The Dallas Mavericks celebrated their fifth win in a row thanks to a comeback in the final quarter. Klay Thompson is exploding for the Golden State Warriors, and Golden State is also climbing back up the table.
The Milwaukee Bucks clearly beat champion Denver in the top game and the Minnesota Timberwolves defend their place in the sun in the Western Conference in the summit meeting with the LA Clippers.
Here you can find the standings in the NBA.
Cleveland Cavaliers (35-17) – Philadelphia 76ers (32-21) 121:123 (BOXSCORE)
- Now the Cavs have been hit again. After nine wins in a row and only one defeat in the calendar year (an away defeat in Milwaukee), Cleveland lost to the Sixers without Joel Embiid. Buddy Hield scored 24 points (5/8 3P) for the guests and helped with two three-pointers as the Sixers took their first double-digit lead of the game with just over 90 seconds left.
- And yet the Sixers almost lost it. A three-pointer from Darius Garland (21, 9/16, 9 assists), an And-1 from Donovan Mitchell (36, 9/20 FG, 14/17 FT) and another three-pointer from Mitchell reduced the score to -1 with 14 seconds left . And even after that, the Cavs still had two chances. Paul Reed blocked a layup attempt by Mitchell for overtime, and Garland missed the three-pointer from the corner shortly afterwards to win.
- The Sixers survived, with Kelly Oubre Jr. also scoring 24 points (10/14), and Tyrese Maxey contributing 22 points (9/21) and 9 assists to the victory. Jarrett Allen (21, 10 rebounds) and Evan Mobley (14 and 10) each recorded double-doubles for the Cavs, but that wasn’t enough against the Sixers, who were still weakened by their replacements.
Charlotte Hornets (12-41) – Indiana Pacers (30-25) 111:102 (BOXSCORE)
- Unnecessary slip-up by the Pacers in the playoff race, who had to bow to Charlotte. The Hornets benefit from their four new additions at the deadline, especially from the two ex-Mavs players Grant Williams (21, 6/12) and Seth Curry (18, 7/11), who made the difference coming off the bench.
- A pullup from Brandon Miller (12) and a cracking dunk from Miles Bridges (20, 10 rebounds, 7 assists) over Myles Turner (22, 8/13) put the Hornets on the road to victory in the final phase. Tyrese Halliburton (13, 5/15, 12 assists) found no answer. The Pacers lost the game because of their bench (44:18 bench points in favor of the Hornets) and also shot very poorly from outside (8/30 3P). Aaron Nesmith scored 21 points for the Pacers.
Toronto Raptors (19-35) – San Antonio Spurs (11-43) 99:122 (BOXSCORE)
Victor Wembanyama made history in this game, becoming the first rookie since 1990 to achieve a triple-double with blocks. It was Block’s first triple-double in over three years. Click here for the detailed match report.
Atlanta Hawks (24-30) – Chicago Bulls (26-28) 126:136 (BOXSCORE)
- Chicago gained some breathing room in the race for the play-in spots and celebrated an important victory against a direct competitor. With their second win over Atlanta, the Bulls already have a direct comparison in their pocket. Ayo Dosunmu, who moved into the starting five for the injured Alex Caruso, was the man of the evening for the guests with 29 points (12/18 FG, 5/7 3P) and 7 assists, plus Coby White (20) with 10 In the final section the hosts keep the distance.
- A three-pointer from the guard put the score at +12 a little over two minutes before the end, which was the guests’ largest lead of the evening. The Bulls shot 55 percent from the field, and DeMar DeRozan (29, 10/17) was also very efficient. In Nikola Vucevic (24, 11 rebounds), the Bulls even had another 20-point scorer in their ranks.
- For the Hawks, however, it was a setback after six wins from the last eight games, especially defensively it was a throwback to old times. Trae Young (19, 3/14, 14 assists) had a used day, instead it was the bench players De’Andre Hunter (23) and Bogdan Bogdanovic (28, 11/16 FG, 6/10 3P) who gave Atlanta the game held. Dejounte Murray had 17 points (7/17) and 9 dimes.
Milwaukee Bucks (35-19) – Denver Nuggets (36-18) 112:95 (BOXSCORE)
- That was the Bucks’ first statement under new coach Doc Rivers. Milwaukee held the champions to just 63 points and 38 percent from the field in three quarters, so that Nikola Jokic (29, 13/25, 12 rebounds, 8 assists) was no longer used in the final period. Instead, Giannis Antetokounmmpo (36, 14/19, 18 rebounds) won the duel between the two former MVPs.
- Denver got off to a disastrous start (2:13), but fought back in the first quarter before Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left with a hamstring problem. This was followed by a 22:3 run by the Bucks, from which the champions never recovered. This was achieved despite Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard (18, 6/15) sitting on the bench at the start with two fouls each. However, the Bucks were able to rely on a good collective performance, with nine players converting at least one three-pointer.
- Bobby Portis (13, 8 rebounds) was the only player who scored in double figures. However, the big man was ejected in the third quarter because he received his second technical foul for rim hanging. Jamal Murray (3, 1/5) was weak for Denver; the guard did not play in the second half due to problems with his shin. Only Aaron Gordon (14) and Michael Porter Jr. (11, 3/11) scored in double figures.
Memphis Grizzlies (18-36) – New Orleans Pelicans (32-22) 87:96 (BOXSCORE)
- For the second time in a row, the Pelicans win a game without breaking 100 points – and that in 2024. It helps if you can play against Portland and Memphis, as the Pelicans were also able to have a disastrous final quarter with just 10 (!) allow their own points, the Grizzlies scored 14 in the same period.
