Little of Garuba and nothing of Willy Hernangómez in the Spanish duel

There was no duel between the Eurobasket champions from last summer. Usman Garuba and Willy Hernangómez they should have faced each other Pelicans win over Rockets (107-117)but the second did not jump onto the court for the third consecutive game and has played only 6:27 minutes in the last four while the first barely had a presence: one point with 0/1 shooting from the field and five rebounds in the 11 minutes who remained on the field.

The result ends the Rockets’ three-game winning streak, the best they had achieved throughout this season., and maintains the play-in options for the Pelicans, who in a distant day came to lead the Western Conference. Injuries, especially that of Zion Williamson, who will not play again this season, have punished them and they have been losing steam. From giving war to fighting to be among the top 10.

Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum, with 26 points each, and Jonas Valanciunas, with 21+11, were the local stilettos, who came to have a 20-point advantage at halftime (64-44). The Rockets would cut taking advantage of his great success from the free throw line, making 36/38. The best in the ranks of Houston was Jalen Green, who scored 40 points, while Kevin Porter Jr. reached 25.

Blazers 102-117 Clippers

Paul George (29 points and nine rebounds) he led the Clippers, who have won five of their last six games. Russell Westbrook had a good performance and was close to a triple-double with nine points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. After his signing, the team lost its first five games, but now it seems to pick up pace again. Kawhi Leonard, who had missed the last game, scored 24 points. For the Blazers, in free fall after their sixth consecutive loss, Jusuf Nurkic was the best (23 points and 11 rebounds). Damian Lillard had 21 points with a bad 1/8 on three-pointers.

Spurs 126-118 Hawks

The Hawks led by 24 points shortly after the break (61-85) but allowed the Spurs to come back led by Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell, with 29 points each. It was the San Antonio’s biggest second-half comeback with Gregg Popovich on the bench and tied for the second-most in his 27 seasons as head coach. The local fans changed the whistles for the ovations. Trae Young had a bad day finishing with nine points and 4/15 shooting. Those from Atlanta got 83 points in the first half and only 35 in the second.

Pistons 100-112 Heat

With a resounding 19-38 run in the final quarter, the Heat avoided a resounding setback on their visit to Detroit. Jimmy Butler was the leader of those from Miami with 26 points and 10 assists. In the depressed Pistons, James Wiseman stood out with 22 points and 13 rebounds. They have won only one of the last 15 meetings.