Thanks to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Oklahoma City Thunder won the top game at the Minnesota Timberwolves. Victor Wembanyama secures success for the San Antonio Spurs thanks to a double block.
Also: Dennis Schröder stays inconspicuous at Madison Square Garden.
Detroit Pistons (4-38) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (29-13) 135:141 (BOXSCORE)
- The Bucks can thank Damian Lillard for preventing an embarrassment in Detroit. 45 points (12/22 FG, 16/16 FT) and 11 assists were recorded for the guard, who was also there in the final phase. With 2:30 minutes left, the Pistons had reduced the score to -3 thanks to Alec Burks, who was once again strong. On the other side, Lillard made two free throws and stole the ball from Jaden Ivey, the result was an And-1.
- In total, the guests took a total of 49 (!) free throws, which was only topped by the Suns this season (52 against the Warriors). “You can’t actually play defense when your opponent has 49 free throws,” Pistons coach Monty Williams said angrily. Giannis Antetokounmpo (31, 10/16 FG, 10 rebounds, 9 assists) took 22 attempts alone, but only 11 were possible.
- For Detroit, Burks (33, 7/14 3P) and Ausar Thompson (22, 10/15, 9 boards) were the best scorers, both coming off the bench. Brook Lopez also scored 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Bucks.
Washington Wizards (7-34) vs. San Antonio Spurs (8-34) 127:131 (BOXSCORE)
- Victor Wembanyama sat out in Charlotte, but the Frenchman was back in Washington and led the Texans to their fifth away win of the season. 24 points (10/21), 8 rebounds and 6 blocks were recorded for Wemby, who helped the Spurs overcome a 12-point deficit in the final five minutes.
- The center scored 7 points in the final 22:6 run, including the top pick tying the game with a three-pointer two minutes before the end blocked two shots in series before Jeremy Sochan (23 8/11) and Tre Jones (11, 12 assists) secured the victory from the free throw line. Devin Vassell contributed 21 points in the win.
- For Washington, Kyle Kuzma (11, 5/14, 12 rebounds) could no longer turn the tables in crunch time; the best scorer was Marvin Bagley III with 21 points and 12 rebounds.
Charlotte Hornets (9-31) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (28-13) 89:97 (BOXSCORE)
- The Sixers also clinched a must-win, but had an enormously difficult time in Charlotte and were even down -4 before the final period. After that, the guests only allowed 16 points, went on a 13-2 run with Joel Embiid (33, 11/23, 11 rebounds) on the bench and then played it down confidently. The Cameroonian extended his streak of 30-point games to 20.
- But it wasn’t all that great, the Sixers only hit 5 of their 25 threes, Charlotte was only marginally better (9/37). Tobias Harris (21, 7/15) played an important role in the run in the fourth quarter, while Tyrese Maxey contributed 16 points (7/22 FG, 1/9 3P) and 8 assists to the win. Charlotte had to do without LaMelo Ball (ankle), the top scorers were Miles Bridges (25) and No. 2 pick Brandon Miller (23).
Atlanta Hawks (18-24) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (25-15) 95:116 (BOXSCORE)
- Cleveland is extending the longest winning streak in the NBA; the Cavs have now won seven in a row, and are now in fourth place in the East. The victory in Atlanta was never in danger; the guests only allowed four points in the first six minutes, so the Cavs led by double digits for almost the entire game.
- Seven players scored in double figures, Donovan Mitchell (18, 6/17, 8 assists) and Sam Merrill (18, 5/14 3P) led their way, and Dean Wade (17) sank five of his six three-pointers. The Hawks had recently won three games in a row thanks to two game winners from Dejounte Murray. The guard was the best scorer this time with 23 points (10/19), while Trae Young (15) received an elbow from Isaac Okoro in the face just under nine minutes before the end got and never returned.