- Brandon Ingram (16, 7/14) finally brought the game over the finish line for the Pelicans with two jumpers from mid-range in the last two minutes after Jaren Jackson Jr. (22, 8/19) reduced the deficit to 5 points had. In the third quarter the guests were still ahead by up to 25 points, after which New Orleans only managed 15 points in the last 18 minutes.
- But Memphis was no longer able to take advantage of this; they also only shot 42 percent from the field and had 18 turnovers. In addition to Jackson Jr., Vince Williams Jr. (12, 9 assists) also excelled,
Houston Rockets (24-29) – New York Knicks (33-21) 105:103 (BOXSCORE)
- That was a controversial ending in Houston and you can understand the Knicks’ anger. With 0.3 seconds left, Aaron Holiday (18, 7/14) drew a very questionable foul on Jalen Brunson when the score was tied when the guard went up for a three-pointer. The playmaker sank the first two attempts and intentionally missed the last free throw, so that the clock ran down and New York didn’t get another chance.
- This angered Coach Tom Thibodeau, among others, who spoke after the game of a “great” performance by the referees. They even admitted after the game that the foul whistle against Brunson was incorrect. However, the Knicks also woke up too late and played below their potential, especially in the first half. Brunson scored 20 of his 27 points (10/25) after the break, and in crunch time he tied the game with a layup and a short jumper.
- Alec Burks (5, 1/8) converted his only shot two minutes before the end, Donte DiVincenzo (23, 9/21) once again hit five three-pointers and Bojan Bogdanovic contributed 15 points from the bench. Dillon Brooks (23, 6/7 3P) was the best scorer for Houston, and Jabari Smith Jr. (20) and Alperen Sengün (18, 6/10) were also impressive. Fred VanVleet was out again with adductor problems, and Isaiah Hartenstein sat out for the Knicks with an Achilles tendon injury.
Dallas Mavericks (31-23) – Washington Wizards (9-44) 112:104 (BOXSCORE)
- The Mavs escaped with a scare once again and turned the game around with a strong final quarter (34:16). Luka Doncic shone with 26 points (8/16), 11 rebounds and 15 assists in 37 minutes, Kyrie Irving even played 43 minutes and had the same number of points (10/19).
- Doncic played again without a mask despite a broken nose and had to receive four stitches on his chin after another blow, but the superstar still continued and was needed. Kyle Kuzma (23), Deni Avdija (25, 11/17) and Tyus Jones (14, 16 assists) gave the outsider an 11-point lead with ten minutes left before the good Maxi Kleber (5, 5 rebounds) again ) gave Dallas its first lead since the first quarter with five minutes left.
- This time Kleber only came off the bench, the same applied to Derrick Jones Jr., who had to give way to the two newcomers PJ Washington (9, 4/11) and Daniel Gafford (16, 17 rebounds, 5 blocks). Gafford in particular played a good game against his former team, but in the end coach Jason Kidd trusted Kleber and was right. With a cracking dunk he made it +6 three minutes before the end, the Wizards no longer had an answer. The Mavs won their fifth game in a row and are now only half a game behind the playoff places.
Utah Jazz (26-28) – Golden State Warriors (26-25) 107:129 (BOXSCORE)
- The Warriors are back, with their seventh win from the last eight games in Utah – even though head coach Steve Kerr was in Serbia for the funeral of the late assistant coach Dejan Milojevic. Kenny Atkinson stood on the sidelines for him and saw Klay Thompson get his frustration off his chest with 26 points (11/19).
- But Stephen Curry (25, 7/16 3P, 10 assists) also had a good day in the clear win, so Utah had no chance. A deep Curry three-pointer in the fourth quarter capped a 14-5 run that extended the Warriors lead to +18. Andrew Wiggins had 17 points, Draymond Green (12, 10 rebounds, 8 assists) sank a throw from the halfway line and scratched a triple-double.
- For Utah, Jordan Clarkson (22, 7/17) already had 20 points at halftime, but subsequently disappeared. Collin Sexton had the same result, while Lauri Markkanen (19, 8/17) remained comparatively pale. With the win, the Warriors consolidated tenth place and extended their lead over Utah to 1.5 games. Both teams will play against each other a whopping three times this season.
L.A. Clippers (35-17) – Minnesota Timberwolves (37-16) 100:121 (BOXSCORE)
- Strong performance from the Wolves, who wiped the floor with the Clippers in the second half and thus defended first place in the Western Conference. The guests won the second half with 72:47, Anthony Edwards scored 17 of his 23 points (8/18 FG, 1/11 3P), as well as 7 rebounds and 8 assists. Rudy Gobert (17, 10 rebounds), who anchored the strong defense after the break, was also convincing.
- The Clippers, on the other hand, only scored 42 points in the zone and hit 32 percent from distance (9/28), which was far too little. Both Kawhi Leonard (18, 8/17) and Paul George (18, 5/16) did not find their game, PG-13 sent Edwards to the boards at least once, but was otherwise logged out. Daniel Theis received five minutes in the third quarter but was not a factor.
- Minnesota, on the other hand, improved enormously after the break. The threes finally fell (7/15), and the Clippers barely got into the zone. The preliminary decision was made by 40:19, with Edwards scoring 12 points. On the Clippers side, James Harden (17, 5/13, 6 assists) was weak, and Russell Westbrook (11, 3/11) was also not an invigorating element as sixth man this time.
2024-02-13 06:04:00
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