Last undefeated team, the Jazz reduced the Rockets to smithereens for a fourth success in a row, unlike the Warriors and the Bulls, beaten for the first time and nothing, respectively by the Grizzlies and the Knicks, Thursday in NBA.
It is no coincidence to see Utah, the best team of the last regular season, maintain its good habits. It is rather in the play-offs, where it does not manage to cross a course, that it will have to change them. In the meantime, she walked over Houston (122-91), with five players bringing in between 14 and 19 points.
If Bojan Bogdanovic was the most prolific, Rudy Gobert went there with his usual double-double (16 pts, 14 rebounds), his domination inside forcing Houston to fall back behind the arc with remarkable clumsiness (9 / 44, 20.5% pass).
The Jazz road-trip will then pass through Chicago, where the “Joakim Noah night” took place, a tribute to the former French pivot (2007-2016 at the club, best defender in the league in 2014), just appointed ambassador. of the franchise.
A vintage scent surrounded this meeting all the more as Bulls and Knicks, where he also played, have achieved a convincing start to the season, beyond expectations for their fans. They remember with thrill the duels at the top of the 1990s, in the often fierce Eastern conference finals, between the teams of Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing.
If the match was dominated for a long time by NY, carried by Kemba Walker (21 pts) and Julius Randle (13 pts, 16 rebounds, 9 assists), Evan Fournier having been more discreet (10 pts), he became unbreathable in the money-time . Because chicago, in the wake of Zach LaVine (25 pts) inflicted a 12-0 to him to fail at one point (104-103), DeMar DeRozan (20 pts) ultimately not having succeeded in the hold-up.
– Decisive Morant, not Curry –
In San Francisco, as in the qualifying play-off for the last play-offs, Memphis played a nasty turn at Golden State by winning (104-101) after extra time, after being led by 19 lengths during the first period.
Memphis Grizzlies player Ja Morant faces the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco on October 28, 2021 / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP
Author of class actions, Ja Morant was decisive (30 pts, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 interceptions), winning his duel with Stephen Curry, certainly author of 36 points (8 rebounds, 7 assists), but without scoring in the 4th quarter nor in the overtime.
Like Golden State, New York and Chicago, Washington surprises at the start of the championship, with now four wins (one loss), after beating Atlanta (122-111).
Bradley Beal (27 pts) and Montrezl Harrell (25 pts, 13 rebounds) were the main contributors, facing the Hawks who relied on John Collins (28 pts at 14/16 on shots), Trae Young not being in rest (15 pts, 13 assists) although below its standards in scoring.
On this side, Joel Embiid had no problems, his 30 points (18 rebounds) allowing Philadelphia to defeat (110-102) Detroit. All despite a painful knee, facing the Pistons where Killian Hayes showed good activity (9 pts, 5rbds, 4 assists, 2 interceptions).
In Dallas, the Mavericks had a big ignition delay, led 25-5 after nine minutes of play by San Antonio. But with Luka Doncic, author of 19 of his 25 points in the second half, they ended up winning (104-99). A third success in four games, during which Frank Ntilikina brought 6 points and 4 rebounds.
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