The Dallas Mavericks have suffered an embarrassing bankruptcy against the worst team in the Western Conference to date. In the offensive fireworks two days earlier, Dallas apparently shot all its powder, nothing works in the second leg against the Pelicans. The Lakers lose in the comeback of LeBron James, Kevin Durant kills hard-fighting Timberwolves and Joel Embiid sinks the game winner.
Indiana Pacers (9-16) – Miami Heat (14-9) 104:113 (BOXSCORE)
- Even without the injured Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler, the Heat can win. After two bankruptcies in a row, Miami secured an ultimately safe victory in Indiana. Perhaps the best news for all Heat fans: Duncan Robinson is back!
- The sniper did justice to the Pacers after a disappointing season so far (31.8 percent from downtown) and most recently 0 and 3 counters of this designation. He finished the game with a personal season best of 24 points and brought 7/11 field throw attempts and 4/7 threes in the basket. The best man among the guests was Kyle Lowry.
- Thanks to the hot duo Lowry (11 in the first quarter) and Robinson (14), Miami set itself apart in double digits in the early stages. Indiana stayed within striking distance until the heat increased again towards the end of the third round and Lowry refined a 9-2 start in the final section with a three. The guests moved away to +18, it didn’t get exciting anymore, even if the end of the game was rather dragged on due to numerous discussions with the referees.
- Lowry led the heat with 26 points (6/13 threesomes) and 9 assists, Tyler Herro also contributed 18 points. Due to the tight staff situation, even veteran Udonis Haslem got 6 minutes of working time. Meanwhile, Caris LeVert’s 27 points or Myles Turner’s 20 points were not enough for the Pacers, while Domantas Sabonis came off the bench for the first time this season (13 and 16 rebounds). Ultimately, it was the three-way discrepancy (IND: 9/36, MIA: 16/34) that made the difference.
Washington Wizards (14-9) – Cleveland Cavaliers (13-10) 101:116 (BOXSCORE)
- The Cavs are on a run! For the second time this season Cleveland has collected four successes in a row and every single one of them is impressive: +13 against Orlando, +18 against the Mavs, +26 against Miami and now +15 against the third place in the Eastern Conference. Here, too, a strong duo made the decision.
- A three from Darius Garland and an alley-oop from Jarrett Allen fueled a 9-0 run at the end of the first half, then Garland contributed 6 points to another 10-0 run at the start of the second half. Cleveland gained a comfortable lead that grew to 36 points – the highest deficit for the Wizards ever this season.
- The strong Garland sniffed a triple-double, finished the game in 34 minutes with 32 points (11/17 FG and 5/6 threesomes), 10 assists, 8 rebounds but also 7 turnover. Allen contributed 28 and 13 rebounds, Lauri Markkanen (15) and Kevin Love (13 and 9 rebounds) also performed well.
- With the Wizards, on the other hand, not much came together. Deni Avdija was already the team’s top scorer with 16 points, Bradley Beal (14, 6/17 FG) or Kyle Kuzma (12, 4/10) had problems after a hot start. Washington stayed almost seven and a half minutes without their own counter, which makes it difficult to win in the NBA.
Atlanta Hawks (12-11) – Philadelphia 76ers (12-11) 96:98 (BOXSCORE)
- When the final buzzer sounded, Joel Embiid sprinted across the court, jumping up and down several times, letting his clenched fists fly through the air with joy. The reason: Philly achieved their second win against Atlanta with a strong comeback in the closing minutes after the bitter playoff-off in the preseason. And Embiid had a decisive hand in the game with the game winner.
- Philly got off to a good start, but in the second quarter there was little more offensively and Atlanta took over the command. However, the home side could not break away to more than 11 points and in the last round the luck turned again. The fourth quarter went to the Sixers at 20: 9, Atlanta only hit 3/20 from the field.
- Embiid did better. A good 40 seconds before the end he brought his colors to the front with a jumper, the final piece of the puzzle on a 7-0 run. Philly’s defense then forced a loss of the ball, but Atlanta got one last chance. Danilo Gallinari’s threesome with the buzzer was a bit too short, Embiid was finally allowed to celebrate.
- The center had 28 points and 12 rebounds and received support from Seth Curry (18) and Georges Niang (13), among others. On the other hand, Trae Young led his team with 25 points (8/22 FG) and 10 assists. One of them found John Collins (18) for his next poster dunk. Gallinari also scored 18 points, but his most important litter only landed on the ring.
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