In Boston, the absence of Devin Booker and Cam Johnson, injured, did not prevent the Phoenix Suns from winning 106-94 against the Celtics, leaders of the Eastern Conference, Friday, during an evening of NBA marked by the huge fight that broke out on the floor of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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The Phoenix Suns, knocked out on Wednesday by the Atlanta Hawks who had come to put 32 points in their sight (132-100), reacted nicely.
They rise thanks to this success at the vice-champion in title to the sixth place of the Western Conference.
The Suns were able to contain Boston's offense, which fell short of 100 points for only the fourth time this season in 53 games.
The percentage of success in the shots of the C's was particularly low (38.7%), with an uninspired Jayson Tatum.
The Suns, they shone, thanks in particular to 25 points from Mikal Bridges.
They counted up to 20 units in advance in the second quarter, to reach halftime with the score of 57-44.
The Celtics came back on their heels in the third quarter, but Phoenix tightened the bolts in the final, to secure a clean win.
In Minneapolis, the match between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Orlando Magic was marked by scenes of violence.
The fight broke out in the third quarter when Mo Bamba of Orlando sprang off the bench to rush Austin Rivers of Minnesota and hit him.
A scrum ensued, with security and other players intervening to try to separate the two players.
Philadelphia, the wind in its sails
The fight ended in the exclusion of five players: Rivers and Jalen Suggs in the Orlando camp, Bamba, Taurean Prince and Jaden McDaniels in the ranks of Minnesota.
It comes the day after another fight occurred during the Cleveland-Memphis game between Dillon Brooks of the Grizzlies and Donovan Mitchell of the Cavaliers.
Brooks, who had fallen to the ground after being countered, had elbowed Mitchell in the crotch.
The latter reacted strongly by throwing the ball at him before grabbing him by the neck and knocking him to the ground again.
Before Friday evening, the NBA had sentenced Brooks to a one-game suspension and Mitchell to a $20,000 fine.
The Orlando Magic, which led 83-73 when the scuffles broke out, eventually won 127-120 against Wolves.
With this defeat, the team of French Rudy Gobert (15 points, 7 rdbds in 26 minutes) fell one place in the standings (from 6th to 7th in the Western Conference).
The Sacramento Kings, 3rd in this same conference, were beaten in Indiana by the Pacers (107-104).
The latter ended a series of four losses.
They did, however, feel the pinch of another defeat in the final quarter, when the Kings came back a length after going 19 points down in the third.
But the team that is on the rise at the moment is Philadelphia: the Sixers went to beat the Spurs in San Antonio (137-125), and signed, thanks in particular to a solid performance from Joel Embiid (33 pts, 10 rbds), their ninth victory in ten matches.
Solidly anchored in 3rd place in the East, they are even eyeing 2nd, occupied by the Milwaukee Bucks, who only have one victory more than them.
