The Boston Celtics are currently the measure of all things in the North American basketball professional league NBA.
The Celtics won the Eastern Conference top game against the Milwaukee Bucks by a clear 139-118 at Christmas and remain the team with the best record in the league. Jayson Tatum scored 41 points for the preseason finalist.
The Denver Nuggets won the top game of the Western Conference after overtime against the Phoenix Suns 128-125. Nikola Jokic stood out with 41 points and 15 assists and rebounds each. Phoenix’ star player Devin Booker had to end the game early injured.
Somewhat surprisingly, without their injured star player Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 123-109. Jordan Poole was the defending champion’s top shooter with 32 points, while Draymond Green had 13 assists and 13 rebounds.
Statue for Dirk Nowitzki
The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 124-115. The Mavs scored 51 points in the third quarter, more than any other NBA team so far this season. In addition to Luka Doncic with 32 points and nine assists and rebounds each, Christian Wood and Tim Hardaway also impressed at Dallas. The best pitcher of the game was Lakers star LeBron James with 38 points. Dennis Schröder scored seven points and recorded four assists and five rebounds for the visitors.
During the game, German legend Dirk Nowitzki was honored by the Mavericks with the unveiling of a statue in front of the American Airlines Center. The 44-year-old is Dallas’ record player.
The Philadelphia 76ers won 119-112 at the New York Knicks, their eighth game in a row – led by their star duo Joel Embiid and James Harden. Isaiah Hartenstein showed an unremarkable game with two points for the Knicks.
NBA profile of Isaiah Hartenstein
© dpa-infocom, dpa:221226-99-18154/2