Denver falls high, Milwaukee ruins LeBron’s party

Aurélie Sacchelli, Media365, published on Friday February 10, 2023 at 08:03

The leader of the Western Conference, Denver, fell from a height losing to one of the worst teams in the League, Orlando. In Los Angeles, LeBron James was again honored for his record, but didn’t play and the Lakers lost to Milwaukee.

After the transfers of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, no superstar changed teams during the last day allowed for transfers this Thursday in the NBA, and only four games were scheduled for the evening. Starting with the displacement of the leader of the West, Denver, in the penultimate of the East, Orlando. And the Nuggets lost 115-104 in Florida! Despite an Aaron Gordon on fire on his old floor (37pts, season record) and a Nikola Jokic with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists, the Colorado franchise lost the thread of its match, after leading by twelve points in the first quarter. The Magic took the lead from the second quarter and were up to 19 points ahead in the last, to win without trembling. Wendell Carter Jr finishes with 19 points and Cole Anthony and Bol Bol with 17. Orlando, who sent Mo Bamba to the Lakers in exchange for Patrick Beverley, is back to three wins from the play-in. Impossible mission ?

Milwaukee too strong for the Lakers

One of the posters of the evening opposed the Lakers to Milwaukee, and two days after breaking the record for points scored in the regular season, LeBron James did not play in order to rest his foot. But the star was treated to a new ceremony before the match, where he paid tribute to his mother, his wife and his three children, his “five major”. The match was then able to begin, and the Bucks came to win 106-115. While the Lakers led from the middle of the first to the middle of the third (+11 maximum) and the two teams were tied eight minutes from the end (94-94), Milwaukee finished very strong. Giannis Antetokounmpo contributed greatly to this success, with 38 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists, and Khris Middleton helped him a lot (22pts, 5rbds). Opposite, 25 points from Dennis Schroder and 23 points and 16 rebounds from Anthony Davis were not enough. The Lakers, who have turned their squad upside down in recent days (Mo Bamba, D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt have arrived, Russell Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones and Patrick Beverley have left), are only two play-in victories, but we won’t have to drag ourselves to come back up.

Dinwiddie with good memories of the Nets

Another game of the night saw Brooklyn win 116-105 against Chicago in a game where each team had its period and where Spencer Dinwiddie shone for his return to the Nets (25pts, 5rbds, 6pds), he who had been traded for Kyrie Irving. Zach LaVine’s 38 points weren’t enough for the Bulls. Finally, Atlanta beat Phoenix, who cannot yet count on Kevin Durant, injured in his knee, with the score of 116-107with 36 points and 12 assists from Trae Young.

NBA / REGULAR SEASON
Thursday, February 9, 2023
Orlando Magic – Denver Nuggets : 115-104
Atlanta Hawks – Phoenix Suns : 116-107
Brooklyn Nets – Chicago Bulls : 116-105
Los Angeles Lakers – Milwaukee Bucks : 106-115