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Boston Celtics down at Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz continue to fall

If there was nothing infamous in losing Sunday at the Denvers Nuggets (111-123), for what constituted a shock of very high table in the NBA, the result recorded by the Boston Celtics at the Oklahoma City Thunder is really task: a rout (117-150) against the current twelfth in the Western Conference (16v-21d), more inclined to train his players than to aim for victories. Worse: OKC’s best player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (30.8 points per game this season), sick, was not even on the field.

59,2 %

The Thunder scored 59.2% of their shots Tuesday against Boston (58 of 98) including a nice 20 of 40 (50%) three-pointers.

The evening turned into a nightmare from the second quarter, after the first twelve balanced minutes (34-33): a scathing 40-21 conceded (74-54.24th). “You have to play knowing that every night our opponents want to beat us, plagued Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla. We have to get to that level and we didn’t. We were outplayed in every aspect of the game.” The 10-0 conceded at the start of the third quarter (90-63) thus folded the meeting, logically left to the substitutes then (27 points in 30 minutes for Jayson Tatum). On the local side, the offensive festival allowed five players to exceed the bar of 20 points, including 25 for the Australian Josh Giddey, his personal best this season.

150

The 150 points scored by the Thunder is a new franchise record since moving to Oklahoma City. The previous record dated back to 2013 (149 units).

Boston’s setback could allow the Brooklyn Nets, traveling to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night, to return to the top of the Eastern Conference. Kevin Durant’s team remains on twelve consecutive successes and has only one victory less than the “C’s” (25 against 26).

Heartbreak for Lauri Markkanen, Utah beaten on the wire

Crazy end to the match on the floor of the Utah Jazz, where the Sacramento Kings snatched victory (117-115) on … video arbitration. A consultation made compulsory by the unexpected gesture of the Finnish strong winger of Jazz Lauri Markkanen who, on receiving a very long throw-in with 0”4 on the clock, managed to send an improbable shot at three points. String. The jubilation of the Vivint Arena, which then believed in a miracle, fell quickly: for a tenth of a second, Markkanen – who had equalized at 115-115 thanks to three free throws obtained -, had fired his shot too late and the leather was still at his fingertips.

As a result, the almost-hero of the evening turned into a leading spectator on the decisive action of the game: author of 37 points, De’Aaron Fox cracked the penetration of the win, in stride shots from Markkanen, in the nose and beard of the latter while Kelly Olynyk (5 points), a little too concerned about Domantas Sabonis (21 points to 8 of 13, 14 rebounds, 8 assists), missed his intervention in second curtain. The conclusion of a rather tight match, which the Californians had however generally dominated.

Beaten for the fifth time in as many games, the Jazz sinks to the depths of the Western Conference (19v-21d), with only two wins ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves (17v-21d, 11th). For the Kings, this 20th success of the season (the third in four matches) validates a good period, synonymous with 5th place in the West (20v-16d), not far from Dallas (22v-16d) and with a whole small margin ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers (21v-18d, 6th).

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