NBA Game Highlights and Statistics: Rockets dominate Raptors, Magic stage incredible comeback, and Zion Williamson’s game-winning shot

2024-02-03 06:36:00

The Orlando Magic around Franz and Moritz Wagner turn around a big deficit against the Minnesota Timberwolves and dominate in the fourth quarter, where Zion Williamson scored the decisive goal for the New Orleans Pelicans over Victor Wembanyama from the San Antonio Spurs.

For the Kings and Hawks, some stars without All-Star nominations perhaps played big with a little extra motivation, and the Clippers are celebrating a milestone from Russell Westbrook. With Dennis Schröder and the Toronto Raptors, there was only something to celebrate for the opponent.

Washington Wizards (9-39) – Miami Heat (26-23) 102:110 (BOXSCORE)

• The Heat’s first half was again unconvincing, but Miami won the third quarter 31:15 and with it the game. Jimmy Butler put up 24 points on 7/10 FG and grabbed 5 of his 9 rebounds at the opponent’s rim. “We lost a few games because I wasn’t as aggressive as I should be,” he revealed afterwards: “We talked about the fact that that has to change.”
• Bam Adebayo followed up with 20 points on 8/14 from the field and 14 rebounds, Tyler Herro (6/19 FG) and Terry Rozier (2/13) struggled with weak shooting rates to 15 points and 5 assists each. Kevin Love (4/5) scored significantly better off the bench on his way to a very quick double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds in just 15 minutes.
• For the Wizards, Corey Kispert was the top scorer with a season high of 26 points, the shooter hit 10/18 from the field and 6/14 from downtown without a turnover in just under 31 minutes coming off the bench. Jordan Poole (16, 6/21 FG, 10 assists) and Daniel Gafford (11, 14 rebounds) recorded double-doubles.

Detroit Pistons (6-42) – L.A. Clippers (32-15) 125:136 (BOXSCORE)

• The Clippers have several players with a lot of points in their careers, Russell Westbrook has now become part of an exclusive club after James Harden did so in November. Just under three minutes before the end, Westbrook (10/13 FG, 9 assists) celebrated his 23rd point of the game and 25,000th point of his career with his teammates.
• “I’m so grateful to play in this team,” he said afterwards: “I don’t take any of this for granted.” LA was down by as many as 14 points in the first quarter, but then really got going and finished the game with almost 60 percent shooting from the field and almost 50 percent from downtown (14/29). Kawhi Leonard led the way with 33 points on 6/8 triples.
• Daniel Theis (2/3 FG) finished less but still collected more points (5) than Harden (4) in just under 17 minutes off the bench. The bearded man was the only Clipper without luck (1/10), but contributed with 6 assists.
• On the other side, Jaden Ivey (28, 5 offensive rebounds), Bojan Bogdanovic (26, 6/9 3P) and Marcus Sasser (21, 5/6 3P), Cade Cunningham (16, 11 assists) and Jalen Duren (11 , 13 rebounds) contributed double-doubles.

Indiana Pacers (27-23) – Sacramento Kings (28-19) 122:133 (BOXSCORE)

• For Domantas Sabonis, it wasn’t just against his former team, it was about history and probably a statement to the entire league after he, like his teammate De’Aaron Fox, was not nominated as an All-Star. With 26 points (9/14 FG), 11 rebounds and 7 assists, he led his team to victory and broke Oscar Robertson’s record with his 30th double-double in a row.
• Fox also had a good game with 25 points on 11/21 from the field and 6 steals, Malik Monk (23, 6 assists) and Harrison Barnes (22, 3 steals) provided further support. The Kings shot 56.7 percent from the field.
• The Pacers’ hit rate (54.1 percent) wasn’t much worse, but their 22 turnovers were the nail in the coffin. 5 of them each went to Pascal Siakam (22.10/15 FG), Bennedict Mathurin (31, 10/14) and Tyrese Haliburton (14, 1 assist), who only played 21 minutes off the bench and was obviously physical not at 100 percent due to a thigh injury.

