The results of the night in the NBA
Pelicans @ Wizards : 132-112
Bulls @ Celtics : 99-107
Bucks @ Knicks : 111-107
Spurs @ Grizzlies : 113-121
Lakers @ Nuggets : 109-122
Magic @ Kings : 111-136
Wembanyama Race: where are we at mid-season?
– Denver and Memphis continue to struggle top of the Western Conference. The Nuggets and Grizzlies both won tonight and remain co-leaders, with the impression that their form and momentum are here to stay.
The Nuggets took advantage of LeBron James’ absence to dominate the Lakers and end their 5-game winning streak. Jamal Murray (34 pts) feasted in attack with his best performance since his return from injury. Nikola Jokic, he landed a neat triple-double (14 pts, 16 wt, 11 rebounds), his 11th of the season. He is the leader of this ranking in the NBA, without much surprise, closely followed by Luka Doncic.
Ah, and he became the first player in the NBA to leave a game with at least 10 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists without missing a single basket (5/5)…
34 PTS (season-high)
7 REB
4 AST
5 ThreesBig performance by Jamal Murray in the Nuggets win ???? pic.twitter.com/9DI0aK386R
— NBA (@NBA) January 10, 2023
The Grizzlies, for their part, won a 7th straight victory by winning at home against San Antonio. Despite the second consecutive absence of Ja Morant and the fighting side of Spurs, Memphis provided the essentials. Tyus Jones was again perfect (24 pts, 6 wt at 11/19) to take over from Morant. The leader fought a long-distance duel with his brother, Tre, who was the sharpest San Antonio player (18 pts, 6 wt). Good publicity for the Jones family.
– Behind the Denver-Memphis tandem, New Orleans is doing everything not to be left behind. The Pelicans went to win at the Wizards, though they were once again pretty damn feathered. The return of CJ McCollum still did good, with the former Blazer slamming 34 points, while Jonas Valančiūnas posed a double-double (27 pts, 12 rbds) of families. NOLA remained on four defeats in five matches and is still impatiently awaiting the day when Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram can be aligned again.
It’s the third straight loss for Washington, which slips to 12th in the East.
– Boston has officially played half of its NBA games this season. The Celtics finished this first piece with the best record in the NBA (29-12) and a victory at home against Chicago. Certainly, Jayson Tatum still did most of the work in attack (32 pts), but that’s good Al Horford who closed the deal with 24 seconds remaining by putting the Bulls out of reach with a 3-point basket. Grant Williams (20 pts) and Jaylen Brown (19 pts) brought their share, in a game where Joe Mazzulla will be delighted that his proteges have kept their opponents under 100 points.
– The Kings offered a small fireworks display to their fans last night when Orlando came. The “Beam Team” broke its franchise record for most 3-pointers in an NBA game (23) to dominate the Magic. Domantas Sabonis (12 pts, 10 rebounds, 8 wt) signed a 17th consecutive double-double and Harrison Barnes (30 pts) had his best offensive performance of the season.
Sacramento remains 5th and, given the difficulties of their pursuers, would be wrong not to believe in a place in the top 6 and a return to the playoffs at the end of the season.
– The career high (44 points) of Jalen Brunson didn’t stop the Knicks from losing to the Bucks at the Garden. New York however counted up to 17 points in advance, but Milwaukee woke up at the end of the 3rd quarter, with an address much more worthy of its status.
The Bucks started hitting the mark in the wake of Giannis Antetokounmpo (22 points, 10 rebounds), Joe Ingles (17 pts, his best performance of the season), Brook Lopez (17) and Jrue Holiday.
The Knicks remained on four straight wins and, even if they have nothing to be ashamed of against this opponent, may regret not having hit the nail on the head.
Evan Fournier played 15 minutes off the bench for 3 points, 2 assists and 1 rebound.
