A packed round of 11 games awaited tonight (between Friday and Saturday) for NBA fans. In the focus was the meeting between the Clippers and Milwaukee, which ended in the Bucks’ 10th consecutive victory. Earlier Boston and Memphis picked up more wins, Philadelphia beat the Knicks and Phoenix impressed in their first game since the Kevin Durant trade.
Tonight’s games:
Detroit (42:15) – San Antonio (42:14) 131:138 (after overtime)
Indiana (32:25) – Phoenix (27:31) 117:104
Philadelphia (19:35) – New York (27:30) 108:119
Boston (16:40) – Charlotte (42:15) 116:127
Toronto (31:26) – Utah (29:28) 122:116
Miami (25:31) – Houston (43:13) 95:97
Memphis (21:34) – Minnesota (29:30) 107:128
Sacramento (24:31) – Dallas (26:31) 122:114
New Orleans (28:29) – Cleveland (22:36) 118:107
Portland (29:27) – Oklahoma City (28:27) 138:129
LA Clippers (28:31) – Milwaukee (17:39) 119:106
Sacramento (24:31) – Dallas (26:31) 122:114
Kyrie Irving’s dream season continues. After leading the Mavs to a prestigious victory over the Clippers in Los Angeles, the rookie once again had to carry the team on his shoulders in the absence of the injured Luka Doncic – and gave them another impressive road victory over a top rival in the West. Irving had 25 points, a season-high 10 assists and 12-of-12 free throws, becoming the first player in Dallas this season other than Doncic to reach 25 and 10 in a game – further proof that the Slovenian star will finally have real help when he returns . The Mavs ran away in the first quarter thanks to a monster start and went into halftime leading by 18. The Kings put in a lot of effort to come back, but Irving was there to put the last pin in the balloon, securing the Mavs’ fifth win in six games, including three in a row. Deron Fox gave him a fight with 33 points, but it wasn’t enough for the Kings, who now lead Dallas by just one game in fourth place in the Western Conference.
LA Clippers (28:31) – Milwaukee (17:39) 119:106
Yanis and his friends are peaking for the break, and seem unstoppable. They also passed tonight’s test against the Clippers without Kawhi Leonard, who was rested, relatively easily thanks to a dominant second half that secured their tenth victory in a row. Antetokounmpo starred with 35 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists, Brock Lopez helped him with 22 and 15 rebounds and Jaro Holiday contributed with 19 and 6 assists. Brandon Boston led the Clippers’ scoring list with 20, Paul George finished with 19, 11 rebounds and 6 assists.
New Orleans (28:29) – Cleveland (22:36) 118:107
Fifth consecutive victory for the Cubs, who did it smoothly against the Pelicans and interrupted their streak of three victories. Cleveland maintained a double-digit advantage in most stages of the game thanks to 30 points from Donovan Mitchell, 28, 13 rebounds, 4 steals and two blocks from Evan Mobley and 20 and 11 rebounds from Jarrett Allen, with 25 and 8 assists on the other side Brandon Ingram’s are not enough for New Orleans.
Boston (16:40) – Charlotte (42:15) 116:127
With or without the injured Jaylen Brown, who will probably return only after the All-Star break, the leader of the East is cruising and impressive. This time she got 41 points from Jayson Tatum and 33 from Derek White (a career high) en route to her fifth win in six games, and third in a row. The Celtics led by 28 in the third quarter and called Tatum back off the bench in the final quarter as the lead shrunk, and he helped secure the victory, his eighth game of the season with 40 or more points. Terry Rozier with 27 and Amlo Ball with 24 and 10 assists were the standouts among the Hornets, who lost six games in a row.
Memphis (21:34) – Minnesota (29:30) 107:128
Despite the significant trades and changes among its rivals at the top of the West, Memphis wants to prove that it is still strong in things, and tonight it provided a statement. Ja Morant flirted with a triple double and finished with 32 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists, Desmond Bain added 20 and an escape in the last quarter paved the way for a second consecutive victory, which came after a less good period. Jaylen Newell led the Timberwolves with 20, Anthony Edwards was held to only 17.
Philadelphia (19:35) – New York (27:30) 108:119
After two straight losses, including to the Knicks, the Sixers got revenge and got back on track, keeping within a safe distance of Cleveland in third place in the East. Joel Embiid starred with 35 and 11 rebounds, James Harden contributed 20 and 12 assists, but the man of the game was Tyrese Maxey who scored 27, and was the engine behind the impressive last quarter, in which the Sixers erased a 13-point deficit. Julius Randle and Jaylen Brunson led the Knicks with 30 points each, but were stopped after two straight wins.
Indiana (32:25) – Phoenix (27:31) 117:104
In their first game since the Kevin Durant trade, with the injured KD still watching from the sidelines, the Suns have won 10 of their last 13 games. DeAndre Ayton with 22 points and 11 rebounds, Devin Booker with 21 and Chris Paul with 19, kept the guest’s advantage from the beginning to the end of the game, and did not allow the Pacers to even fantasize about a comeback. Benedict Maturin scored 22 for the Pacers, who also got 18 and 5 assists from Tyrese Halliburton but suffered a 14th loss in 16 games.
Portland (29:27) – Oklahoma City (28:27) 138:129
A fast-paced and fun game in Oregon ended with another win for the Thunder, their third in the last four games. The fantastic Shea Gilges-Alexander beat Damian Lillard in the Gunners duel, when he shot 44 with a tremendous percentage (13 of 16 from the field, 18 of 19 from the free throw) and also added 7 assists. Josh Giddy helped him as usual with 19, 7 and 6 rebounds, while on the other hand 38 and 9 assists from Lillard and 23 from Jeremy Grant did not prevent the Blazers from a third loss in four games.
Miami (25:31) – Houston (43:13) 95:97
A brilliant play by the Heat set up Jimmy Butler’s game-winning dunk with 0.3 seconds left, giving the Heat their second straight victory despite a tepid second half with just 39 points. Butler finished with only 16 points, but carried Miami in the last quarter and, as mentioned, scored the winning basket. Tyler Hero excelled throughout the game and finished with 31, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. Jabari Smith led Houston with 22.
Toronto (31:26) – Utah (29:28) 122:116
The Jazz erased a 12-point deficit in the final five minutes, snapping a three-game losing streak. Lauri Markkanen and impressive rookie Walker Kessler each scored 23, Colin Sexton added 22, and it was enough to overcome the Raptors, who got 35 points from Pascal Siakam but were halted after three wins, and have yet to string together four straight this season.
Detroit (42:15) – San Antonio (42:14) 131:138 (after two overtimes)
The meeting between two of the weakest teams in the league produced a mini-drama, which was decided after two overtimes. Bojan Bogdanovic went 10 of his 32 in overtime, and was helped by rookie Jaylen Doran’s 30 points and 17 rebounds to give Detroit the win. The Spurs, who have lost 11 in a row, will at least take solace in an impressive debut for Devonte Graham, who scored 31 and set a club record for points in the team’s first game.