Utah se venge de Denver
Eliminated in the first round of the last play-offs, at the end of a dantesque series lost 4-3 after leading 3-1, the Jazz did not allow the Nuggets to return this time, winning (109-105).
It was Jordan Clarkson coming off the bench who was the X factor of Jazz with 23 points (9/13 on shots), before Rudy Gobert (15 pts, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks) sealed the meeting with a dunk in the last few seconds. A few seconds earlier, he had given Donovan Mitchell (18 pts) his only assist of the evening.
Nuggets side, who slip to 11th place in the West, Nikola Jokic (35 pts, 14 rebounds, 9 assists) and Jamal Murray (30 pts, 5 rebounds) were omnipresent, but too alone.
With this fifth success in a row, Utah (9-4) consolidates its third place in the West, just behind the Clippers who crushed Indiana (129-96).
LA relied on a formidable skill behind the arc (19/39) and a collective efficiency that was just as much, with seven players between 10 and 20 points.
Doncic shines, loses and blames himself
The Slovenian prodigy has yet delivered a recital: 36 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists, the 29th triple-double of his young career which sees him, at only 21, overtake Michael Jordan in 15th place in the history of the league. But he could not prevent the defeat of Dallas against Chicago (117-101).
“In the second half, I was bad. This setback is for me. I was selfish, because I had 30 points after the first two quarters. I have to do much better on the next two , much better, ”commented Doncic, who posted an excellent 11/18 on shots in the first act, but finished at 13/30, thus only entering 2 out of 12 attempts.
His selfishness was however little seen, since he delivered 10 assists in the last 24 minutes, including an exceptional one in the back, after a dribble in the back, which made the head spin even on social networks.
Nothing to console the 4th player, the youngest too, to finish a game with 35 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists. Achievements by Oscar Robertson, five times, Wilt Chamberlain and James Harden, once each.
“Those numbers are phenomenal but without a win at the end, it doesn’t suit me,” said coach Rick Carlisle after the second loss in a row.
On the Bulls side (11th in the East, 5-8), the Finnish Lauri Markkanen scored 29 points (10 rebounds) but was not the only one to activate since 61 points came from the players of the bench.
Boston perd son basket
The Celtics, still deprived of Jayson Tatum in quarantine because of the coronavirus, were corrected on their floor at TD Garden by New York (105-75), happy to put an end to his five-game losing streak.
The address was lacking in Boston (29.8% success, 15.2% long distance, worst rate since a match dating from 2004), despite the return of Kemba Walker, finally recovered from his recurring pain in his left knee and whose absence dates back to the end of September, when Boston lost in the Eastern Conference final of the last play-offs against Miami.
However, the leader struggled with 9 points at 3/13 on shots and had to leave his teammates in the 3rd quarter for a blow received on the right flank. Nothing too bad, however.
This first setback, despite the efforts of Jaylen Brown (25 pts), after five straight victories, made Boston slip to 2nd place in the East. The Knicks, still worn by Julius Randle (20 pts, 12 rebounds), join Charlotte in the 9th.
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