Nets 98 – Sixers 101
The Sixers won in James Harden’s first game in Brooklyn since leaving the Nets. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were no longer in front, although all his replacements did a good job and made things very difficult for his rival. So much so that there was no extension because Spencer Dinwiddie’s triple final was canceled after it was verified that it had been out of time. Joel Embiid finished with 37 points and 13 rebounds and James Harden, who was booed in the presentation and in the first minutes of the game and left a message to his former franchise and teammates (“There was a lot of dysfunction, I didn’t ask for the transfer for nothing. Now I don’t look like the crazy one anymore”), he went to 29 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
Hornets 105 – Nuggets 119
The Nuggets snapped a four-game losing streak on the road in a winning place, Charlotte. The Hornets, long with an eye on the draft, lose their seventh straight game despite missing two of their best players in Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon. Despite this, they did have Nikola Jokic and that is often enough. The Serbian made another triple-double (30+16+10) and there are already 20, doubling the second on the list, Doncic with 10. The center is the fifth player in history to reach 20 triple-doubles in one season. Oscar Robertson (5 times), Russell Westbrook (4), Wilt Chamberlain (3) and James Harden (1) did it before.
Magic 103 – Heat 107
“Experience”. Both coaches, the winner and the loser, referred to this word as the key to the result of the final. Miami’s experience against Orlando’s inexperience, which two and a half minutes from the end of the fourth quarter was up by 9 points. The Heat knew how to play their game until they forced overtime, which Paolo Banchero was able to avoid with a layup, but Bam Adebayo’s defense made him fail. Then, in extra time, the visitors were clearly better. Tyler Herro, with 23 points, was the top scorer.
Wizards 127 – Pacers 113
The Wizards saw the ring as a pool with their best shooting percentage of the course, 64%, which for many minutes was about to be the best in their history. During three quarters they scored with 70% effectiveness, but with the game already resolved and the entry of the less common (up to 13 players played) it dropped a bit. It was also the best score of the season at halftime for the capitalists, when they went to the locker room winning 80-57. Bradley Beal, top scorer of the match with 32 points.
Hawks 125 – Spurs 106
The San Antonio Spurs are already just a half-game clear of the league’s bottom-seeded Houston Rockets after losing their 12th straight game in Atlanta. It is the worst streak for the Texan franchise since the 88-89 season. The Hawks remain eighth in the East after the great game by Trae Young, who achieved his course record in assists, 17, in addition to scoring 24 points. De’Andre Hunter also had the same scoring figure.
Knicks 126 – Jazz 120
The New York Knicks continue their good streak of play and results to beat the Utah Jazz who are going downhill and without brakes. Gone is that spectacular and unpredictable beginning of the course. Those from Salt Lake City are already 11th, out of the play-in, and with the movements made at the close of the market, the direction is clearly to think about next year. Those from the Big Apple, however, are still fighting to enter the playoffs directly. They are seventh in the East, a game and a half behind the Heat. Jalen Brunson (38 points) and Julius Randle (31), the regulars, shone tonight. But so did the newly landed Josh Hart, who had an immediate impact on his new team’s game: 11 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals in 26 minutes.
Cavs 97 – Bulls 89
The Cleveland Cavaliers reacted in time to turn around a game that had turned uphill for them in the third quarter, when they came to lose 48-61. But from that moment they linked a 43-17 run that put the game on a plate for them. It is their sixth straight victory at home, with which they follow the pace of the top three in the East (they are 4.5 victories behind the leader, Boston, and 1 from the third, the Sixers) and distance their immediate pursuer, the Nets (2.5 wins over now). Donovan Mitchell, with 19 of his 29 points in the second half, and Jarret Allen (23-10) were the best.
Warriors 103 – Lakers 109
Promising redebut of D’Angelo Russell with a Lakers who win a game almost life and death in San Francisco on the second night without LeBron James. Read the chronicle here.
Kings 133 – Mavs 128
De’Aaron Fox steals the show from the two Mavs stars in their first game together. The Kings point guard scored 26 points between the last quarter and overtime in a key victory for those from Sacramento. Read the chronicle here.
