The surprise of the night: Utah falls to Detroit
Deprived of Rudy Gobert for four matches, Utah conceded a third consecutive defeat, Monday evening in Detroit (116-126). Penultimate in the Eastern Conference, the Pistons made a nice comeback after being led by 21 points in the second quarter (29-50, 18th). Rookie Cade Cunningham signed the best game of his young career (29 points, 8 assists), well supported by Cory Joseph (16 points) and Saddiq Bey (29).
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Donovan Mitchell’s 31 points were not enough for Utah, which sees Memphis melting away from third place in the Western Conference. Holder in Detroit, the French leader Killian Hayes finished with five points and three assists.
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Action of the Night: Jayson Tatum Saves Boston
Torrey Craig is unvarnished. Very good defender, the Indiana winger had seen DeMar DeRozan offer the victory to Chicago with an incredible shot against him on December 31. Monday night, Jayson Tatum planted a new decisive basket against Craig. After a dribble, the Boston winger (24 points) got up to equalize 1”9 from the buzzer and send the game into overtime. Five additional minutes that smiled at Boston (101-98, ap) thanks to the activity of pivot Robert Williams (14 points, 12 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 blocks).
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The series: Embiid in the footsteps of Iverson and Chamberlain
Traveling to Houston with Philadelphia, Joel Embiid left no hope for the Rockets. With 31 points, the Cameroonian pivot led the Sixers to a quiet victory (111-91). Embiid even took the opportunity to sign his seventh consecutive game with more than 30 points. He is the third Philly player to achieve this performance behind Wilt Chamberlain and Allen Iverson, two franchise legends. The duo stopped at eight matches in a row, a record that Embiid could erase in the coming days.
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Julius Randle booed by his fans
In the NBA, time passes faster in New York than in other franchises. Eight months after being given a standing ovation by Madison Square Garden with chants of “MVP, MVP!” Julius Randle faced a much more hostile crowd on Monday night. The Knicks have nevertheless won against San Antonio (111-96), thanks to 31 points from RJ Barrett and 18 from Evan Fournier. Randle himself missed his game (2 points, 12 rebounds).
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Booed when he lost his ball, he suffered the chants to the glory of his replacement (Obi Toppin). The relationship between the strong winger and the New York public has deteriorated for a week. Facing Boston (108-105), Randle pointed his thumb down in response to initial boos, then explained at a press conference that he was asking the fans ” to close it “. The NBA had fined him $25,000, and despite his apologies, some Knicks fans were eager to find the strong winger.
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The Unfinished Return: Sacramento
In Ohio, Cleveland supporters had a much more stressful evening than expected (109-108). With 2’20” to play, their team had nevertheless made the difference in Sacramento (109-102, 46th). But the Cavs’ attack stalled and the Kings launched a wild comeback. After two free throws from De’Aaron Fox, the Californians even caused a loss of ball from Evan Mobley (17 points) to afford the winning ball. But the mid-range shot from the same Fox did not find the way to the circle. Much to the relief of the Cavaliers, still sixth in the East.
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