Posted April 6, 2021 at 7:30 am – Updated April 6, 2021 at 9:46 am Guillaume MARION
By dominating New York during the derby (114-112), Brooklyn took the lead in the Eastern Conference just tonight. In the West, Phoenix dominated Houston (130-133) and moved closer to 1st place, because Utah was simultaneously defeated by Dallas (111-103).
Game of the night: Brooklyn Nets – New York Knicks
Although deprived of Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin for this meeting, then quickly James Harden, the Nets dominated the Knicks in the New York derby (114-112). Almost alone against everyone, Kyrie Irving had to do everything he could to allow his team to win at Barclays Center. Author of 40 points and 7 assists, the Brooklyn leader was strong, well supported by Jeff Green (23 points) and Joe Harris (16 points and 8 rebounds). Above all that in front, Tom Thibodeau’s team sold its skin dearly leading before and after the break, with a gap that amounts to 14 units. But the third quarter woke up the Nets (32-21), who then took control of the game, but were scared until the end. Very visible during the derby, Julius Randle (19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists) was not far from giving the victory to his people when the bell rang. Thanks to this 35th win in 51 games, Steve Nash’s players seized the opportunity to take the lead in the Eastern Conference alone, ahead of Philadelphia and Milwaukee.
MVP of the night: Devin Booker
Travel to Texas to challenge the Houston Rockets, Phoenix was able to count on a very good Devin Booker to sign a sixth consecutive victory, and thus consolidate its second place in the West. Against one of the worst teams of the season (14th in his Conference), the Suns No. 1 shone offensively with 36 points in particular (11/20 shooting, including 6/8 three points, and 8/9 shooting ), 6 rebounds and 6 assists in 36 minutes. While the gap seemed large on paper between the two franchises, Phoenix was scared at the Toyota Center, having counted as many as 15 bodies ahead after halftime. Houston’s strong finish to the game, however, allowed Booker to catch fire with 18 points in the fourth quarter. Very clean behind the three-point line, the rear took the Suns out of a bad posture and was, therefore, the great architect of the 35th victory of the season for his team. The Kentucky-trained player will inevitably be expected again in two days for the clash against Utah, which could allow his team to get very close to the leadership in the West.
The failure of the night: Utah Jazz
As Utah stayed on a nine-game winning streak, the Jazz fell tonight in Texas. At the American Airlines Center, Dallas, still deprived of Kristaps Porzingis, signed a great coup in his lair (111-103). Obviously, Luka Doncic is no stranger to all this with 31 points (including 6 of 11 with three points), 9 rebounds and 8 assists to his credit. In addition to the Slovenian prodigy, the Mavericks were able to count on Dorian Finney-Smith (23 points), Jalen Brunson (20 points), Josh Richardson (17 points) and Tim Hardaway Jr (16 points) to bring down the current best team in the NBA. Dans le coup, les coéquipiers de Rudy Gobert (14 points et 15 rebonds) ont lâché dans le 2eme et 3eme quart-temps with a 60-44 encaissé in 24 minutes et fatal à l’arrivée, malgré une end of match plutôt à leur advantage. If Mike Conley (28 points and 7 assists) was also present for the Jazz, Donovan Mitchell missed despite his 16 points (6 of 23 shots…). With this victory, Dallas signs a fifth consecutive success and approaches sixth place, in the hands of Portland. By contrast, with this 12th loss of the season in 50 games, Utah sees Phoenix return before the long-awaited showdown between the two franchises on April 8 in Arizona.
The Frenchman of the Night: Killian Hayes
If the duel between Oklahoma City (13th in the East) and Detroit (15th in the East) was not of great interest. At least it allowed to see the French shine tonight in the NBA. In fact, there were four playing on the court of the Chesapeake Energy Arena, with Théo Maledon and Jaylen Hoard, who signed a two-way contract with the Thunder, on the one hand, and Sekou Doumbouya and Killian Hayes, back from injury, in the other. If he did not shine more than the others, the latter gathers momentum for his second game after his hip injury, which has kept him away from the field since the beginning of January. On the night from Monday to Tuesday, the Pistons leader started again on the bench but played 25 minutes. With 9 points (on 4/9 shooting, including 1/4 on three points), 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 fouls, 4 steals and 3 turnovers and 2 blocks to his credit, The player who went through Cholet was quite interesting and little by little he regains his rhythm, before why not find his place in the five headlines of his franchise.
The top 10 of the night:
BASKET – NBA / REGULAR SEASON
Monday, April 5, 2021
Brooklyn networks – New York Knicks: 114-112
> Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot (BKN): 9 points (2/7 shooting, including 1/4 on three points and 4/4 on free throws), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 fouls, 1 interception and 1 against in 32 minutes
> Frank Ntilikina (NYK) did not play
The rebels of Dallas – Utah Jazz: 111-103
> Rudy Gobert (UTA): 14 points (6/6 in shooting and 2/3 in free throws), 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 foul, 1 loose ball and 2 blocks in 34 minutes
Timberwolves de Minnesota – Sacramento Kings: 116-106
Oklahoma City thunder – Detroit Pistons : 108-132
> Jaylen Hoard (OKC): 10 points (4/10 on shots, including 0/1 on three points, and 2/2 on free throws), 6 rebounds, 1 foul, 1 interception, 3 lost balls and 1 against in 22 minutos
> Théo Maledon (OKC): 14 points (5/12 in shooting, including 0/2 in three points and 4/5 in free throws), 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 foul and 3 turnovers in 26 minutes
> Sekou Doumbouya (DET): 14 points (5/11 shooting, including 2/6 in three points and 2/2 in free throws), 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 fouls and 1 fumble in 23 minutes
> Killian Hayes (DET): 9 points (4/9 shooting, including 1/4 three points), 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 fouls, 4 steals and 3 turnovers and 2 blocks in 25 minutes
Spurs of San Antonio – Cleveland Knights : 101-125
Toronto raptors – Washington Wizards: 103-101
Houston Rockets – Phoenix suns : 130-133
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