Los Angeles (AFP) – The Los Angeles Lakers added their fourth consecutive victory this Saturday by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 116-97 while Joel Embiid’s Philadelphia 76ers beat the Memphis Grizzlies before the retirement of Spanish Marc Gasol’s number.
First modification: 04/07/2024 – 05:31 Last modification: 04/07/2024 – 08:55
2 min
The Lakers occupy eighth place in the Western Conference with a balance of 45 wins and 33 losses and are pressing their options to avoid the playoffs (‘play in’) to the NBA playoffs.
The last direct ticket to the playoffs is currently held by the Phoenix Suns, who are sixth with 1.5 more wins than the Lakers.
Against the Cavaliers, LeBron James and D’Angelo Russell were the main protagonists on offense while center Anthony Davis was imperial on defense.
James added 24 points and dished out 12 assists while Russell led the team in the first half with 23 points but only added five more after the break.
Davis achieved an exuberant tally of 22 points, 13 rebounds, 3 steals and 6 blocks.
In front of their home crowd, the Lakers dominated the start of the game and made a first push in the second quarter with a 15-2 run.
Russell, who scored 6 triples, was key for his team to go into halftime with a nine-point advantage (65-56).
The Cavaliers, third in the East (46-32), reacted in the third quarter led by point guard Darius Garland (26 points) and were four points ahead.
James and Davis then settled the rebellion by driving a run of 19 consecutive points that marked the Lakers’ ninth victory in their last 10 games.
Embiid revive a los Sixers
In another of the four games on Saturday, the Philadelphia 76ers won 116-96 on the Memphis Grizzlies’ court in a night of celebration for Spanish center Marc Gasol.
Cameroonian Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 30 points and 12 rebounds in just 23 minutes, in his third game since returning from two months out due to a meniscus injury.
The current MVP (Most Valuable Player) scored 24 points on Tuesday against the Thunder and 29 on Thursday against the Heat, both duels also ended with victories for Philadelphia, which wants to recover positions for the playoffs.
On the other hand, the Grizzlies, second to last in the West, did not put any of their usual starters into play at the close of a season in which they soon threw in the towel.
Their top scorer was young Scotty Pippen Jr., son of Bulls legend Scottie Pippen, with 24 points.
After the game, the Grizzlies held the retirement ceremony for the number 33 that Marc Gasol wore during his 11 seasons in Memphis (2008-2019) in which, among other recognitions, he won an award for Best Defender of the Year in 2013.
In the last game of the night, the Denver Nuggets defeated the Atlanta Hawks 142-110 with a new triple double by Nikola Jokic, who had 19 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists.
Point guard Jamal Murray, the other figure of the current champions, returned after seven games out with 16 points.
— Saturday’s NBA results:
LA Lakers – Cleveland Cavaliers 116-97
Brooklyn Nets – Detroit Pistons 113-103
Memphis Grizzlies – Philadelphia 76ers 96-116
Denver Nuggets – Atlanta Hawks 142-110
© 2024 AFP
