In the end it wasn’t quite enough. The Brooklyn Nets (4-5) only had to admit defeat to the Celtics (8-2) after overtime. Dennis Schröder scored 20 points (9/23 FG), three assists and four steals for the New Yorkers, the guests’ best scorer was Cam Thomas (31). The Nets quickly led by double digits, but after that it was very close for a long time because Boston scored weakly from outside this time (14/53 three-pointers).
The Celtics led by a maximum of two points, but that changed in overtime when Al Horford (13, 10 rebounds) put the hosts on the road to victory with a three-pointer and Jayson Tatum (33, 11/25) added a jumper. Jaylen Brown was still out with an injury and Payton Pritchard scored 20 points off the bench.
NBA: Franz Wagner leads Magic to victory
The Orlando Magic (4-6), on the other hand, have once again celebrated a sense of success, and the New Orleans Pelicans (3-7)’s remaining rebound came at exactly the right time. Franz Wagner set the tone early on, the Berliner scored 17 of his 27 points (9/18 FG, 6 assists) in the first quarter, at times the hosts were already leading by 19 points.
The Pelicans, with Daniel Theis (2, 1/3, 2 assists in 12 minutes) only coming off the bench, at least didn’t give up, but collapsed completely in the fourth quarter (16:30). Moritz Wagner turned it up there, the big man scored 13 of his 17 points (8/11 FG, 4 rebounds). Rookie Tristan da Silva played 27 minutes and recorded seven points (3/11 FG) and three rebounds.
There was excitement in Dallas (5-4), where the Phoenix Suns (8-1) achieved their seventh win in a row. The man of the evening was Jusuf Nurkic (15, 10 rebounds), who made the important plays in the final minute. The Bosnian first gave the Suns the lead with a putback, then with one second left he grabbed an offensive rebound when the score was tied and was then fouled by Mavs center Daniel Gafford.
Nurkic missed the first attempt, but converted the second with 0.8 seconds left on the clock. That was enough to win, as an emergency throw from Luka Doncic (30, 11/25 FG, 7 rebounds, 7 assists) missed the target. Previously, Kyrie Irving (29, 10/17) had the hot hand, with all starters on both sides scoring in double figures. Kevin Durant (26, 8/14) was the best scorer for Phoenix, and Devin Booker (13, 12 assists) recorded a double-double.
It was similarly dramatic for the Detroit Pistons (4-6), who were able to celebrate thanks to Cade Cunningham (22, 8/17, 11 rebounds, 13 assists). The point guard put the Pistons back in front against the Atlanta Hawks (4-6) eight seconds before the end with a drive including a difficult finish, in return the former No. 1 pick managed a block against center Onyeka Okongwu. Trae Young (35, 11/25, 13 assists) decided not to shoot his own shot and preferred to serve the big man. Top pick Zaccharie Risacher (7, 2/7) had little success, Dyson Daniels collected seven steals.
NBA: Cleveland remains undefeated
The team of the hour remains the Cleveland Cavaliers (10-0), who wiped the floor with the Golden State Warriors (7-2). The end result was extremely deceptive, because after just 24 minutes it was 83:42 in favor of the still unbeaten Cavs, who converted 14 three-pointers in the first half.
So the rest of the game was just an exhibition, Stephen Curry (12, 6 TO) played almost 24 minutes for the Warriors. For Cleveland, Darius Garland (27, 6/11 three-pointers, 6 assists) and Evan Mobley (23) were particularly convincing. Donovan Mitchell (12, 4/13) was the only Cavs player without a real rhythm.
Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks (2-7) suffered their next setback at the New York Knicks (4-4). Here, too, the mass was almost read at halftime (47:64), and a change in the starting five (Andre Jackson for Gary Trent) did not produce any results. Giannis Antetokounmpo (24, 11/21, 12 rebounds) and Damian Lillard (19, 6/15, 6 assists) also played better. Karl Towns (32, 11 rebounds) and Jalen Brunson (15, 9 assists) impressed for New York.
The Los Angeles Lakers (5-4) also changed their starting five against the Philadelphia 76ers (1-7). Cam Reddish moved into the top five for the recently criticized D’Angelo Russell (18) and replaced LeBron James (21, 9 /14, 12 rebounds, 13 assists) to the playmaker, who promptly posted another triple-double. It helped that Anthony Davis (31, 11/20, 9 rebounds) was ready to play again.
The Lakers pulled away after the break, while Philly remains last in the East. In addition to Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey was also missing with a thigh injury, and Paul George (9, 4/13, 8 assists) remained pale. As a team, the Sixers only shot 40 percent from the field, making them the only team other than Utah that has only won once.
