2024-03-26 08:55:21
Basketball player Vít Krejčí played a significant role in the sensational victory of Atlanta over competition leader Boston 120:118 in the NBA, when he equaled a personal record in the overseas league with 16 points.
The 23-year-old Czech representative converted four attempts into three points, added two smashes, six rebounds and two assists. Atlanta overcame a 30-point deficit and posted its biggest turnaround since 1998.
So far in his career, Krejci has scored more points only in the lower G-League competition, where he scored 17 points a month ago, and then in the national team, where he scored 20 points for Estonia last summer. In the NBA, he scored 16 points the year before last April in the Oklahoma City jersey against the Los Angeles Clippers.
On Monday, he shined especially in the third quarter, in which he went on a 12-0 run and then scored eight points in a row. Atlanta thus returned to a game in which it was already losing by 30 points in the second quarter. Boston, which lacked only point guard Jrue Holiday, suddenly did not resemble the best team in the competition. Atlanta took advantage of this and in a balanced ending, the match was decided by De’Andre Hunter’s three-pointer with ten seconds left.
“We never give up. The opponent was hitting tough shots in the beginning, but we thought we had to keep playing and believe in ourselves. Then the shots started falling and suddenly we felt like whatever we did was going to work. I was down in that third quarter it felt great and my teammates found me in open positions,” Krejčí said. “The opponent was leading by 30 points and it looked like it was over. But we found a way to turn it around. It’s a big win for us,” he added.
The Czech basketball player also contributed to the win by defending star Jayson Tatum, who was in good shape when he scored 37 points. Krejčí then decided to defend him himself to help slow him down. “I wanted to make it difficult for him. He is a great player, but I wanted to help the team in defense. I know that I am on the field mainly for defense and not for attack. And I am glad that the coach trusted me and let me defend such a great player, like Tatum. That means a lot to me,” said Krejčí.
The fact that Tatum did not play much, especially in the second half, was also registered by the overseas media. And she highlighted the performance of the Czech youngster, whose emotional expression is also the main motive of Tuesday’s coverage on NBA.com.
The Strakonic native’s career has been hampered by injury, but he has come into very good form over the course of the season and is now using his absence from the Hawks line-up to show his potential. “I’m enjoying every second on the pitch. We’ve gained confidence now. We don’t think about who we’re missing in the team, and each of us is trying to do our best. And when everyone recovers, we’ll be even better,” Krejčí said.
Defending champions Denver beat Memphis 128-103 to take the lead in the Western Conference standings. Nikola Jokič contributed 29 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. Dallas won 115:105 on the board of Utah thanks to the triple double of Luka Doncic, who recorded 29 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists.
Houston, which beat Portland 110:92, has already won its tenth game in a row and has reached the tenth Golden State in the Western Conference, with whom it has the same number of victories.
NBA results:
Atlanta – Boston 120:118 (Krejčí 16 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists at home), Chicago – Washington 105:107, Cleveland – Charlotte 115:92, Denver – Memphis 128:103, Houston – Portland 110:92, LA Clippers – Indiana 116:133, New York – Detroit 124:99, Sacramento – Philadelphia 108:96, San Antonio – Phoenix 104:102, Toronto – Brooklyn 88:96, Utah – Dallas 105:115.
Eastern Conference:
Atlantic Division:
| 1. | y-Boston | 72 | 57 | 15 | 79,2 |
| 2. | New York | 71 | 43 | 28 | 60,6 |
| 3. | Philadelphia | 72 | 39 | 33 | 54,2 |
| 4. | Brooklyn | 72 | 27 | 45 | 37,5 |
| 5. | Toronto | 72 | 23 | 49 | 31,9 |
Central Division:
| 1. | Milwaukee | 71 | 46 | 25 | 64,8 |
| 2. | Cleveland | 72 | 44 | 28 | 61,1 |
| 3. | Indiana | 73 | 41 | 32 | 56,2 |
| 4. | Chicago | 72 | 34 | 38 | 47,2 |
| 5. | Detroit | 72 | 12 | 60 | 16,7 |
Southeast Division:
| 1. | Orlando | 71 | 42 | 29 | 59,2 |
| 2. | Miami | 71 | 39 | 32 | 54,9 |
| 3. | Atlanta | 71 | 32 | 39 | 45,1 |
| 4. | Charlotte | 71 | 17 | 54 | 23,9 |
| 5. | Washington | 72 | 14 | 58 | 19,4 |
Western Conference:
South West Division:
| 1. | New Orleans | 71 | 44 | 27 | 62,0 |
| 2. | dallas | 71 | 42 | 29 | 59,2 |
| 3. | Houston | 71 | 36 | 35 | 50,7 |
| 4. | Memphis | 72 | 24 | 48 | 33,3 |
| 5. | Saint Anthony | 72 | 16 | 56 | 22,2 |
Northwest Division:
| 1. | Denver | 72 | 51 | 21 | 70,8 |
| 2. | Oklahoma City | 70 | 49 | 21 | 70,0 |
| 3. | Minnesota | 71 | 49 | 22 | 69,0 |
| 4. | Utah | 72 | 29 | 43 | 40,3 |
| 5. | Portland | 72 | 19 | 53 | 26,4 |
Pacific Division:
| 1. | LA Clippers | 71 | 44 | 27 | 62,0 |
| 2. | Sacramento | 71 | 42 | 29 | 59,2 |
| 3. | Phoenix | 72 | 42 | 30 | 58,3 |
| 4. | LA Lakers | 71 | 39 | 32 | 54,9 |
| 5. | Golden State | 70 | 36 | 34 | 51,4 |
Note: Teams marked with “x” are certain to advance to the playoffs, “y” means certain first place in the division.