The shock of the evening, between Phoenix and Boston, the leaders of each conference, gave birth to a mouse. The Celtics were too strong, even with the return of Chris Paul, and crushed Devin Booker and his gang. This setback for the Suns suits the Pelicans and the Grizzlies. Zion Williamson (29 points and 10 rebounds) dominated the Pistons of Killian Hayes (17 points and 12 assists) and New Orleans thus took the lead in the Western Conference. Ja Morant, author of a triple-double (26 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists), and the Grizzlies beat the Thunder.
Despite many absentees (Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, Lauri Markkanen, Mike Conley Jr…), the Jazz and the Warriors put on a superb show. It was Utah who had the last laugh thanks to errors from the defending champions in the final seconds. The Lakers also had notable absentees (LeBron James and Anthony Davis) and did not resist Toronto. Nicolas Batum’s Clippers (16 points) lost in Orlando. Paolo Banchero was decisive in overtime with 10 points scored and the Floridians thus broke their black series of nine straight defeats.
Good evening for the New York teams. The Knicks of a very good Julius Randle (34 points, 17 rebounds and 5 assists) dismissed the disappointing Hawks, who lost Dejounte Murray in the first quarter, hit in the ankle. The Nets managed to beat the Hornets in the final moments, with 33 points from Kyrie Irving and 29 from Kevin Durant. Important victory for the Bulls against the Wizards and authoritative success for the Bucks against the Kings. Finally, Rudy Gobert’s Wolves (16 points, 20 rebounds) inflicted a fourth defeat in five games on the Pacers, who are in the hard.
- Orlando – LA Clippers: 116-111 (after overtime)
- New York – Atlanta: 113-89
- Brooklyn – Charlotte : 122-116
- Toronto – LA Lakers : 126-113
- Chicago – Washington : 115-111
- Memphis – Oklahoma City : 123-102
- Milwaukee – Sacramento : 126-113
- Minnesota – Indiana: 121-115
- New Orleans – Detroit : 104-98
- Utah – Golden State : 124-123
- Phoenix – Boston : 98-125