- phoenix suns 127 – 124 sacramento kings
On the move on the floor of the Golden 1 Center of Sacramento, the Phoenix Suns had to battle against the Kings. The players of Monty Williams finally come out with 127 124 but will still have to play extra time before signing their 58th victory of the season. Dominated for two and a half quarters, Devin Booker & co fought a good battle until the last minutes of regulation time. Booker even thought he had done the hard part by scoring a bryantesque jumper less than 10 seconds from the end of the match but on the next possession, Davion Mitchell equalizes and sends everyone into overtime for another five minutes. The overtime is also disputed until the last thirty seconds. Landry Shamet plants a big three-pointer and behind the Kings are holed up on several possessions and end up surrendering after a small game of free throws.
Devin Booker is once again the Suns boss. The fullback finished with 31 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists 11/21 on shots. He is second to Mikal Bridges and his 27 points. Nice double-double for DeAndre Ayton : 12 points and 10 rebounds in 27 minutes of play. The interior of the Suns ended up being expelled for 6 faults. off the bench, Aaron Holiday provides 9 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds. JaVale McGee is not outdone either with 14 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. Finally, Landry Shamet shines with his 21 points 5/9 three points. On the Suns side, the defeat was bitter as the Kings’ performance was good. Domantas Sabonis had to go out injured after being hit in the knee. The interior finished all the same with 18 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists but his absence weighed late in the game. 28 points for Davion Mitchell, 21 for Harrison Barnes. 26 cumulative points for the pair Damion Jones – Donte DiVicenzo off the bench.
- New Orleans pelicans 117 – 112 Atlanta hawks
This is the good operation of the evening. Without Brandon Ingram, still injured, the Pelicans moved on the floor of the Atlanta Hawks. In a meeting that they will have mastered almost from one end to the other, the players of Willie Green almost got caught in the money time. While they were almost 20 points ahead at the start of the 4th quarter, the Pelicans saw the Hawks come back tied 2 minutes from the end of the game (108 – 108). Despite this comeback, New Orleans did not crack and after a basket of Jos Alvarado and a few throws of Jonas Valančiūnas, NOLA wins 117,112 and signs its thirtieth victory of the season. Even better with this victory, NOLA players have the same record as the Lakers (30 – 41) but thanks to the tie-breaker in their favor, they are 9th in the Western Conference ahead of the Californians. If we stopped the season here, the Pelicans would therefore play the Play-In with home advantage for their first game. Something still unthinkable before the All-Star Break.
Le duo Jonas Valanciunas – CJ McCollum was normal tonight. The first finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists 10/16 on shots while the second finished with 25 points and 8 assists. Around this duo, young people have a blast. Herbert Jones scores 11 points and steals 4 balls. 12 points and 12 rebounds for Jaxson Hayes. Finally off the bench, Willy Hernangomez and Jos Alvarado were decisive scoring 17 and 15 points respectively. On the Hawks side, it was a game not to lose. There was the possibility of stealing 9th place from the Hornets and getting closer to 8th place from the Nets. Bring Young was catastrophic. The leader of the Hawks finished with 21 points and 10 assists but 5/14 on shots and losing 7 balls alone, almost half of his team’s turnovers. Danilo Gallinari finished top scorer of the match with his 27 points but that was not enough.
- Boston celtics 124 – 104 Denver nuggets
Boston continues to crush everything in its path. The Celtics traveled to Colorado to challenge the MVP Nuggets Nikola Jokic. This poster between the 4th of the Eastern Conference and the 6th of the Western Conference will have lasted only 12 minutes. After the first quarter, Boston took control of the game never to let them go. Ime Udoka players walk behind their duo Jayson Tatum – Jaylen Brown. The two young Boston players sign their second straight game 30 points each. This is the sixth time this season that the duo has achieved a performance of this type, a record in the history of the Boston franchise. The C’s sign their 44th victory of the season and are now eyeing third place Milwaukee and second place Philadelphia. Since the arrival of Derrick White, Boston has a record of 13 wins and 3 losses, has the best defense in the league and is having an exceptional second half of the season. And to think that the start of the season had been completely missed… On the other hand for Denver, this defeat hurts. With now a record of 42 wins and 30 losses, the Nuggets are tied with Minnesota but still lose a place due to a tie-breaker unfavorable to Wolves. Denver is 7th in the West this morning and therefore in play-in…
Jayson Tatum finishes with 30 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds in addition to the MVP poster of the night. Jaylen Brown adds 30 points and 6 rebounds 12/19 on shots. 8 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks for Robert Williams III while off the bench Payton Pritchard breaks out with his 17 points. Finally ct Nuggets, Nikola Jokic finished the game with 23 points (8/23 on shots), 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Aaron Gordon is the only other player in the major five to exceed 10 points (12). Next meeting for the Nuggets? It will be against a direct competitor that they could moreover find in play-in : the Clippers.
Indiana Pacers 129 – 98 Portland Trail Blazers
Memphis Grizzlies 122 – 98 Houston Rockets
Orlando Magic 90 – 85 Oklahoma City Thunder
Phoenix Suns 127 – 124 Sacramento Kings
New Orleans Pelicans 117 – 112 Atlanta Hawks
Utah Jazz 108 – 93 New York Knicks
Boston Celtics 124 – 104 Denver Nuggets
Toronto Raptors 93 – 88 Philadelphie Sixers
San Antonio Spurs 110 – 108 Golden State Warriors