After a month and a half off the court, Kevin Durant returned on Thursday with 31 points that did not prevent his Brooklyn Nets from losing 113-107 to the Miami Heat, while the Los Angeles Lakers conceded another embarrassing 21-point loss to the neighboring Clippers. .
This hectic day of the NBA also left two spectacular duels of stars.
Jayson Tatum led with 37 points the victory of the Boston Celtics against the Memphis Grizzlies of Ja Morant, who added 38, while Luka Doncic reached 41 points in the victory of the Dallas Mavericks against the Golden State Warriors of Steph Curry, who stayed with 21.
During their visit to the Nets, the Heat achieved a long-suffering victory that allows them to remain in first place in the Eastern Conference, stalked by the thriving Philadelphia 76ers led by Joel Embiid and James Harden.
Miami appeared in Brooklyn with the absence of its figures Jimmy Butler, with a problem in his left foot, and Kyle Lowry, for personal reasons, but took an important victory under the leadership of the imposing Bam Adebayo, with 30 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists.
Durant, recovered from his knee injury on January 15, left a great impression especially in the first quarter, in which he was responsible for 9 points.
“I felt very good, very comfortable and I’m only going to get better,” the 33-year-old Durant said.
With 35 minutes to play in his legs, the forward missed a decisive shot with 30 seconds remaining and Adebayo and Tyler Herro (27 points) sealed the away victory.
– Fourth loss in a row for Lakers –
In another night of humiliation, the Lakers fell 132-111 to the Clippers, who put them through a devastating 26-2 run after halftime.
LeBron James finished with 26 points and 8 rebounds while Russell Westbrook had another quiet performance with 17 points and 8 rebounds.
The Lakers left some light for hope by closing the first half just two points behind thanks to a 14-0 run capped by a brutal alley oop from Malik Monk.
After the break, the Lakers collapsed to receive a 40-18 run and then could not make up the result against a Clippers who, without the stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, won for the seventh time in a row against their glamorous neighbors.
In a painful fourth quarter, Reggie Jackson finished his recital for the Clippers with 36 points, his best mark of the season, 8 rebounds and 9 assists.
The Lakers thus added their fourth loss in a row, eleventh in the last 14 games, and begin to fear for their ninth place in the West, still in the playoff zone for the playoffs (‘play in’).
– Doncic se light Curry doors –
In another highly anticipated matchup between the young Doncic and the veteran Curry, the Mavericks handed the Warriors their third straight loss, 122-113.
Doncic marveled with 41 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists without any of the Golden State defenders being able to stop the game of the Slovenian phenomenon.
On the other hand, Curry had 21 points and 9 assists and, for the first time in his career, he remained on the court the entire fourth quarter without making a single shot.
“They caught him and took the ball out of his hands,” coach Steve Kerr said of the Mavericks’ defense.
– Tatum beats Morant –
In Boston, Jayson Tatum celebrated his 24th birthday with 37 points and a 120-107 victory for the Celtics against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Ja Morant, the great sensation of recent weeks in the NBA, recovered from a disastrous start with six missed shots to finish with 38 points for the Grizzlies.
The second half of the game turned into quite a duel between two of the greatest young talents in the NBA.
Morant added 30 points and new actions for the summaries of the day, such as a spectacular ‘alley oop’ with his left hand to a pass from Kyle Anderson.
Tatum, however, took control of the fourth quarter scoring 19 points that sealed the local victory.
“The place was electric tonight. It’s been one of those moments where two guys go head to head and do whatever it takes to lead their team to victory,” Tatum said of the Morant matchup.
Thursday’s results in the NBA:
Atlanta Hawks – Chicago Bulls 130-124
Boston Celtics – Memphis Grizzlies 120-107
Brooklyn Nets – Miami Heat 107-113
Toronto Raptors – Detroit Pistons 106-108
Dallas Mavericks – Golden State Warriors 122-113
San Antonio Spurs – Sacramento Kings 112-115
LA Clippers – LA Lakers 132-111
gbv/dbh
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