NBA – The Suns win the duel of leaders, Boston treats, the Lakers worry despite a historic Lebron

Despite a great start to the game, and a lead that went up to 23 points just before halftime, Los Angeles totally cracked on the way back from the locker room, conceding a 41-25 in the 3rd quarter to finally win. cap at the pole. In this duel which could also be that of the next play-in in the west, the rookie Trey Murphy III shone (16 of his 21 points in the 3rd quarter) to allow his team to pass in front of his evening opponent in the ranking. Now tenth, the Lakers, beaten for the 3rd time in their last 4 outings, are more than ever in danger, threatened by San Antonio, who are only one victory behind before moving to the Houston floor at night. next (2h).

The double blow: Tatum and Brown carry Boston, new leader in the East

Nothing has stopped Boston in recent weeks, and the Celtics had a great night against Minnesota. Thanks in particular to a 38-19 past in the second quarter to teammates Karl-Anthony Towns, the Celtics never really trembled, finally inflicting a big correction on the Timberwolves (134-112). Boston has now won 24 of its last 28 games, in hurricane mode, and is taking advantage of the Sixers’ loss to take the lead in the Eastern Conference.

This success, the players of Ime Udoka owe it, as often, to the Jay Brothers, once again unstoppable. With his 34 points, Jayson Tatum (12/21 shooting) finished as the game’s top scorer, ahead of… Jaylen Brown, who also delighted the TD Garden audience with his 31 points and 10 rebounds. With this sixth straight victory, Boston continues to assert itself as a serious contender to reach the finals, while Minnesota remains 7th in the west.

The losing comeback: Irving and the Nets subdued by the Hornets

Kyrie Irving would certainly have liked another scenario for his return to Barclays Center. Deprived until then of a home game because not vaccinated, the number 11 of the Nets, despite a few blows, did not manage to bring his people to a success, during the meeting against Charlotte (110-119 ). In line with his failed match against Miami the day before (11 points), Irving, author of a double-double (16 points, 11 assists) wasted too much in shooting (only 6/22), and saw his own fall against a direct competitor in the play-in.

Faced with a Durant also lacking success (27 points at 9/24 shooting) and despite Drummond’s double-double (20 points, 17 rebounds), the Hornets, with a LaMelo Ball in great shape (33 points, 7 assists, 9 rebounds) came out on the wire to take their 8th place at the Nets, for an identical record (39 wins, 36 losses).

The coup: Dallas takes down Utah to take 4th place in the west

The other big meeting of the night took place in Dallas, on the floor of the American Airlines Center. If the French pivot Rudy Gobert missed the party, Luka Doncic did not miss the opportunity to put his team ahead of his opponent of the day in the Western Conference standings, carrying his team in the victory of the Mavericks against the Jazz (114-100).

With 32 points and 10 rebounds, the Slovenian, well supported by Reggie Bullock (23 points) and Jalen Brunson (22 points), saw his people rebound after Dallas’ loss to Minnesota. And to take a victory in advance in the race for the 4th qualifying jump seat for the playoffs.

The French: Fournier still in difficulty, Nktilikina discreet

Dropped in the play-in race (4.5 victories behind the Hawks), New York gleaned a success on the wire, important to continue to believe in it, against Detroit (102-104). But Evan Fournier did not really weigh on the result. The silver medalist from the Tokyo Games, struggling for some time, was again clumsy (11 points but only 4 successful shots out of 12, including a small 3/10 from three points), while Kylian Hayes ( 6 points, 6 rebounds) made better use of his 25 minutes of play on the Pistons side.

Franck Ntilikina, he had barely more than 3 minutes to try to stand out against Utah, and, if he managed his only three points attempted during the game, he did not so couldn’t show much else.

The results of the night:

• Detroit – New York: 102-104
• Boston – Minnesota : 134 – 112
• Phoenix – Philadelphie : 114 -104
• Washington – Golden Stat : 123 – 115
• New Orleans – Los Angeles : 116 – 108
• Brooklyn – Charlotte : 110- 119
• Dallas – Utah : 114 -100