Kevin Durant’s 31 points were decisive in the Rockets’ victory at Denver (115-101).
Another outstanding performance from the 37-year-old, including five three-pointers. His teammate Reed Sheppard came off the bench to score 28 points after making six of nine three-point shots. On the other hand, Serbian Nikola Jokic was limited to 25 points and five assists, far from his usual standards. Denver is third in the West, tied with the second-placed Spurs, while Houston remains fifth.
In Toronto, guard Payton Pritchard’s 33 points (also author of eight rebounds and ten assists in 37 minutes) decided the victory of the Boston Celtics (112-96) over the Raptors. In the absence of the injured Jaylen Brown, the Celtics relied on substitutes Luka Garza and Hugo Gonzalez, who grabbed ten rebounds each, to dominate in the paint. For the Raptors Brandon Ingram and Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 24 points each.
This comfortable victory for Boston, the twelfth in sixteen games, allows Joe Mazzulla’s team to overtake Toronto, now fifth, and climb to third place in the Eastern Conference, behind Detroit and New York.
In Philadelphia, Cooper Flagg and Anthony Davis scored 24 points each, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Mavericks from succumbing to the Sixers (121-114), led by Tyrese Maxey’s 38 points. Without Paul George and Joel Embiid, the Sixers relied on VJ Edgecombe (26 points) and Dominick Barlow (21 points). Dallas was penalized by 18 turnovers and limited three-point shooting, allowing Philadelphia to secure its sixth win in eight games. The Sixers are fourth in the East and well positioned to access the playoffs, while the Mavericks, eleventh in the West, will have to fight to qualify for the play-in tournament.
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