For national team captain Dennis Schröder and his Sacramento Kings, the negative run in the North American elite basketball league NBA continues. At the New York Knicks, Sacramento lost 87:103 and suffered their sixth defeat in a row.
Schröder had a bad evening. The 32-year-old only managed four points, only one of his eight attempts from the field hit the target, and his three three-point throws failed. The German center Ariel Hukporti was not used for New York, which celebrated its third win in a row after a period of weakness.
After an even game over three quarters (72:72), the Knickerbockers unleashed a 31:15 offensive in the final period. Jalen Brunson (28 pts) led the attack, supported by Mikal Bridges (18 pts) and Karl-Anthony Towns (17 pts, 11 reb).
For Kings coach Mike Brown, it was a bitter defeat against his old team, which had fired him not long ago. DeMar DeRozan (34 points) scored well, but could not prevent the next defeat for Sacramento, also because the team hit a catastrophic 5 out of 30 three-pointers.
Champion Oklahoma City Thunder managed to turn things around after two defeats in a row. The defending champions beat the New Orleans Pelicans 104:95 without German center Isaiah Hartenstein, who had a calf injury.
In the home win, the defense around Chet Holmgren particularly shone, contributing 20 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks. Superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (29 points) kept his remarkable streak alive with at least 20 points in the 118th consecutive game.
The Pelicans, led by Zion Williamson (21 pts, 11 rebs), were unable to finish a late comeback. The game was overshadowed in the final seconds by a heated confrontation between Jeremiah Fears and Lu Dort, which resulted in a mass confrontation between both teams.
Meanwhile, Alex Sarr had a great day and ended the Washington Wizards’ nine-game losing streak. The 2.16 meter giant scored 29 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked six shots in the narrow 115:111 win against the Portland Trail Blazers. It was Washington’s first home win against Portland since 2017.
Despite a huge 69:46 rebound advantage and 31 points from Shaedon Sharpe, Portland lost, also due to a weak 13/23 free throw rate. The thrilling finale was decided when Sharpe missed his equalizer attempt with 20.5 seconds left and Kyshawn George hit an important free throw for Washington.
With their firepower back, the Philadelphia 76ers swept the struggling Milwaukee Bucks 139-122. Joel Embiid (29 pts, 18 in the 1st quarter) and Paul George (32 pts, 9/15 three-pointers) returned from injury breaks and helped their team regain its strength after previously experiencing an embarrassment in Charlotte.
Tyrese Maxey contributed 22 points. The Bucks, who were without injured superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, suffered their third straight defeat. Myles Turner (31 points) was the guests’ best thrower, but was unable to compensate for his team’s defensive weakness.
The Detroit Pistons held their nerve in the breathtaking final seconds in Denver and secured a valuable 109:107 away win. Led by Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris (22 points each), they controlled the game for a long time and survived a late 9-0 run by the Nuggets.
The dramatic climax came from Jamal Murray at the free throw line: with 0.7 seconds left, he had three attempts to equalize, but only hit the first. The intentional miss on the third attempt ultimately failed and gave the Pistons the win. Denver had to compete without Nikola Jokic and other regular players.
The Phoenix Suns prevailed in a nerve-racking duel against the Brooklyn Nets 106:102. The Nets, led by Michael Porter Jr. (36 points), fought back from a 12-point deficit and made the game exciting in the final quarter. Ultimately, however, they lacked the decisive moves in the final phase.
Rookie Egor Demin (15 points) showed good signs for Brooklyn in the final. For the Suns, center Mark Williams was the most effective player with 27 points on a field shooting percentage of 57%. It was the Nets’ sixth loss in a row.
The Los Angeles Clippers continued their impressive streak and celebrated their ninth win in the last ten games with a clear 111:99 win over the Utah Jazz. Kawhi Leonard (21 pts) led the offense and scored at least 20 points in his 25th consecutive game – a performance that puts him in an exclusive franchise group with players like Blake Griffin. James Harden contributed a double-double with 16 points and 10 assists.
The turning point came in the third quarter, in which the Clippers took control of the game with aggressive defense. Kris Dunn (14 points, 5 steals) was the decisive impetus and initiated a 10:2 run with his ball conquests, which extended the lead to 73:61. From then on, the Clippers no longer let the Jazz get to them.
Utah, which was severely weakened and had to play without its two best playmakers Jusuf Nurkic and Keyonte George, recorded 17 turnovers, which resulted in 23 points for the guests. Lauri Markkanen returned after a seven-game break, but didn’t score more than 19 points with a weak 5/15 shooting rate. It was the Jazz’s seventh loss in eight games.
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