Harden saves Brooklyn
The Nets, long battered by the Pistons, relied on the "Beard", their bearded man who took matters into his own hands in the money-time to snatch a tenth success in eleven matches (100-95).
Taking charge of a bit of everything, as evidenced by his triple-double (24 pts, 10 rebounds, 10 assists), Harden scored the last ten points for his team in the last two minutes, slicing through the opposing defense which ultimately did not been too passive than during this key moment.
“I had to be aggressive, things weren't going very well for us offensively.
I think defensively we played hard and it showed, but it was one of those nights where we just had to find a way to win, ”he commented.
Until then, the hero of the evening and the other star Kyrie Irving (18 pts, 5 assists) had been rather well contained, in the absence of Kevin Durant who still heals his hamstrings.
The Nets remain 2nd in the East, behind Philadelphia, and Detroit still brings up the rear in this conference.
LeVert eclipses the Suns
Could he hope for a more successful return?
Caris LeVert, who had a kidney tumor removed at the end of January, played 27 minutes, scoring 13 points (6 rebounds), with the added bonus of his Pacers' victory at the Suns (122-111).
He was not alone to allow Indiana to move up to 9th place in the East, but Domantas Sabonis, also in triple-double mode (22 pts, 13 rebounds, 10 assists) and Malcolm Brogdon (25 pts) must have enjoyed feeling a little more offensive with him at their side.
Phoenix, who remained on five wins, woke up too late after being more than twenty points behind, but remains 2nd in the West, where Portland, winner suffering in Minnesota (125-120), took the opportunity to steal 5th place in Denver, largely defeated in Dallas (116-103).
The evening was all the better for the Trail Blazers as Carmelo Anthony, with his 26 points, overtook the legendary Hakeem Oljauwon in 11th place among the best scorers in the history of the league.
Ric-rac Bucks
Equally tied 119-119 with 41 seconds remaining, after a three-point basket from Russell Westbrook, Washington thought it was a nice surprise, but ended up cracking under the six free throws conceded to Milwaukee who did not ask for any so much (125-119).
Very close, the meeting offered a beautiful duel from a distance between Westbrook and Giannis Antetokounmpo, both authors of triple-doubles.
In the absence of the best scorer of the championship Bradley Beal (knee), the first split 42 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, the second had a 33/11/11 in these three categories.
Thanks to this third victory in a row, Milwaukee remains 3rd in the East, Washington stagnates in 12th place.
Invigorated Knicks
New York, a surprise team in the East, easily won its 20th victory of the season on the Oklahoma City floor (119-97), thanks to its duo Julius Randle and RJ Barrett.
The first managed a triple-double (26 pts, 12 assists, 12 rebounds) and the second finished top scorer with 32 points.
NY finds itself 7th in the East, just behind Charlotte (6th) who won a third success in a row against Toronto (114-104) after dropping a rain of baskets behind the arc in the first quarter, 11 in this case, setting a new franchise record.
In this game of musical chairs, the Raptors, beaten for the 4th time in a row, give up their 8th place to Atlanta, which has a 4th consecutive success against Sacramento (121-106).
The results of the night:
Phoenix-
Indiana
111-122
Denver-
Dallas
103-116
Atlanta
-Sacramento 121-106
Minnesota-
Portland
121-125
Brooklyn
-Detroit 100-95
Charlotte
-Toronto 114-104
Washington-
Milwaukee
119-125
Oklahoma City -
New York
97-119
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