13 Apr, 2024, 09:20 ET
Los San Antonio Spurs surprised the Denver Nuggets this Friday and caused a revolution in the balance of a Wild Westnow led by Oklahoma City Thunder ahead of Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver itself, with one day left in the regular season.
All 30 NBA franchises competed on Friday before taking a day off on Saturday and returning to the court on Sunday for the deciding day. The last day is reached with maximum balances also in the East, in which Joel Embiid’s Philadelphia 76ers threaten to qualify directly for the playoffs.
Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokic greet each other: they will be great cheerleaders for the NBA to come. Getty Images
Nikola Jokic and his Nuggets had just taken the sole lead in the West thanks to a victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but they blew a 23-point lead and the defeat against the Spurs dropped them to third place, surpassed by the Wolves themselves and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Wembanyama returned after resting in the defeat suffered at the Oklahoma City Thunder field and was dominant. He finished his game with 34 points, twelve rebounds, five assists and two blocks.
The Thunder took advantage of the Bucks without the Greek Giannis Antetokounmpo or Damian Lillard and knocked them down with 26 points from Shai Gilgeous Alexander and 23 points and nine rebounds from Chet Holmgren.
The Thunder, this season’s great revelation, took the lead in the West table, ahead of the Wolves, second.
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The Wolves suffered more than expected at home against the Hawks already secure in tenth place in the East.
On a night in which Anthony Edwards did not exceed 14 points, Frenchman Rudy Gobert dominated with a double double of 24 points and 19 rebounds. Dominican Karl Anthony Towns returned after 18 games out due to injury and contributed eleven points and eight assists in 27 minutes on the court.
LeBron James was the protagonist of an amazing performance on the Grizzlies’ field and led the Lakers’ 123-120 victory with 37 points and nine rebounds.
He was supported by Anthony Davis who had 36 points and fourteen rebounds after missing the game against the Golden State Warriors. The Lakers put pressure on the Phoenix Suns for seventh place with one game left in the regular season.
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The Dallas Mavericks, without Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, lost at home against the Detroit Pistons.
With this setback, the Texans lost the opportunity to surpass the Los Angeles Clippers in the table, so they will face the Angelenos in the first round of the playoffs without having a home field advantage.
The 76ers only know how to win since the return of their leader Joel Embiid and they added their seventh consecutive victory against the Magic to reach the Florida team in the fight for sixth place, driven by a double double of 32 points and 13 rebounds from their star center.
At this time, the 76ers would compete in the ‘play-in’, while the Magic and the Indiana Pacers, also with the same balance of victories, would directly access the ‘playoffs’ as fifth and sixth seeds, respectively, according to the calculations of the NBA on its website.
Tyrese Maxey contributed 28 points in a momentous victory for the 76ers, who went from sinking into play-in positions to being one step away from directly accessing the playoffs.
Hours before the game, the 76ers unveiled the statue of their legend Allen Iverson in their training center.
The Knicks recovered after a 13-30 first quarter and won the New York classic for the fourth time in four this year, which allowed them to catch up with the Bucks, second in the East. Those from Milwaukee remain ahead with one game remaining by having better results in direct clashes.
Jalen Brunson surpassed thirty points for the sixth consecutive game and led the victory with 30 points and eleven assists.
The Suns achieved a momentous victory in the Kings’ field, with 28 points from Kevin Durant and 21 from Devin Booker, and they reach the last day one game behind the Pelicans, with whom they have better results in direct clashes.
The Kings succumbed despite 25 points, twelve rebounds and nine assists from Domantas Sabonis.
After winning at the Kings’ field, the Pelicans sealed another great victory, this time in San Francisco, and maintained, for the moment, their sixth place, which gives direct access to the playoffs.
CJ McCollum shined with 28 points, Zion Williamson scored 26 and Trey Murphy contributed 24 for the Pelicans. The Warriors, in which Steph Curry scored 33 points, are tenth.
The Celtics made themselves forgiven for the defeat 24 hours earlier against the Knicks and crushed the Hornets and added their 40th victory in 44 games played at home despite competing without Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, the Latvian Kristaps Porzingis or the Dominican Al Horford.
Payton Prichard was the leader of the victory with a double double of 31 points and eleven assists.
In a duel between Mid-West franchises, the Cavs hit the table by defeating the Pacers with 33 points from Donovan Mitchell and a double double of 29 points and thirteen rebounds from Jarrett Allen.
The Pacers, Magic and 76ers are currently tied in the standings, with only one game left to decide their postseason position. One of the three will have to go through the ‘play-in’.
The Clippers, who are already mathematically fourth, lost at home against the Jazz on a night in which Kawhi Leonard was out. Kenneth Lofton was the Jazz’s leading scorer and almost hit a triple double with 27 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
The Bulls, already secure in ninth place and playing in the play-in at home against the Atlanta Hawks, won in Washington by resting their starters DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic.
Javonte Green was the Bulls’ leading scorer with 24 points.
The Heat, eighth in the West, won with authority at home against the Raptors, already out of the postseason for weeks, with 20 points and nine assists from Mexican Jaime Jáquez.
The Moda Center in Portland hosted a game between teams already eliminated from the postseason and the Rockets triumphed against the Blazers driven by 26 points and nine rebounds from Jalen Green.
2024-04-13 13:20:00
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