These have been the results of the day of Friday in the NBA:
DETROIT PISTONS 110-NEW ORLEANS PELICANS 116
INDIANA PACERS 111-ATLANTA HAWKS 113
WASHINGTON WIZARDS 108-NEW YORK KNICKS 112
SAN ANTONIO SPURS 113-GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS 144
CHICAGO BULLS 110-OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES 121-PHOENIX SUNS 116
UTAH JAZZ 112-ORLANDO MAGIC 108
SACRAMENTO KINGS 139-HOUSTON ROCKETS 114
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS 103-DENVER NUGGETS 115
The night in LA left bad news for the Clippers, who lost (103-115) against the Nuggets, a small disaster if you take into account that Nikola Jokic did not play, due to discomfort in a wrist, and that the Angelenos had played a good first half that was ruined later: 45-58 in the second, when the Nuggets maintained the offensive rhythm and they did not. As simple as that. The problems in the direction were once again alarming, and the losses were once again lethal after having them under control until the break. Kawhi Leonard (24 points, 8 rebounds) did not give an assist in the second half, in which his team did not know how to take advantage of the absence of the double MVP and conceded the seventh loss in eight games, bad thing. The Clippers return to 50% victories and are sixth in the West… but with the same defeats as the twelfth and only one less than the thirteenth.
If the Clippers spend weeks without picking up the pace that should make them a fearsome team in the West (that was and still is, while there is time, their goal), and they continue without the injured Paul George, the Nuggets took a bath of optimism. . Any victory without Jokic is more than a victory, and this season they are 2-2 without the Serbian genius. The team goes further Jamal Murray begins to look more like himself after his serious knee injury (24 points) and Michael Porter Jr is also showing signs of life (22). The Nuggets lead the West (29-13) with a half game advantage over the Grizzlies and, something important already, three and a half over the third. The Clippers showed that, at this moment, they are very far from that level and missed the opportunity to raise the piston a little more after their victory against the Mavericks. So far nothing.
Sabonis leads a happy Kings
Another of the winners of the night in the West were the Kings, who beat the Rockets (139-114) in almost the same way as two days before (135-115): allowing them to have a game in the first half and then breaking it without too many problems. It helps that the rival is a broken toy, the worst team in the NBA by record (10-32) and certainly by sensations. The reconstruction of the Rockets is being very suffered: There are fourteen defeats in fifteen games. The Kings, after their bitter defeat against the Lakers, have taken advantage of a stretch downhill of the calendar (Magic, Rockets, Rockets and now Spurs before visiting the Lakers again) to settle with an excellent 23-18. They are five games above 50% for the first time since 2006. And they are fourth in the West, closer and closer to putting a foot in the end of the curse without playoffs. They take four games to the eleventh and two and a half to the seventh, the borders of the play in.
The game was 75-75 at minute 27, but was 101-83 five minutes later. Domantas Sabonis was the conductor once again: 19 points, 15 rebounds and 16 assists with 2 steals and 2 blocks. His fourth triple-double of the season, the first game in those numbers since Larry Bird and the first for the franchise since Oscar Robertson billed them like hotcakes when the team was still, the prehistory, Cincinnati Royals. In an offensive flurry, Harrison Barnes added 27 points with a 5/8 triple, Fox finished with 24+5+5 and Terence Davis with 22. A happiness that contrasts with the horror of the Rockets, who at least saw Jabari Smith Jr, his 3 from the last draft, at his best level: 27 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks. And to Jalen Green, the 2 of the previous one, in another 27 points. And nothing more, from defeat to defeat. Usman Garuba played 16 minutes and finished with 2 points and 3 rebounds.
The Thunder, in the fight for the playoffs
And it was also a very good night for the Thunder, of course. A team whose reconstruction right now seems much healthier than that of the Rockets and which has four victories in five games and in two days they have won by 19 in Philadelphia and by 14 in Chicago (110-124). It is now a 20-23 that leaves the Thunder halfway through play in and, if you want to look further up, one and a half out of sixth in a West in which nobody knows anything. In Chicago, the team showed enormous maturity. After a downhill first half (58-72), an 18-point lead in the third quarter was almost completely gone: 90-91 at the start of the last quarter. There the Thunder dominated again (32-19 the third quarter, 20-33 the last) and took advantage of a trail of errors by the Bulls to ensure a great victory. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 21 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals, Josh Giddey with 25+10+6 and the excellent rookie Jalen Williams, at 22+8+3 with 10/12 shooting. Very good feelings for a team that is going to spend the entire season without Chet Holmgrenwhich will be a de facto signing the next course. Beware of them.
The Bulls, without DeMar DeRozan, are very little. Three straight losses, 19-24 and the feeling that they can miss even the train of the play in for when the escort returns. Also, Zach LaVine was upset after a game in which he scored 25 points but shot 5/19 from the field (14/15 from the foul line). 16 turnovers gave the Thunder 23 points, a luxury the Bulls can’t afford right now.
Knicks and Hawks victories in the East
The Knicks, without making too much noise, they have won six of their last seven games and are 24-19, sixth in the Eastern Conference. The Wizards are in the opposite direction and have lost four in five games, but they tried until the end (108-112) led by Kyle Kuzma (40 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists), who led a furious reaction in the game. section that closed the game that did not end in a comeback due to cold blood and the excellent level that Jalen Brunson continues to show: 34+8+8 for a player aiming for the All Star. In addition, Julius Randle finished at 23+16 for some Knicks settled in the temperate zone of the East, a section of the classification that these Wizards already see far away without Bradley Beal: 18-25, a game and a half behind play in.
An even more dramatic end in Indiana, where the Hawks beat the Pacers (111-113) on a John Collins tap-in at the last second. Trae Young missed a long-range 3-pointer, Dejounte Murray missed the first attacking rebound and Collins hit the second. The Hawks are placed 20-22, ninth in the East, and cut distance to the Pacers, seventh (23-20, still positive).
For the Hawks, surrounded by tumultuous news regarding the state of the franchise, all wins matter. Trae Young had 26 points and 11 assists while shooting 6/10 on 3-pointers. And De’Andre Hunter 25 with a 6/9. Dejounte Murray (18+8+6) supported from the outside and Onyeka Okongwu played the best game of his NBA career: 18 points, 20 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks. Good news … although, with all that, they needed a final reaction and that slap from Collins against a Pacers without Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner. The exceptional rookie Bennedict Mathurin started and finished with 26 points. Hield had 18 and they did a lot of work from second unit Jalen Smith, Brissett and McConnell. But the Pacers did not know how to close the victory: with 107-108, Mathurin scored but missed the additional free throw (109-108); Then came a triple by Trae, two free throws by Hield (111-111) and the final action in which the Hawks rebounded twice in attack to avoid overtime.