The match: Oklahoma City wins the clash in New Orleans
Shock in the West on Tuesday: the Oklahoma City Thunder, second in the conference, won against the New Orleans Pelicans (119-112), fourth before the meeting. “OKC” broke away at the break (73-58), but their opponent managed to pick up the score (99-99, 40th) and then took the lead. The Thunder finally won by inflicting a 12-0 on the Pelicans in the last three minutes, and thanks to the efficiency of Jalen Williams (26 points), Josh Giddey (25) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (24). This is Oklahoma City’s 50th victory this season. For New Orleans, Zion Williamson scored 29 points and CJ McCollum, 23. The Louisiana franchise fell one place in the standings.
The team: Golden State teaches a lesson on defense
The Golden State Warriors, 10th in the Western Conference, returned victorious from their trip to the Miami Heat (113-92), seventh in the East, thanks to a good defensive performance provided during the last quarter. It started with a 10-point lead for the Californians (85-75). The Warriors then held off the Miami players, who only shot 6/22. In attack, Golden State was able to count on Klay Thompson, author of 28 points (11/20 shooting including 6/14 three-pointers) in 31 minutes. Stephen Curry scored 17 pts.
The series: Dallas passes the fifth
The Dallas Mavericks, who occupy seventh place in the Western Conference, recorded a fifth – and very large – victory in a row on Tuesday against the Sacramento Kings (132-96), ranked one place just ahead of them. The Texans folded the match in the second half with a 74-43 passing to their opponent. Luka Doncic scored 28 points and Kyrie Irving, 24. The two Mavericks star players scored the majority of their points in the first period (26 for Doncic, 18 for Irving). Coming from the bench, Tim Hardaway scored 22. The two teams will meet again on Friday, still on the Kings field.
