Faced with the Blazers still deprived of Damian Lillard (abdomen) and CJ McCollum (lung), the Nets ended up giving in (114-108) under the blows of Ben McLemore (20 pts), who put two of his five long distance shots in the last 90 seconds, and Robert Covington (21 pts, 5/7 behind the arc).
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For his second game of the season, Kyrie Irving scored 22 points (8 rebounds), without however weighing in the "money-time".
No more than Kevin Durant, despite his 28 points (10 rebounds, 5 assists).
Suddenly, the Nets see their 2nd place in the East threatened by Miami, but the fear is rather elsewhere, since James Harden suffers from a hyper-extension of the left knee.
An injury whose severity remains to be determined
The Bucks stung by the Hornets
In the grip of chronic inconstancy since the start of the season, we believed Milwaukee was on the right track last Friday by convincingly winning over Brooklyn, one of its most serious competitors in the East with Chicago.
But this double setback to Charlotte showed that the symptoms persist, evidenced by the last particularly poorly managed, while victory was within reach.
In the last moments, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who certainly did not spare his efforts (26 pts, 13 rebounds, 8 assists), thus first committed his 6th loss of ball, before being at the origin of another with an uncertain pass.
Crippling.
Too bad for him because he had allowed his family to erase the fifteen late units deplored in the 3rd quarter, by going to get the baskets, well helped by Khris Middleton (27 pts, 11 assists) also weighed down by 7 lost balls.
In addition to this recurring feverishness, what the Bucks currently lack, which are four losses in the last five matches, is the intensity in defense, generally printed by Jrue Holiday, for the time being unavailable (Covid protocol).
The Hornets (8th) therefore took advantage, like Terry Rozier (27 pts) and especially LaMelo Ball (23 pts), who created a comfortable shot for the basket of the win 15 seconds from the end.
Milwaukee (3rd) has a mattress whose thickness is gradually reduced against the close Philadelphia (4th), who won an easy seventh consecutive victory in Houston (111-91).
Embiid shaped
As usual, the great craftsman of the Sixers was Joel Embiid (31 pts, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks).
The Cameroonian pivot has been gaining serious momentum in recent weeks since it turns at 30.8 points (at 55.6% success), 10.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists on average over the last fifteen matches.
Lower in the standings, Boston (10th) and New York (11th) won.
Painfully, after overtime, for the Celtics against Indiana (101-98), easily for the Knicks at the expense of San Antonio (111-96).
Jayson Tatum (24 pts, 12 rebounds) and Jaylen Brown (26 pts, 15 rebounds), authors of nine of the twelve points of their team in the "overtime" were decisive for the C's.
RJ Barrett (31 pts) was preponderant in the New York victory, well supported by Evan Fournier (18 pts) back after a problem in a thigh, while Julius Randle, plagued by doubt, again passed to the cross offensively (2 pts, at 1/7, 12 rebounds), still collecting boos from Madison Square Garden.
Finally in Detroit, Utah completed its mini road trip with a third setback in as many matches (126-116), completely disintegrating in the second period, after having counted 22 lengths in the wake of Donovan Mitchell (31 pts).
A bad series which coincides with the absence of Rudy Gobert (Covid protocol).
However, without the triple best defender in the League, the Jazz does not have the same deterrent force.
Thus the Pistons shot at 51.4%, which should not have happened to them often this season, the rookie Cade Cunningham taking the opportunity to beat his personal best points (29).