The Indiana Pacers can thank Quebecer Bennedict Mathurin for their 132-121 victory Sunday night against the New York Knicks.
In his third season in the NBA, Mathurin delivered the most productive offensive performance of his young career with 38 points and eight rebounds to lead the Pacers to a third victory in four games.
Mathurin had previously had 34 points in a game on two occasions, but he had never gotten as close to the 40-point plateau as Sunday night.
It must be said that Mathurin gave a taste of his form in the first quarter with 11 points in the first 12 minutes. He finished the first half with 21 points and kept the same pace in the last two quarters.
Mathurin was notably a key element in the fourth quarter to allow the Pacers to triumph. Indiana held only a slim 97-96 lead with just under 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, but Mathurin assisted with 11 points afterward to help the Pacers build their lead.
The Quebecer made 72% of his shots and sank seven shots from downtown, which is also a personal best since entering the NBA.
Tyrese Haliburton chipped in with 35 points, while Myles Turner had 26 points.
In the Knicks camp, Jalen Brunson scored a double of 33 points and 10 assists, while Karl-Anthony Towns scored 30 points.
Giannis’ exploits insufficient against the Celtics
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo excelled with 42 points and 13 rebounds, but his efforts still did not allow the Bucks to get the better of the Boston Celtics.
The Bucks suffered a 113-107 loss, an eighth defeat in their last nine outings. The Bucks are having a lot of trouble this season with only two wins in 10 outings.
Jayson Tatum was at the heart of the Bucks’ misfortune with 31 points and 12 rebounds, while Payton Pritchard’s 18 points were a big help in Boston’s triumph. Jrue Holiday and Derrick White added 15 points each.
However, everything seemed to point towards a positive outcome on Sunday afternoon, as the Bucks managed to build a 17-point lead at the start of the second quarter.
Boston, however, narrowed that gap to 11 points midway through the game, before taking control by dominating the third quarter 29-15.
Milwaukee pulled the score back to 104-102 in favor of Boston with less than three minutes remaining in the third quarter, but the Celtics held on to win.
The Celtics have won five of their last six games and will face the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday.
Elsewhere in the NBA
Rockets 101 – Pistons 99
NEW : Performance of 27 points and 10 rebounds for Alperen Sengun in the victory.
THE : Cade Cunningham was the most productive for the Pistons with 26 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists.
Wizards 94 – Magic 121
WAS : Jordan Poole had 24 points for Washington, which was dominated 60-38 in the second half.
ORL : Franz Wagner scored 23 points and the Magic remained undefeated in 4 games at home.
Hornets – 76ers
CHA :
PHI :
Heat – Timberwolves
MIA :
MIN :
Warriors – Thunder
GS :
OKC :
Kings – Suns
SAC :
PHO :
Mavericks – Nuggets
DAL :
IT :
Grizzlies – Trail Blazers
MEM :
BY :
