Resistance fighters: Charlotte Hornets
Covid, which Covid? The absence of four players placed in isolation, including their star LaMelo Ball and their third leading scorer Terry Rozier, did not prevent the Charlotte Hornets from winning in Atlanta on Sunday night (130-127). Miles Bridges (31 pts including 4/6 to 3 pts) and Kelly Oubre Jr (28 pts, 6/10 behind the arc) leapt into the breach to stop the bad series of three defeats of the Hornets.
Both teams kept pulling out award-winning shots: 17/37 each, but the Hornets were the most effective in the fourth quarter, including Bridges who scored 13 100% shooting points in the money-time. “It’s a match that sends a message, to tell people that we are there”, launched the latter.
Trae Young signed 25 points and 15 assists for the Hawks, but he was more imprecise in his shots at 2 points (5/12) than 3 points (4/10). John Collins had 31 points and 12 rebounds. In the Atlanta major five for the fourth time in a row, Frenchie Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot had the longest playing time of his team (39 minutes), recording 12 points (5/10 shooting including 2/5 behind arc), 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks. Charlotte climbs to 6th place in the Eastern Conference.
The Renaissance: Houston Rockets
Two weeks ago, the Houston Rockets were the laughing stock of the NBA after fifteen straight losses, seventeen in total of their first eighteen outings. And then the rocket took off, a little by surprise. Sunday, the Texans lined up a sixth straight victory against the New Orleans Pelicans (118-108). Participation in the play-offs even becomes possible. Brandon Ingram however split 40 points for the New Orleans team, still deprived of the Zion Williamson phenomenon (foot). But the Rockets took the top by their collective, guided by Christian Wood and Eric Gordon (23 pts each) with six other players at 9 points or more.
La promenade : Toronto Raptors
A surprise team at the start of the season, the Washington Wizards have become much more ordinary in recent weeks. Sunday, the team of the federal capital did not exist in Toronto (118-108), despite the effectiveness of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (26 pts, 8/9 shooting including 4/4 at 3 pts). The Raptors have always been more than ten points ahead from the end of the first quarter. Pascal Siakam (31 pts, 6 rebounds) gave the “la” to the Canadian team, which remains in the race for the play-offs. The French Joël Ayayi, assigned to the G-League in recent weeks, made a short stint on the floor for the Wizards (4 minutes for 1 defensive rebound), his first minutes in the NBA since November 19.
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