The Lakers pavilion was inaugurated as Crypto.com Arena and the Angelina star super a Christmas record of Kobe Bryant
At the inauguration of the new name of his court, the Crypto.com Arena. The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a frustrating 122-115 loss to a casualty-plagued Brooklyn Nets on NBA holiday season, in which Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Bucks beat a decimated Celtics.
Dozens of players, including some superstars like Kevin Durant (Nets) Fr. Luka Doncic (Mavericks), they missed the traditional day due to the coronavirus this year, but the figures who jumped onto the field starred in spectacular performances.
In Los Angeles, James Harden, fresh out of his quarantine, commanded with a triple-double of 36 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists the Nets’ victory over the Lakers of LeBron James, who achieved 39 points. ‘King James’ had to settle for establishing himself as the top scorer in history in Christmas games, surpassing the 395 points accumulated by the deceased Kobe Bryant.
For the first time since opening 22 years ago, the Lakers court changed its name from Staples Center to Crypto.com Arena. LeBron James achieved the first basket on the court under the new name but his Lakers disappointed again, conceding the fifth consecutive defeat, with which they fell to eighth place in the Western Conference (16-18).
The Los Angeles defense was unable to stop Harden and the Australian Patty Mills, which spread fear from long distance with 34 points and eight triples, a record also for a Christmas day.
The technician Steve Nash handed the offense to these two players in the face of numerous coronavirus casualties, including Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, which caused the Nets’ three previous games to be suspended. The Lakers got to be losing by 23 points and they heard some boos from the public but a partial of 22-3 pushed them until the tie with 115 with 45 seconds of the end.
Harden sharpened Los Angeles hopes by assisting Nic Claxton for a spectacular ‘alley oop’ on LeBron and, following a failure on a dunk of Russell Westbrook, the ‘Beard’ sentenced the game with two free throws.
Antetokounmpo returns with recital
In Milwaukee, the Greek Giannis Antetokounmpo He led the Bucks’ 117-113 victory against the Boston Celtics who, with the minimum allowed of eight players, dominated the game until the last half minute against the reigning champions.
After 10 days of inactivity due to the virus, Antetokounmpo crushed the Celtics with 36 points, 17 of them in the third quarter, in addition to 12 rebounds and 5 assists. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, both with 25 points, kept the Celtics at the top of the game until Milwaukee turned around in a fiery finish.
“I feel good,” Antetokounmpo declared afterward. “I was excited to be back, to be around my teammates and the fans, and excited to play.”
Warriors steal lead from Suns
From the hand of the stellar Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors claimed themselves as the best team in the NBA by beating the Phoenix Suns 116-107 at home.
The Warriors, who outscored the Suns at the top of the West, sealed the victory with a fierce defense in the fourth quarter that left their rival scoreless in the final three minutes.
Curry, big favorite for the MVP award, had 33 points with 5 triples and 6 assists while Suns offensive figure, Devin Booker, had an unfortunate night with 13 points (5/19).
In New York, Kemba Walker signed the first triple-double of a Knicks player on Christmas day in the resounding 101-87 victory against the Atlanta Hawks without the star Trae Young, also separated by covid-19.
Walker, a four-time All Star, had 10 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists, his first triple-double since 2014 and the seventh by any NBA player on Christmas Day.
The fans said goodbye to Kemba Walker, who continues his story of redemption after the coach Tom Thibodeau put him out of the rotation for nine games because of poor team performance.
In the last game, the Utah Jazz defeated the Dallas Mavericks 120-116 with 33 points from Donovan Mitchell. Kristaps Porzingis signed 27 for some Mavericks without Luka Doncic, quarantined for covid-19. The Christmas day, one of the most followed by the audience of the entire season, was marked this year by the wave of coronavirus that has affected more than a hundred players this month alone.
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