Atlanta Hawks (21-27) – Phoenix Suns (28-21) 129:120 (BOXSCORE)

• There is also a well-known player in Atlanta, who may have been given a little additional motivation by the lack of an All-Star nomination. We are of course talking about Trae Young, who put up 32 points with 12/17 FG and 7/11 triples as well as 15 assists, so 7 turnovers can also be taken into account.
• “Of course Trae wants to play in the All-Star Game, everyone in this league wants that,” said Hawks coach Quin Snyder, but continued: “But he doesn’t play for awards, he plays to win. You saw that tonight. ” Sixth man Bogdan Bogdanovic (23, 5 assists) and Dejounte Murray (22, 5 assists) were also helpful.
• On the other hand, there was a little more support from the reserves (21 points), the starters scored quite well, led by Kevin Durant (35, 14/24, 8 rebounds, 8 assists). Devin Booker followed suit with 24 points, only Bradley Beal (14, 10 assists) didn’t score well with 5/16 FG.

San Antonio Spurs (10-39) – New Orleans Pelicans (28-21) 113:114 (BOXSCORE)

• A block against Victor Wembanyama probably already feels special, 10 seconds before winning a close game is a real reason to celebrate. Brandon Ingram also did this after his strong defensive action under the basket, before Zion Williamson got through to the basket for the second attack in a row and finished successfully, this time making the final score 114:113. With 4 seconds on the clock, the Spurs got the ball to Devin Vassell, but his difficult pullup from downtown didn’t find the target.
• “I don’t know how he gets it in,” Jose Alvarado said afterwards about Williamson’s last goal: “He goes to the basket at full speed, three players are waiting for him. Wemby was one of them, an outstanding shot blocker. Nevertheless, Zion gets it Ball high over the glass.” Wembanyama (16, 7/14 FG) had actually blocked Williamson two attacks before, he filled the box score with 5 of his 14 rebounds at the opponent’s ring, 7 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks, but also 6 turnovers in just under 28 minutes.
• Vassell was the Spurs’ top scorer with 28 points (11/21 FG), Jeremy Sochan (15) and Wembanyama sieged the opposing backboard for 7 of his 16 rebounds. For the Pelicans, Williamson led the way with 33 points (12/21 FG) and 8 rebounds, CJ McCollum followed with 21 points and 4 assists.

Oklahoma City Thunder (34-15) – Charlotte Hornets (10-37) 126:106 (BOXSCORE)

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had nothing left to prove as a Western Conference starter to make the All-Star team, but his teammates appear to continue to be impressed with him. With an elite defender like Lu Dort (8 points, 3/4 FG), SGA’s defense is particularly well received. “He is very communicative in defense, he announces all the plans. His aggression infects the rest of the team and we get into a lot of transition,” praised Dort.
• Against the Hornets, SGA stole the ball five times and blocked three shots. He was also very successful offensively with 31 points (11/15 FG) and 9 assists, and after just under 30 minutes he was able to call it a day with a confident victory. All available Thunder except Davis Bertans played and were on the floor for at least 7 minutes.
• Charlotte hasn’t had many wins for a few weeks now, but Brandon Miller continues his promising rookie season with 28 points (5/8 triples), 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Miles Bridges didn’t have a good night with 9 points on 3/16 from the field.

Minnesota Timberwolves (34-15) – Orlando Magic (26-23) 106:108 (BOXSCORE)

