The match: Miami confirms its supremacy in the East
There was a taste of the playoffs, and maybe even the Conference finals, when Miami and Boston clashed on Wednesday night. Two teams that are among the favorites for the title. Two teams battling for first place in the East. But there could only be one winner. In this case the Heat, who won 106-98 on the floor of the Celtics.
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Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry were the main architects of this important victory by registering 24 and 23 points respectively. The Florida franchise surfed on their performance to dominate the fourth quarter (27-15) and thus win. The Celtics notably stalled at 98-96 by missing an opportunity to equalize on three consecutive possessions. With this success, Miami takes a little lead over Boston in the standings.
The player: Luka Doncic fantastic against Cleveland
Author of a triple-double against the Lakers the day before, Luka Doncic almost did it again against the Cavaliers on Wednesday night. He went to a small rebound. But his performance remains masterful with 35 points, 9 rebounds and 13 assists to lead his Mavericks to another victory (120-112). Many Slovenians made the trip to Cleveland to see him play and the leader of Dallas wanted to treat his compatriots. He notably took the game on his own in the third quarter by scoring 20 of his team’s 39 points over the period.
The Texan players then widened the gap to count 11 lengths ahead at the start of the last 12 minutes (100-89). But the Cavaliers, carried by 32 points from Caris LeVert, remained more or less in contact until Doncic delivered the coup de grace with an award-winning basket less than 5 minutes from the final siren (116-103). The Dallas crack is definitely in great shape and he’s ready for the playoffs.
The performance: Nikola Jokic strengthens his candidacy for the MVP
Only a few days left before the end of the regular season and the election of the MVP by a panel of journalists. So it’s time to make an impression. Nikola Jokic, winner the previous season and big favorite for a double, understood this well. The Serb was imperial last night compiling 37 points, 13 rebounds and 9 assists against Indiana.
Despite this, Denver was scared by wasting a 31-point lead to finally chase the score (100-102) during the fourth quarter. The Nuggets still ended up winning 125-118.
Cardboard: Trae Young blows up the counters
It took just three quarters for Trae Young to lead the Hawks to victory over the Thunder. In success, the All-Star point guard scored 30 points in the first period to knock out his opponents. He added 11 points in the third quarter to finish with 41 points and 8 assists in just 29 minutes. Impressive.
The image: CJ McCollum given a standing ovation for his return to Portland
Transferred to the Pelicans in February after 8 years of good and loyal service to the Blazers, CJ McCollum was welcomed as it should be by his former supporters. Once the emotion passed, he scored 25 points to lead his new team to victory (117-107).
The French: Evan Fournier scores in vain
Evan Fournier tried everything to win the Knicks but it wasn’t enough. New York lost to Charlotte (114-125) despite Evan Fournier’s 30 points. The Frenchman notably converted 6 of his 8 attempts behind the arc. Very good performance from Théo Maledon, author of 18 points and 8 assists despite the defeat of the Thunder against the Hawks. His teammate Olivier Sarr compiled 17 points and 9 rebounds. Opposite, Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot started and finished with 10 points.
The results of the night in the NBA
Cavaliers – Mavericks : 112-120
Pacers – Nuggets : 118-125
Wizards – Magic : 127-110
Celtics – Heat : 98-106
Knicks – Hornets : 114-125
Raptors – Timberwolves : 125-102
Rockets – Kings : 118-121
Thunder – Hawks : 118-136
Spurs – Grizzlies : 111-112
Trail Blazers – Grizzlies : 107-117
Warriors – Suns : 103-107
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