New York Knicks (26-17) vs. Toronto Raptors (16-27) 126:100 (BOXSCORE)
- Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett returned to New York to great cheers, but the Knicks didn’t hand out more gifts as they clinched a clear victory with a strong second half. The Knicks only led by +2 at the break, after which the hosts went on an 18:4 run in which Jalen Brunson (38, 13/23, 9 assists) scored 12 points.
- Julius Randle recorded his first triple-double of the season with 18 points (7/13), 16 rebounds and 10 assists, while Isaiah Hartenstein (1, 4 rebounds) played only 23 minutes with ankle problems and only attempted one shot. Backup Precious Achiuwa (18, 9/10, 11 rebounds) did more than well against his former team.
- Barrett (20, 8/15) was the best scorer for the Raptors, Quickley (12, 11 assists) posted a double-double. Dennis Schröder remained inconspicuous in almost 23 minutes, only 2 points (1/5) and 3 assists were noted in the box score for the Braunschweiger.
Minnesota Timberwolves (30-12) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (30-12) Oklahoma City Thunder (29-13) 97:102 (BOXSCORE)
- Top game in the far north and the Thunder grabbed a 2-1 lead in the season series against Minnesota. OKC held the hosts to just 14 points in the final quarter and took over with just over a minute left by a stepback three-pointer from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (33, 10/22) took the lead again, it was SGA’s only converted long-range throw of the game.
- With 3 seconds left, Anthony Edwards was fouled by Lu Dort on a three-pointer at -3, but the Antman showed nerves and missed the first two attempts, so he had to intentionally put the third one on the ring. But the rebound was with the Thunder, Jalen Williams (20, 6/18) eliminated the last doubts and OKC won this game even though they only shot 39.5 percent from the field.
- Minnesota, on the other hand, lost 21 turnovers, which the Thunder used to score 28 points. Karl-Anthony Towns (19, 10/10 FT, 11 rebounds) and Edwards (19, 6/10) were the best scorers, Rudy Gobert (7, 1/6, 18 rebounds) was at least a factor again on defense. Nothing worked for Mike Conley (3, 1/11 FG). Cheg Holmgren had 15 points for OKC.
Chicago Bulls (21-23) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (15-27) 125:96 (BOXSCORE)
- Chicago only had short-term problems with Memphis, but ultimately it was the bench that was significantly better and made the difference. Ayo Dosunmu (20, 7/10) and Andre Drummond (15, 10 rebounds, 4 steals) were the best players for Chicago that evening, while DeMar DeRozan contributed 18 points and 8 assists to the Bulls’ victory.
- Memphis actually took the lead in the third quarter thanks to a 15-3 run in the third quarter, but there wasn’t much left after that. Chicago scored 17 points in a row and the Bulls rained down threes. The Grizzlies no longer had any answers, the best scorer was Jaren Jackson Jr. (26, 8/18), and Luke Kennard (14) converted four of his seven three-pointers.
Houston Rockets (20-21) vs. Utah Jazz (22-22) 127:126 OT (BOXSCORE)
- Close affair in Houston in which Alperen Sengün almost became a tragic hero. The Turk recorded a career high with 37 points (15/26) and 14 rebounds, but showed nerves in overtime when he missed both free throws at +1 with 8 seconds left. Instead, Jordan Clarkson (33, 12/25, 12 rebounds) had the chance to win, but the guard missed from mid-range.
- For Houston, Amen Thompson was the match winner, The rookie spectacularly cleared Collin Sexton on the board before the Sengün free throws. Jazz coach Will Hardy still called it a miracle that Utah even made it to overtime. The Jazz gave up 23 offensive rebounds, committed 17 turnovers, but held Houston to under 43 percent from the field.
- In addition to Clarkson, Sexton (28) and Lauri Markkanen (22, 8/18, 9 rebounds) were the guests’ best scorers, while Sengün Jabari Smith Jr. (24, 10 rebounds) and rookie Cam Whitmore (17) were popular for Houston. Walker Kessler (7, 10 rebounds) blocked five shots for the Jazz.
2024-01-21 06:39:00
#NBA #Shai #GilgeousAlexander #decides #top #game #favor #OKC #Thunder