• Strong comeback from the Magic, who were already down by 17 points early in the second quarter. Orlando was behind again in the first few minutes of the fourth quarter, but really turned up the heat defensively and took the lead until the final whistle. The Magic won the final period 28:18, with Anthony Edwards reducing the score to 106:108 with a downtown shot just 2 seconds before the end.
• “We’ve been behind a lot over the last few years and have learned to keep catching up,” said Jalen Suggs (15 points) afterwards: “Now we’re learning to finish the games. Sometimes it works better, sometimes worse, but you sees our progress. And we enjoy it.” Against Minnesota, the starters took on most of the responsibility on offense, with all five scoring in double figures.
• The top scorer was Paolo Banchero with 23 points (10/20 FG) and 6 assists, Wendell Carter (18) grabbed 12 rebounds. Franz Wagner lacked success downtown (0/5), but he still had a solid game with 19 points (7/17 FG), 5 assists and 2 steals. Moritz Wagner contributed 8 points (2/3 FG) and 4 rebounds in just under 11 minutes off the bench.
• For the Wolves, Edwards (9/18 FG, 5 assists) and Rudy Gobert (6/7 FG, 10/11 FT, 16 rebounds) were the top scorers with 22 points each, Karl-Anthony Towns (19, 7/17 FG ) committed 6 turnovers. Mike Conley didn’t find his shooting touch (4, 1/9 FG), but collected 9 assists and 3 steals.

Memphis Grizzlies (18-31) – Golden State Warriors (21-24) 101:121 (BOXSCORE)

• The Warriors’ season has been disappointing in many ways, but Jonathan Kuminga continues to be a bright spot. Against the Grizzlies, this was expressed with 29 points on 11/15 from the field, 4 assists and 2 steals in almost 37 minutes on the floor, despite the game being decided early. “The game has slowed down for him,” praised Warriors coach Steve Kerr: “He understands when and how to attack. He’s just so strong and explosive on the way to the basket.”
• The role of Kevon Looney (9, 4/4 FG) remains noticeably small; in keeping with the trend of the past few weeks, the center was only used as a reserve for 11 minutes. In addition to Draymond Green (9, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks) and Kuminga, Andrew Wiggins (9, 3/8 FG) started again in the frontcourt, but was somewhat passive after several strong games in a row.
• However, he was able to afford that given the strong performance of his teammates. Brandin Podziemski (12) doubled his previous best with 14 assists in 34 minutes coming off the bench, Stephen Curry put up 20 points (6/16 FG) and 6 assists. Jaren Jackson Jr. was the Grizzlies’ top scorer with 27 points (8/21 FG).

Houston Rockets (23-25) – Toronto Raptors (17-31) 135:106 (BOXSCORE)

• The attrition for Toronto became apparent early on, the Rockets led by 15 points in the first quarter and then didn’t let the Raptors get back into the single digits. “They are a team that likes to score points in transition, but can be punished defensively,” analyzed Rockets coach Ime Udoka, who put his starters on the bench after three quarters.
• Otherwise, Cam Whitmore would probably have set his new record higher than 25 points (10/17 FG) in just under 21 minutes, while Alperen Sengün (24, 10/14 FG; 13 rebounds, 8 assists) might have achieved a triple-double . In addition to Whitmore, the second Rockets rookie Amen Thompson was also in a very good mood with 19 points on 9/11 from the field as well as 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.
• For the Raptors, Scottie Barnes (28, 10/17 FG, 4 assists) and Immanuel Quickley (25, 6/11 3P, 6 assists) provided resistance. Dennis Schröder came off the bench with 8 points, his three-pointer, in 22 minutes (0/5) didn’t want to fall.

Denver Nuggets (34-16) – Portland Trail Blazers (15-34) 120:108 (BOXSCORE)

• Some spectators hardly notice Nikola Jokic’s monster performance with 27 points (11/16 FG), 7 of his 22 rebounds at the opponent’s ring and 12 assists, but Nuggets coach Michael Malone wants to counteract this. “People should remember what life was like here before Nikola Jokic. They think it’s always been like this. No, it wasn’t. Don’t do that, don’t lie to yourself,” he said after the 15th triple. Double of the season, with which the Joker leads the league.
• Jamal Murray (13) provided another 10 of the 34 Nuggets assists, but he also single-handedly (3/15) reduced the Nuggets’ three-point rate. Denver still shot over 50 percent from the field and Aaron Gordon (18, 7/9 FG, 5 assists) was in good shape.
• The Blazers’ two most important young players shone in the rebuild. Scoot Henderson put up 30 points (8/15 FG, 11/12 FT) in just under 37 minutes off the bench, Anfernee Simons (11/23 FG) was just behind with 29 points. Jerami Grant was absent due to illness.

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