Five NBA games were on Saturday’s schedule, and Miami and Philadelphia had significant wins. On the other hand, Brooklyn, beaten by Atlanta despite Kevin Durant’s 55 points (career record), will officially play the play-in.
A few days before the end of the regular season, each victory or each defeat takes on considerable importance in the standings and this Saturday, four of the five games on the program concerned the Eastern Conference, much tighter than its Western counterpart. Miami, the leader, now has a game and a half lead over its runner-up, Milwaukee, after its 109-127 victory in Chicago (6th). The Heat continued to widen the gap throughout the game, in the wake of a 22-point Jimmy Butler, and despite Zach LaVine’s 33 points for the Bulls. After a quick stint and four straight losses, things are better for the Floridians, who still have four games to secure first place. Philadelphia, for its part, is in fourth place, 2.5 games behind Miami, after its wide 144-114 success against Charlotte, ninth, who will play in the play-in. After a tight first half (58-53), the 76ers let go after the locker room, winning the third quarter 45-27, to afford this easy victory. Joel Embiid finished with 29 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists and James Harden with 12 points and 13 assists (20pts for Miles Bridges Hornets side). With 21 3-pointers, the 76ers tied their franchise record.
Record for Durant, Young finishes strong
Cleveland occupies seventh place and held its rank by going to win 101-139 in New York. The Cavaliers, led by a Darius Garland on 24 points and a Moses Brown on 16 points and 13 rebounds, led from start to finish, against the Knicks deprived of Julius Randle and with an RJ Barrett who returned only 4 from his 18 shots (20pts for Obi Toppin, 19 for Evan Fournier). The last match concerning this Eastern Conference turned out to be the most spectacular, between Atlanta and Brooklyn. And it was the Hawks who won 122-115, thus maintaining a slim chance of playing the play-offs without going through the play-in, while the Nets are now officially qualified for the play-in. However, the Brooklyn franchise was able to count on an exceptional Kevin Durant, who scored 55 points (19 of 28 on shots including 8 of 10 from 3 points), his new career high, the previous one dating from January 2014, with 54 points scored as Oklahoma City vs. Golden State. The Nets led for a quarter and a half in that game, but the Hawks then took control to lead by fifteen points. However, 2’32 from the end, the score was only 107-106 in favor of Atlanta, who finished very strong, with a Trae Young author of 11 points in the last 91 seconds (36pts in total )!
Utah falls to Golden State
Finally, in the Western Conference, Golden State clings to third place, thanks to its fine 111-107 victory over Utah, fifth and still not guaranteed a place in the play-offs. The Jazz however dominated this match for 44 minutes, counting up to 21 minutes in advance, before collapsing (as often lately) in money-time, with a 9-4 conceded, including 7 points from Jordan Poole (31pts in total). Klay Thompson scored 36 points, while Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley’s 26 points weren’t enough for Utah.
BASKET / SEASON REGULATE
Saturday April 2, 2022
New York Knicks – Cleveland Cavaliers : 101-119
>>> Stats of Evan Fournier (NYK): 27 minutes of play, 19 points (6/10 on shots including 3/5 at 3pts, 4/4 on free throws), 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 interception, 2 lost balls, 1 foul
Atlanta Hawks – Brooklyn Nets : 122-115
>>> Statistics of Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot (ATL): 22 minutes of play, 11 points (3/8 on shots including 1/4 to 3pts, 4/5 on free throws), 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 interception , 3 faults
Golden State Warriors – Utah Jazz : 111-107
>>> Rudy Gobert’s stats (UTA): 38 minutes of play, 14 points (5/9 on shots including 0/2 to 3pts, 4/7 on free throws), 20 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 lost balls, 3 fouls
Philadelphia 76ers – Charlotte Hornets : 144-114
Chicago Bulls – Miami Heat : 109-127
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