In front of their TV or in the stands, the Phoenix Suns had to hope, perhaps pray in front of the last seconds of Brooklyn-Portland. Dreaming that Caris LeVert scores with the buzzer to give the victory, on the wire, to the Nets. Unfortunately for them, LeVert’s last shot came crashing into the circle before the siren sounded. Probably as much relieved by this short success (134-133) as exhausted by a breathless match, Damian Lillard then immediately put his hands on his knees and lowered his head for a moment to appreciate the moment.
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A loss and the Blazers would have been asked to leave the bubble within an hour of the game. With this success, they secure eighth place in the Western Conference and will play the play-off against the Memphis Grizzlies, ninth. Portland will need a success to validate its ticket in the play-offs and Memphis of two (matches Saturday, 8:30 p.m. French time, and Sunday if necessary) with the formidable honor of rubbing shoulders with the Los Angeles Lakers as soon as possible. the first round.
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“I watched as many matches as I could in the bubble and knew what we were getting into tonight against them, Lillard explained. The Nets play with envy, with conviction. It’s good to see that we had to work to get our qualification, that means we deserve it. ” The Trail Blazers could have made their lives easier without so many guilty absences in defense and mistakes under the rebounds. Under the impetus of LeVert (37 points), Joe Harris (19) and a Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot who has further developed (19 points, 8 rebounds), Brooklyn has counted up to ten points in advance thanks to an award-winning shot from the French (102-92, 34th). Damian Lillard (42 points) then entered another dimension despite an urgent defense and a lot of two-way grabs. “I passed the ball a lot at the start, he analyzed, but I told myself that I was not going to be able to sleep tonight if I had just given the ball. “
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In the space of a minute, he planted an incredible basket from midfield before landing another award-winning shot over two Nets defenders, putting his team back in the game (109-108, 39th). In an end of the game in apnea, he did not tremble when he succeeded three consecutive free throws (45th) then to steal a decisive ball to LeVert (47th). It led to what would become the basket of victory for CJ McCollum (134-130, 48th) even if LeVert, again, had one last chance. Missed for the greater sadness of the Phoenix Suns who will remain as the only undefeated team in the Orlando bubble.
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