Kings, the third in the western region, has not reached the “play-off” playoffs since the 2005-2006 season, which is the longest period in the history of the league, but its victory over Portland ended this wait.
5 players in the ranks of the winner crossed the ten-point barrier, most notably Malik Monk with 19 points, Deiron Fox added 18, Kevin Horter 17, and rookie player Keigan Murray 13, raising the number of his three-pointers to 188 this season, which is a new record for “Rocky”.
In the second match, Cameroonian Joel Embiid (25 points and 9 rebounds) played a decisive role in the victory of the Seventy Sixers 57 seconds before the final whistle, as after he scored two decisive throws that put his team in front, he stood in the face of a last attempt by Doncic to prevent him from scoring a basket.
Despite the loss, the 24-year-old Slovenian giant did not skimp on any sweat point, scoring 24 points with 10 rebounds and 8 assists, and Kyrie Irving added 23 points.
The Mavericks’ chances of reserving a place for the playoffs qualified for the playoffs further diminished after the tenth-placed Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Detroit Pistons by a point 107-106, thanks to a deadly basket from Gaylen Williams (27 points) at the final whistle.
The Los Angeles Lakers, five games before the end of the regular season, won a valuable victory over the Chicago Bulls 121-110, thanks to his star Anthony Davis (38 points and 10 rebounds), and LeBron James, returning to the starting lineup, contributed 25 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
The Lakers strengthened their eighth position in the Western Region with their fourth victory in their last five matches.
And the Utah Jazz (twelfth) ended a series of 4 defeats by defeating the San Antonio Spurs 128-117, thanks to Tallinn Horton-Tacker (41 points).
The Los Angeles Clippers, without its stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 141-132, who suffered their first loss in 8 matches.
In Phoenix, Kevin Durant played his first game in front of the Suns fans 3 weeks after he sprained his ankle during a warm-up.
Although he seemed less accurate as usual, he finished with 16 points in a 107-100 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In the eastern region, the leaders Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Indiana Pacers 149-136.
Gro Holiday scored 51 points for the winner, while the Greek Yannis Antetokounmpo achieved a triple-double with 38 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists.
In the struggle for the first six places that qualify directly for the playoffs, the fifth New York Knicks came close to reserving their position by defeating the seventh Miami Heat 101-92, while the sixth Brooklyn Nets dropped their rival, the Houston Rockets, 123-114.
