As the Los Angeles Lakers lifted their heads in Detroit, the fit teams of the day continued their NBA ride on Sunday night. Golden State, Phoenix and Chicago all won, with the Bulls’ victory relapsing the New York Knicks and Evan Fournier.
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The relapse: New York turned off by Chicago
After a victory over the disastrous Houston Rockets (109-99) with 19 points from Evan Fournier, the New York Knicks experienced another defeat in Chicago (103-109). The French back had a severe relapse on Sunday: only 3 points in 27 minutes at 1/7 shooting, 1 rebound, 0 assist, 1 interception and 2 stray bullets.
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His teammates, Julius Randle in the lead (34 pts, 10 rebounds), on the other hand delivered a good battle to one of the best teams of this start of the season and were still leading at the start of the fourth quarter (74-72). But in the final minutes, they suffered the law of the Bulls, led by DeMar DeRozan (31 pts), Zach LaVine (21) and Coby White, who scored 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter. The Bulls take the lead in the Eastern Conference, just ahead of the Brooklyn Nets.
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The parade: Golden State never trembled
The best team of the 2021-2022 vintage remains for the time being Golden State, which has chained a fourth success at the expense of Toronto (119-104) in a shock of recent champions. The Warriors continue to parade at the head of the Western Conference.
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Stephen Curry, still in delicacy with his hip, was not having a great day (12 pts to 2/10 shooting) but he was perfectly relayed by Jordan Poole (33 pts) and Andrew Wiggins (32). Golden State flew in the first minutes (27-9, 9th) and never trembled the evening. The Canadians do not really display the same form, beaten for the fourth time in a row and still out of potential qualifiers in the play-offs.
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The series: we can’t stop Phoenix
The Phoenix Suns have been shining steadily since October 31. Sunday against Denver (126-97), the Arizona team quietly lined up its 12th victory in a row! Decimated without MVP Nikola Jokic (wrist) or Michael Porter Jr. (back), the Nuggets were no match for such a euphoric formation and suffered a fourth loss in a row.
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The Suns planted 48 points in the first quarter, including 7/8 at 3 points … Cam Johnson broke his personal best (22 pts), DeAndre Ayton added 21 points and stars Chris Paul (9 points, 10 assists in 24 minutes) and Devin Booker (17 pts in 28 minutes) did not have to tire too much. The Suns will however have to do without their precious interior Frank Kaminsky (10.5 pts average) for a while, affected in the right knee and unavailable for an indefinite period.
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