It was another busy night in the NBA. The Golden State Warriors won against the Minnesota Timberwolves (116-115), the Los Angeles Clippers obtained a very large victory against Brooklyn (126-67), and the Houston Rockets defeated the Nuggets in Denver (128 -108). Finally, the defending champion Boston stumbled in Toronto (110-97).
Big duel in the West between Golden State and Minnesota
It was a hotly contested match between the Golden State Warriors and the Minnesota Timberwolves, after which the California franchise emerged victorious (116-115). While they had an ideal start, leading 34-12 after 12 minutes of play, Steve Kerr’s men had to work hard to achieve their victory.
The fault lies with an Anthony Edwards of great evenings (28 points) and a clinical Donte DiVincenzo (28 points on 9 out of 19 shooting, including 6 out of 12 from three points) on the Wolves side. The outcome of the match was totally uncertain: 8 seconds from the end, the locals came back to within one point of their opponents, and could even have obtained a possession to equalize or go ahead, but on the free throw missed by Gary Payton II, Andrew Wiggins captured the offensive rebound and gave Stephen Curry the opportunity to secure the victory for his team on the penalty line.
The LA Clippers smash Brooklyn
The Los Angeles Clippers crushed Brooklyn (126-67) last night. It was a match that went down in history for both teams. Indeed, this is the largest victory ever obtained by the Clippers. On the other hand, Brooklyn suffered the worst defeat of its existence. Kawhi Leonard finished as his team’s top scorer (23 points in 24 minutes), ahead of James Harden (21 points, 11 assists).
The Rockets take on the Nuggets
The Houston Rockets scored a fifth success in a row against the Denver Nuggets (128-108). Deprived of their metronome Nikola Jokic, who suffered from elbow inflammation, the Nuggets were overwhelmed by the play of the Rockets, carried in particular by Jalen Green (34 points) and the pivot Alperen Sengun (20 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists ). A victory which allows the Texan franchise to climb to second place in the Western Conference (27v-12d), ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies (26v-15d).
Toronto knocks off Boston
The Toronto Raptors offered the biggest surprise of the evening by beating the Boston Celtic (110-97). However, the defending champions were at full strength, facing a franchise that is not playing much this season. Jayson Tatum ( 16 points at 5 out of 15, 10 rebounds, 7 assists) was not very successful, with only 50% on free throws (9 out of 18) and an overall address at half mast (36 out of 91), at the image of his team.
On the contrary, Toronto largely dominated the debates in rebounding (56-45) and in collective distribution (35 assists against 24). This prestigious victory, the 10th of the season, will however not allow the Canadian team to get closer to 10th place, occupied by the Chicago Bulls (10v-31d).
-The rest of the evening
The New Orleans Pelicans won against Dallas (119-116), with a great Dejounte Murray, who scored 30 points (in addition to 7 rebounds and 7 assists). It should be noted that Dallas played without Luka Doncic or Kyrie Irving, and only Daniel Gafford posed a real threat, with his 27 points (12 successful shots out of 13), as well as his 12 rebounds.
The Philadelphia Sixers lost at home to the New York Knicks in overtime (119-125, ap), with Jalen Brunson scoring 38 points. For his part, Josh Hard achieved an impressive triple-double (10 points, 17 rebounds, 12 assists).
During the Los Angeles Lakers’ success at home against Miami (117-108), Anthony Davis (22 points, 11 rebounds), Rui Hachimura (23 points, 8 rebounds) and LeBron James (22 points, 9 assists) all exceeded the 20 points scored.
In a chair following the transfer of Nick Richard to Phoenix, Mark Williams shone during the success of the Charlotte Hornets on the road to the Utah Jazz, scoring 31 points and making 13 rebounds.
