The Brooklyn Nets confirm their strong form without Kyrie Irving and win impressively at the Clippers. Jayson Tatum and Joel Embiid each hit 40 points as LaMelo Ball makes a comeback for the Charlotte Hornets.
L.A. Clippers (7-6) – Brooklyn Nets (6-7) 95:110 (BOXSCORE)
- Well, who has the best defense of the past two weeks? Of course, the Brooklyn Nets! For the fifth year in a row, Brooklyn kept their opponent under 100 points. That’s a good recipe when you know Kevin Durant, who may be the most talented scorer in NBA history, is in his ranks. For the 13th year in a row, KD scored 25 points or more. In LA it was 27 points (10/16 FG) and 6 boards.
- It’s been going since Kyrie Irving was suspended (balance: 4-1), also because Edmond Sumner, who is playing for it, is a real discovery. The guard, who was injured the entire pre-season, put enormous pressure on the ball again (3 steals, 1 block) and also threw in 11 points. The Clippers didn’t manage a field goal for six minutes in the third quarter, and in the final section the hosts again went almost five minutes without a point.
- Instead, Brooklyn put on a 15-0 run, in which Seth Curry hit two triples. The guard scored 14 of his 22 points (9/15 FG) in the fourth quarter, while the Clippers didn’t go far after the break (4/16). But Durant and especially Nic Claxton (13, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks) also cleaned up under the basket.
- The Clippers, on the other hand, couldn’t think of anything else. Paul George (17, 5/20) never found his rhythm, the same was true for Norman Powell (16, 6/14), who only padded out the stats a little in the garbage time. Ivica Zubac (16, 15 rebounds) was the closest to normal form, but he also lost 5 balls.
Washington Wizards (7-6) – Utah Jazz (10-4) 121:112 (BOXSCORE)
- It’s okay. In the first twelve games, the Wizards rarely took and hit the three-pointer, against Utah the Capitals had already set a new season record after three quarters (13). In the end it was 16 out of 36 attempts. Garant #1 was Corey Kispert, who continued to represent Bradley Beal (post-COVID backlog) in the starting five. Kispert not only scored 18 points, but also stayed out of the field perfectly (6/6 FG, 4/4 three, 2/2 FT).
- Utah led almost the entire first half, but then suddenly cooled down. Washington managed a 12-0 run before the break, followed by a 10-2 run to start the third quarter. Collin Sexton (17) and Lauri Markkanen (17, 8/14) defended themselves for the Jazz, but Washington continued to score consistently thanks to Kyle Kuzma (23) and Kristaps Porzingis.
- Jener Porzingis made the decision a good two minutes later with his fourth three-pointer of the evening, Utah raised the white flag at -12. A few turns earlier, the Latvian had torn the fans out of their seats with a powerful tip dunk. With 31 points and 10 rebounds, the unicorn scratched his season record (32).
- The performance of Talen Horton-Tucker (12), who confidently took his shots and also played 10 assists, was pleasing from a jazz point of view. Jordan Clarkson (18) hardly played a role after a strong first half.
