Basketball: Miraculous victory for Clint Capela’s Hawks on the buzzer

The Hawks are smiling again. On the night of Sunday to Monday, they won 123-122 after overtime against the Bulls after a game with twists and turns. Thanks to a basket from young AJ Griffin at the last second, Atlanta ended a three-game losing streak. Clint Capela once again delivered the goods, with his 8th double double in a row.

Nate McMillan’s men were very hot. Carried by Bogdan Bogdanovic – 28 points – they nevertheless led by 7 lengths at the start of the 4th quarter. But the Bulls managed to come back to snatch the extension. During this one, DeMar DeRozan, 34 points, believed to have given the victory to the Bulls by registering three free throws with less than a second of the term. But Griffin decided otherwise on the buzzer.

Capela once again stood out, scoring 15 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. This is the 8th consecutive double double from the Geneva pivot, his 16th of the year. In the standings, Atlanta ranks 6th in the Eastern Conference, with a record of 14 wins against 13 losses.

In other games, Joel Embiid produced a spectacular performance, scoring 53 points, to allow the Philadelphia Sixers to dominate the Charlotte Hornets (131-113), while the New Orleans Pelicans again beat the Suns ( 129-124), after extra time.

Embiid became the first NBA player this season to score 50+ points in multiple games. The 28-year-old Cameroonian scored 53 points, shooting 20 of 32, including 2 of 3 three-pointers, and scored all of his 11 free throws, while grabbing 12 rebounds.

He becomes the third player in Sixers history to score 50 or more points over multiple games in a season, joining Allen Iverson and Wilt Chamberlain. “It was incredible to watch,” reacted his teammate Montrezl Harrell (9 pts, 4 assists, 3 rebounds). “He is a skillful player. He does so much for our team offensively and defensively as well.” “The fact that he plays dominantly on both sides of the court shows what a great player he is,” he added. The Sixers remain fifth in the East (14 wins, 12 losses), while Charlotte sinks to 14th place (7-20).

After scoring 35 points in Friday’s Pelicans win over the Suns, Zion Williamson replicated that performance to lead New Orleans to their seventh straight triumph. The strong winger also took 8 rebounds and provided 3 assists. Rare thing for him, he even cracked two 3-point shots.

CJ McCollum added 29 points for the Pelicans, who cement their lead in the Western Conference with an 18-8 record.

For the Suns, who were deprived of Devin Booker (hamstrings), it’s a fourth straight loss, even if they remain fourth in the West (16-11). Chris Paul (6 pts, 11 assists) equalized with four seconds remaining to snatch overtime, but the Pelicans, defeated by the Suns in the first round of the playoffs last season, this time took the lead.

The Lakers of LeBron James have meanwhile tasted victory again, after three consecutive defeats. The Los Angeles franchise, which still trails in the standings with an 11-15 record, won away to the Detroit Pistons (124-117), thanks to 35 points from LeBron James and a double-double d ‘Anthony Davis (34 pts, 15 rebounds).

The New York Knicks have chained a fourth consecutive victory, disposing of the Sacramento Kings (112-99). Julius Randle and RJ Barrett both scored 27 points.

Germany’s Franz Wagner scored 23 points and 2022 NBA Draft No. 1 pick Italian-American Paolo Banchero added 20 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Orlando Magic to a home success (111-99) against the Toronto Raptors.

Finally, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Bucks (16 pts, 18 rebounds), second in the Eastern Conference (19-7), were surprised by the Houston Rockets (97-92), last in the West (8-18) . Jalen Green scored 30 points.