Led by 17 points at the break, the Phoenix Suns, sublimated by Devin Booker (58 points!), ended up nailing the beak of the New Orleans Pelicans (118-111), Saturday, during an NBA evening also marked by the surprise defeat of the Grizzlies against the Thunder (115-109).
In Arizona, the Suns’ deficit even reached 24 points at the start of the third quarter, but Booker put the turbo on, scoring a whopping 36 points during the second period.
Unprecedented the stratospheric performance of the back of Phoenix? Barely, since he had already scored more than 50 points (51) against Chicago at the end of November. For his eighth season in the NBA, the native of Michigan thus becomes at 26 the sixth youngest player in the league to reach 12,000 points.
Facing him, Zion Williamson did not deserve, scoring 30 points, but New Orleans could not resist the flashback of Phoenix, who were already only five units behind at the end of the third quarter. .
And if the Pelicans had beaten the Suns twice recently, the Louisiana franchise has a third loss in a row which tarnishes their excellent start to the season a little, with an 18-11 record.
Fortunately for “New Orleans”, the damage is limited to the standings since the leader Memphis (19-10) also lost, to everyone’s surprise, in Oklahoma, after a series of seven victories.
– Ja Morant passes by –
Ja Morant, author of a triple-double two days earlier in the clash against the Bucks, this time missed out (6 pts, 5 rebounds, 2 assists), during a truncated game for him: the star of Grizzlies was sent off just before the break after picking up two technical fouls for unkind comments to the referees.
Memphis was then already left behind (61-40) and failed to raise the bar despite Dillon Brooks’ six three-point baskets (32 pts in total).
On the side of “OKC”, deprived of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey, Lu Dort and Isaiah Joe scored 24 and 23 points respectively, allowing the Thunder to stop a series of five defeats.
In Cleveland, in the “Cavs-Mavs” duel, the last word went to the first named, thanks to a victorious dunk from Jarrett Allen (100-99), in what constitutes the fifth success in as many extensions this season for Cleveland !
Previously, Donovan Mitchell (25 points) had kept the Cavaliers afloat, occupying a solid third place in the East (20-11), on the lookout for a faux pas from Milwaukee.
But this one did not intervene on Saturday evening since the Bucks (21-8) did not tremble against the Utah Jazz (123-97), despite the absence of their big star, Giannis Antetokounmpo, injured in a knee.
– Mexican ambitions –
On the West Coast, Kawhi Leonard took time to find the rhythm, with a 0/4 shooting in the first quarter, but finally allowed, with 31 points – his record this season – the Clippers to dominate the Washington Wizards (102-93). LA remains in the right rhythm in the standings (7th, 18-14).
Further south, Mexico returned to the NBA during a match between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, in front of more than 20,000 spectators.
It was the Spurs who got off to the best start, but the Floridians tightened the game in defense in the last act, to win 110-101.
Jimmy Butler scored 26 points as NBA commissioner Adam Silver looked on as he reaffirmed Mexico’s League ambitions.
“When you look at the success we have had in Canada, in the North, since the beginning of the 90s, it seems perfectly logical to me to want to develop in the South as well,” commented Silver before the meeting. “I don’t have a detailed schedule at this stage (…) but there is no doubt that we will seriously look at Mexico City in the future,” he added.