Boston owes its 24th win in 34 games, and strengthening its league-best team record, to Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum, as the former scored 13 of his 29 points in the final quarter, and the latter shone by scoring 41 points.
Tatum played the main role in his team’s victory after scoring 20 points in the third quarter, widening the difference from one point early in the quarter to 14 points at 100-86 at the end, before Brown took the lead in the final quarter. fourth, attacking and defending Greek Pax star Yannis Antitokonmpo, who scored A-27 points with 9 rebounds, not sparing his team their 11th loss in 33 games.
Tatum commented on the victory, saying, “They are among the best teams in the league and it’s always special to play on Christmas Day. All we wanted was to give our fans a gift and come out victorious.”
Tatum succeeded on 14 of his 22 attempts, adding 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
Tatum had assists in scoring from all 11 other players in the match, most notably Brown, who managed 11 of his 19 attempts, including 5 of 9 hat-tricks.
Tatum praised his teammate Brown, saying, “He was aggressive. He lived up to the responsibility when we needed him most, especially early in the fourth quarter. We always believe in him.”
Eighth straight win for the Sixers
Cameroonians Joel Embiid and James Harden led the Philadelphia Seventy Sixers to their 28th straight victory in 32 games, over New York Nice 119-112, after the former scored 35 points with 8 rebounds and the latter 29 with 13 assists.
Julius Randle’s 35 points weren’t enough to save the Knicks from a third straight loss and 16th this season, after a game in which they looked closer to victory thanks to a 14-point halftime lead.
But the Sixers stuck close to their visitor, and then the rudder shifted in their favor in the fourth quarter, courtesy of four hat-tricks by Senegalese native George Niang.
The Denver Nuggets earned their fourth and seventh straight wins in their last eight games, defeating the Phoenix Suns 128-125 after the extension, solidifying their lead in the West Region with 21 wins in 32 games.
The Nuggets owe this victory to Serbian Nikola Jokic, who scored 41 points with 15 rebounds and 15 assists, while Aaron Gordon contributed 28 points with 13 rebounds and Jamal Murray 26 with 5 rebounds and as many assists.
Jokic commented on his great performance, saying after hitting the seventh “Triple Double” for the 83rd season of his career, “It’s beautiful, but it’s only one game. Anyone can play a good game.”
And the Nuggets turned into this win, which they also owe to Murray, as they were credited with the 113-113 tie 11 seconds before the end of the fourth quarter with an exhibition field goal, taking the West Region lead, with one game difference against the Memphis Grizzlies, who lost to the defending champion Golden State Warriors 109-123 in a game in which the latter, Jordan Paul, made up for the absence of Stephen Curry, who was injured in shoulder , in the best way, after scoring 32 points despite being sent off in the last 9.20 minutes.
Fourth consecutive loss for the Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers suffered their 24th straight loss this season, falling to the Dallas Mavericks 115-124 after failing to stop Slovenian star Luka Doncic, who scored 32 points, 9 rebounds and as many assists in a game where the his host unveiled a statue of his former German star Dirk Nowitzki, who carried him to the Scudetto in 2011.
Despite the efforts of LeBron James, who was the leading scorer of the game with 38 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, the Lakers could not maintain the progress built at the end of the first half (54-43), and actually lost the game in the third quarter, which was decided by the Mavericks 51 to 21. Joining his host with loss in his fourth game without his other star, Anthony Davis, who injured his right foot.
