Zion Williamson leads Pelicans to victory, edges closer to NBA playoffs

Zion Williamson scored 31 points in the Pelicans’ victory against Sacramento on April 11, 2024 in the NBA (Chris Graythen)

The New Orleans Pelicans took an option for direct qualification in the NBA play-offs on Thursday by winning 135-123 against the Sacramento Kings, 8th in the Western Conference, which still promises some turmoil with two matches remaining. regular season.

. the Pelicans are almost there

The Pelicans, who notably built their victory thanks to a strong first quarter, have one more victory than Phoenix, 7th with 47 successes (record: 48-32). Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum, 31 points each, largely contributed to their success in front of Sacramento, already assured of competing in the NBA play-ins. For its part, the franchise based in Louisiana can ensure direct qualification in the event of victory in its last two matches, against Golden State on Friday and Los Angeles on Sunday.

. Golden State keeps the pressure on

Warriors (9th) and Lakers (10th) also have identical records (45-35) in Sacramento, which promises a still eventful end to the regular season. Precisely, Golden State stayed the course by dominating Portland 100-92 Thursday in Oregon. Stephen Curry scored 22 points (7 rebounds, 8 assists), while Jonathan Kuminga added 19.

. Boston not worried

Already certain of finishing first in the East, with the best record in the league as a bonus, Boston nevertheless experienced a second defeat in a row – after being beaten by Milwaukee – by losing 118-109 to the Knicks, although helped by the 39 points of American Jalen Brunson. A good operation for New York which remains third (48-32), two days from the end. As for the Celtics, who suffered a few boos at the end of the match, we want to be reassuring: “We will rise to the occasion when necessary,” said pivot Kristaps Porzingis.

. The Bulls dominate Detroit

In the other games of the evening, the Chicago Bulls beat Detroit 127-105, thanks to 39 points from DeMar DeRozan and 27 from Nikola Vucevic. They will play the first round of the play-ins against Atlanta. Finally, in a meeting without stakes between two teams already eliminated from the race for the play-offs, the Jazz won against Houston 124-121.

rcw/pst/lve/gvy

2024-04-12 15:50:52
#Pelicans #hang #Boston #falls #time