Player: Stephen Curry (Golden State)
The Golden State Warriors, outgoing champions, beat the Cleveland Cavaliers (106-101), thus chaining a second success in a row, after managing to break a series of five defeats. Already author of 47 points, Monday against Sacramento, Stephen Curry was still sparkling, with 40 units on his counter. Above all, the Warriors star was impressive in the final quarter, scoring 15 points, including 10 in the final two minutes. Opposite, Donovan Mitchell did not go far from the triple-double, with 29 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. But he hurt his ankle at the very end of the match. After its victory, Golden State is 11th in the Western Conference.
The game: Boston dominates Denver
On one side, the Boston Celtics, who had won their last four games. On the other, the Denver Nuggets, who also remained on four straight wins. The two teams faced each other on Friday, and it was the Massachusetts franchise that continued its good run, winning clearly (131-112). Denver was just six points behind (97-91) entering the final quarter but went 34-21 in the final 12 minutes. Jayson Tatum scored 34 points, signing his seventh game of the season over 30 pts. Jaylen Brown scored 25 and Al Horford 21. For the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic scored 29 points. Building on its success, Boston is only one victory behind Milwaukee, leader of the Eastern Conference but beaten by San Antonio.
The series: the Lakers lose again
And five. By losing at home to the Sacramento Kings (120-114), the Los Angeles Lakers suffered a fifth consecutive defeat on Friday. Nearly a minute from the buzzer, the two teams were tied 114-114. De’Aaron Fox then returned two shots to allow the Kings to take the lead. And two free throws from Harrison Barnes validated the victory for Sacramento. Fox was the main contributor to his team’s success, with 32 points and 12 assists. In the ranks of the Lakers – still deprived of LeBron James, hit in an adductor – Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook have both “doubled”: 24 points and 14 rebounds for the first, 21 points and 11 assists for the second. Los Angeles is 14th and second to last in the Western Conference.
