The Milwaukee Bucks, reigning NBA champions, extended their poor start to the season by losing to the Washington Wizards on Sunday, while the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the New York Knicks on the court with 37 points from Spanish Ricky Rubio.
The Greek Giannis Antetokounmpo signed 29 points, 18 rebounds and 5 assists for the Bucks, who once again had sensitive absences like Khris Middleton’s, down due to a coronavirus contagion.
Point guard Jrue Holiday, the team’s third sword, stayed at 14 points with a 6/16 shooting from the field.
Milwaukee thus added its second consecutive defeat by 101-94 and falls to tenth place in the Eastern Conference, with 4 victories and 6 defeats.
His executioner on Sunday, the Washington Wizards, unexpectedly occupy the third position of the East with a record of 7-3 without resenting the loss of their figure Russell Westbrook.
All-Star guard Bradley Beal shined with 30 points and forward Kyle Kuzma contributed another 15 for the Wizards.
"We made it hard for him"Beal said after the Wizards capped the Bucks to 39% shooting. "I feel like I played a playoff game tonight".
In New York, Spaniard Ricky Rubio posted the highest score of his 11 NBA career seasons in the 126-109 victory of the Cleveland Cavaliers over the Knicks.
Starting from the bench, the point guard offered an exhibition in the emblematic Madison Square Garden with 37 points (13/19) and 10 assists.
With an unusual confidence from the line of three, the Spanish nailed 8 3-pointers of 9 attempts, scoring until his unbalanced shots.
Shots "They went inside, I kept throwing, working hard, it’s a big win"Rubio said. "When the ball goes in it looks like you’re making the right plays, but it’s not about scoring, it’s about (taking) the right path every time".
Win at Madison "It is very big but (the season) it is a marathon. We have to enjoy what we do to want more", stressed the point guard, 31 years old.
The Cavaliers are one of the most pleasant surprises of the season, ranking sixth in the East (7-4), one ahead of the Knicks (6-4), who had Julius Randle as the leading scorer with 19 points.
Durant shines against Raptors
In Toronto, Kevin Durant scored 31 points in the Brooklyn Nets 116-103 win over the Raptors, who celebrated the return to the courts of Cameroonian center Pascal Siakam.
Durant, who has scored at least 22 points in his first 10 games of the season, also added 7 rebounds and 7 assists for the Nets to record their fifth straight victory.
With Kyrie Irving absent due to his refusal to get vaccinated against covid-19, James Harden multiplied to support Durant with 28 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists.
Former Canadian player Steve Nash scored the first victory in his country as head coach of the Nets.
"It means a lot"said the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP). "This is a very special place for me. Not just Canada, but Toronto too (…) It’s definitely a sweet win".
For the Raptors, Siakam played his first game of the season after surgery on his left shoulder and finished with 15 points in 25 minutes, while Fred VanVleet contributed 21 points and OG Anunoby another 16.
On their turn, the Orlando Magic (3-8) surprised the Utah Jazz 107-100 with a stellar performance from their young point guard Cole Anthony, who reached 33 points with 5 triples.
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