Golden State stop the Suns at 18 and are now first in the East. In Atlanta, Gallinari’s 18 points are not enough
They stop at Phoenix’s 18 streak wins: Golden State interrupts the streak of the Suns and regains first place in the East. Despite the 50 points for the James-Davis duo, i Lakers lose in the sprint the derby against Clippers. Brooklyn fold Minnesota with the decisive basket of Durant (30 points). Gallinari scores 18 points, but Atlanta falls to Philadelphia; Utah beats Boston despite the 37 points of Tatum. Miami pass a Indianapolis.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS-PHOENIX SUNS 118-96
Golden State gets rid of Phoenix: at the same time, it breaks Phoenix’s record-breaking 18-game streak and regains first place in the West. A success that came mainly thanks to the defense, as well as to 23 points by Steph Curry with 6/11 from the arc and 19 points apiece by Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II. On the other hand, Juan Toscano-Anderson scored 17 points, who signed the symbolic play of the match with a super dunk on McGee’s head. The Suns, on the other hand, do not go beyond the 23 points of Deandre Ayton (with 7/16 shooting) and 12 with 8 assists of an opaque Chris Paul, who also arrived a little tired at the umpteenth game of a first month and half on the verge of perfection for the Suns.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS-LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS 115-119
To decide the Los Angeles derby, in a tight final, are the errors of the Lakers and above all the precision of Luke Kennard, author of two decisive three-pointers in the last 72 seconds of the game, followed by that of Marcus Morris 7.6 seconds from the end to permanently close the accounts. Kennard (17 of his 19 points in the second half alone) and Morris (21 with 6/9 of three) are the two top scorers of the Clippers, along with Paul George’s 19 with 8 rebounds and 9 assists and 16 with 8 assists. Reggie Jackson. Sixth place alone in the West for the Clippers and interrupted the three-game losing streak. Nothing to do for the Lakers, who don’t need Anthony Davis ’27 points with 10 rebounds, LeBron James’ 23 + 11 in the first game after the false positivity at Covid-19.
BROOKLYN NETS-MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES 110-105
Brooklyn is confirmed as the best team in the Eastern Conference after beating Minnesota thanks to the jumper scored 11 seconds from the siren by Kevin Durant, lethal even from the line (12/13 with the clock stopped): 30 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists for the “player of the month”, in addition to the 23 made by Patty Mills (4/9 from the arc). James Harden plays a double-triple-like game, shooting less than usual (4/11 at the final siren, with no targets from the perimeter) and collecting 20 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds with 15 trips to the line. Sixth win in their last seven games for the Nets. The Timberwolves are not enough with D’Angelo Russell’s 21 points and 11 assists and 19 each by Reid and Edwards.
ATLANTA HAWKS-PHILADELPHIA 76ERS 96-98
Joel Embiid scores the decisive jumper with 42 seconds left and gives Philadelphia the first and decisive advantage of the second half in the match that allows the Sixers to mock Atlanta, which collapses in the last 9 minutes. Guests clinging to the 28 points and 12 rebounds of Embiid, who leads a quintet all in double figures (18 points Seth Curry, 13 Georges Niang). For the Hawks, Trae Young broke his streak of five games of 30 points and 10 assists, scoring “only” 25 with a modest 8/22 from the field. On the contrary, Danilo Gallinari is the author of his best performance in terms of scoring this season: 18 points in 28 minutes off the bench with 5/12 from the field, a couple of triples to target, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. With him on the parquet, +11 plus / minus. In the final he misses the potential victory basket from the arc.
UTAH JAZZ-BOSTON CELTICS 137-130
Utah clings to Donovan Mitchell’s three consecutive baskets to definitely put his head ahead in the final match against Boston. The leader of the Jazz closes with 34 points and 6 assists, signing the decisive plays of the race to rise to +7 less than two minutes from the end. Together with him are Mike Conley’s 29 points with 7 assists and Rudy Gobert’s 18 + 12. The Celtics are not enough with the 37 points of an excellent Jayson Tatum (also 6 rebounds and 5 assists, despite shooting 2/11 from three), the 26 of Dennis Schröder and the 21 with 6 rebounds and 9 assists of Al Horford, to which are added i 15 by Marcus Smart. The green-and-whites pay dearly for the great evening shooting by their opponents, capable of achieving their season maximum both in the first quarter (38 points) and in the third (41).
INDIANA PACERS-MIAMI HEAT 104-113
Miami interrupts its negative streak: it wins in Indianapolis and offers important answers, both from the point of view of individuals and of the collective. Back from two defeats and without four key players (including Butler and Adebayo), the Heat rely on Kyle Lowry and above all on the three-point shot (16/34 team from the arc) to beat the Pacers and recover the I walk the playoffs, in a final in which Miami also touches the 20 margin lengths. At the final siren there are 26 points for the former Raptors and 24 those made by Tyler Herro; instead, the 27 of an inspired Caris LeVert are not enough for the Pacers. Indiana is thus forced to suffer the fourth consecutive defeat.
WASHINGTON WIZARDS-CLEVELAND CAVALIERS 101-116
Cleveland achieves its fourth consecutive success: Evan Mobley is the real needle of the balance and determining factor for the Ohio franchise (even when he scores only 6 points with 3/12 shooting). The protagonist of the Cavaliers is Darius Garland, author of 32 points with 11/17 shooting, 5/6 from the bow, 8 rebounds and 10 assists. The contribution of Jarrett Allen was also decisive, as always effective with his 13/17 shooting for 28 points and 13 rebounds, while 15 were made by Lauri Markkanen who also added four heavy long-distance baskets. Washington does not go beyond Bradley Beal’s 14 points and Kyle Kuzma’s 12 points.
HOUSTON ROCKETS-ORLANDO MAGIC 118-116
Eric Gordon (24 points) signs the decisive basket 1.6 seconds from the siren and thus gives Houston the fifth consecutive victory, useful for leaving behind the 15 knockouts in a row. For the Rockets there are also 20 points and 14 rebounds by Christian Wood, 16 by Garrison Mathews and 15 with 7 rebounds by Jae’Sean Tate. In Orlando, however, it is not enough to send the whole quintet in double figures, led by Cole Anthony’s 26 points and 7 assists and Terrence Ross’s 18 off the bench.
DALLAS MAVERICKS-NEW ORLEANS PELICANS 91-107
Brandon Ingram leads New Orleans in the ransom victory, 48 hours after the 32-point defeat against Dallas; he scored 24 points and raised his career maximum for assists (12). Too bad to be true the Mavericks seen in the second half, which grant 63 points to the opponents and do not go beyond the 21 made by Luka Doncic, who adds 10 rebounds, but shoots 7/20 and loses 7 heavy balls, which feed the decisive set Pelicans in the shot.
