with 28 points on 11 of 25 shooting.
The Bucks, corrected by the Celtics in their last outing, reacted well by getting the better of the Sixers. They were not led once in the score and all their executives answered present.
The comeback: The Bulls erase a 23-point deficit to beat the Grizzlies
Chicago is on a mission to save its season by snatching the playoffs via the play-in. So out of the question to give up, even being led by 23 points at halftime of the match against Memphis. DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine led their team with 31 and 36 points respectively. The Bulls revolted on returning from the locker room by winning the third quarter 40 to 16, notably passing a 17-0 to Ja Morant (17 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) and his partners. They won 128 to 107 by completely dominating the second period.
The rookie: Shaedon Sharpe takes off
Launched in the five major Blazers, a franchise that no longer plays anything this season and lets its young people express themselves, Shaedon Sharpe makes a strong impression every night. The seventh pick of the last draft has scored 24 or more points in 6 of the last 7 games. Including 27 units to lead his team to victory against the Timberwolves last night.
The action: Murray blocks Thompson and secures a great victory for the Nuggets
Often highly dependent on Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets have shown they can beat a rated team without him too. Denver took over Golden State (112-110) thus winning in extremis on a final against Jamal Murray, who secured the victory by blocking Klay Thompson’s attempt. The point guard also finished with 26 points.
At state: 20
Like the number of assists distributed by Fred VanVleet during the Raptors’ victory against the Hornets (128-108). A new personal passing record, of course, but also the best performance in the history of the Canadian franchise in a game. He also holds the record for most points scored in a game by a Raptors player. Not drafted, the leader continues to write his legend under the tunic of Toronto. VanVleet and his teammates secured their spot in the play-in by defeating Charlotte on Sunday.
The French: Theo Maledon, vending machine
If he did not do as well as the 20 caviars of his vis-à-vis Fred VanVleet, Theo Maledon still offered 14 assists last night. He even added 8 points and 8 rebounds. On the other hand, he was sorely lacking in skill (4 out of 16 on shots). Rudy Gobert finished with a double-double (10 points, 15 rebounds) but the Timberwolves lost to the modest Blazers. Not used since February 14, Evan Fournier played 7 minutes with the Knicks, without scoring a single point. Nice evening for Killian Hayes despite the defeat of the Pistons: the French leader finished with 20 points and 7 assists.
All scores
Hornets – Raptors : 108-128
Nets – Jazz : 111-108
Bulls – Grizzlies : 128-107
Timberwolves – Trail Blazers : 105-107
Hawks – Mavericks : 132-130
Knicks – Wizards : 118-109
Magic – Pistons : 128-102
Kings – Spurs : 134-142
Rockets – Lakers : 109-134
Thunder – Lakers : 118-128
Cavaliers – Pacers : 115-105
Bucks – Sixers : 117-104
Nuggets – Warriors : 112-110
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