By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
LA Clippers found themselves down by 25 points (59-34) in the third quarter but they didn’t give up and managed to bounce back, eventually grabbing a close 87-85 home win over the Denver Nuggets.
Amir Coffey and Nicolas Batum were the heroes of the night for the Clippers with a three-pointer each after the three-minute mark, giving their team an 86-81 lead. Despite that, the Nuggets still had a chance to win it but Nikola Jokic’s last shot wasn’t on point.
Coffey finished with 18 points, seven assists, five boards as he continues establishing himself in the Clippers roster that has been missing several players. For Denver, Nikola Jokic had 21 points, 13 boards, eight assists while Aaron Gordon scored 30 points (12 boards).
Meanwhile, Brandon Ingram did manage to hit his game-winner with one second remaining as he handed the New Orleans Pelicans a 128-125 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
He finished the duel with 33 points, nine assists, and four boards. Jonas Valanciuns had 13 points, 12 boards, five assists. Anthony Edwards scored 28 for Minnesota while Karl-Anthony Towns added 26.
In the perhaps most anticipated clash of the night, Ja Morant led the Memphis Grizzlies past the Golden State Warriors and an amazing Stephen Curry for a 116-108 win.
The Grizzlies are now on a ten-game winning streak. Serbian coach Darko Rajakovic, who is an assistant in Memphis, was leading the team for the first time ever, filling in for Taylor Jenkins who contracted COVID-19.
Morant put up 29 points and eight assists compared to the opposing Curry who delivered a triple-double with 27 points, ten assists, ten rebounds. Nemanja Bjelica scored seven points.
Nikola Vucevic had a great game with 22 points, eight boards, four assists in Chicago’s dominant win over the Pistons. Killian Hayes logged eight points, five assists.
Standings
| Eastern Conference | W | L | W/L% | GB | PS/G | PA/G | SRS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bulls (1) | 27 | 11 | .711 | — | 111.5 | 107.0 | 3.46 |
| Brooklyn Nets (2) | 25 | 14 | .641 | 2.5 | 110.9 | 108.6 | 1.64 |
| Miami Heat (3) | 25 | 15 | .625 | 3.0 | 108.4 | 104.2 | 3.82 |
| Milwaukee Bucks (4) | 26 | 17 | .605 | 3.5 | 111.8 | 108.0 | 2.35 |
| Philadelphia 76ers (5) | 23 | 16 | .590 | 4.5 | 107.5 | 105.6 | 1.37 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers (6) | 23 | 18 | .561 | 5.5 | 107.2 | 102.5 | 5.31 |
| Charlotte Hornets (7) | 22 | 19 | .537 | 6.5 | 115.2 | 115.9 | -0.46 |
| Toronto Raptors (8) | 20 | 18 | .526 | 7.0 | 107.8 | 106.4 | 2.18 |
| Washington Wizards (9) | 21 | 20 | .512 | 7.5 | 107.7 | 109.8 | -1.83 |
| Boston Celtics (10) | 20 | 21 | .488 | 8.5 | 107.5 | 105.9 | 1.89 |
| New York Knicks (11) | 20 | 21 | .488 | 8.5 | 104.2 | 105.0 | -1.39 |
| Atlanta Hawks (12) | 17 | 22 | .436 | 10.5 | 110.8 | 111.5 | -0.78 |
| Indiana Pacers (13) | 15 | 26 | .366 | 13.5 | 107.9 | 107.9 | 0.50 |
| Detroit Pistons (14) | 9 | 31 | .225 | 19.0 | 101.2 | 111.3 | -9.86 |
| Orlando Magic (15) | 7 | 34 | .171 | 21.5 | 101.7 | 110.9 | -8.92 |
| Western Conference | W | L | W/L% | GB | PS/G | PA/G | SRS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix Suns (1) | 31 | 9 | .775 | — | 111.8 | 104.8 | 6.70 |
| Golden State Warriors (2) | 30 | 10 | .750 | 1.0 | 109.8 | 101.3 | 8.54 |
| Utah Jazz (3) | 28 | 13 | .683 | 3.5 | 115.7 | 107.5 | 7.41 |
| Memphis Grizzlies (4) | 29 | 14 | .674 | 3.5 | 112.2 | 107.9 | 4.38 |
| Dallas Mavericks (5) | 22 | 18 | .550 | 9.0 | 105.8 | 103.3 | 2.42 |
| Denver Nuggets (6) | 20 | 19 | .513 | 10.5 | 105.6 | 105.6 | 0.33 |
| Los Angeles Lakers (7) | 21 | 20 | .512 | 10.5 | 112.0 | 112.5 | -1.27 |
| Los Angeles Clippers (8) | 21 | 21 | .500 | 11.0 | 104.7 | 105.3 | -0.24 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves (9) | 20 | 21 | .488 | 11.5 | 110.0 | 109.2 | 0.64 |
| Portland Trail Blazers (10) | 16 | 24 | .400 | 15.0 | 108.8 | 112.5 | -2.34 |
| San Antonio Spurs (11) | 15 | 25 | .375 | 16.0 | 110.5 | 110.9 | -0.54 |
| Sacramento Kings (12) | 16 | 27 | .372 | 16.5 | 108.9 | 113.6 | -3.79 |
| New Orleans Pelicans (13) | 15 | 26 | .366 | 16.5 | 105.7 | 110.5 | -4.26 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder (14) | 13 | 27 | .325 | 18.0 | 100.0 | 107.7 | -7.72 |
| Houston Rockets (15) | 11 | 31 | .262 | 21.0 | 107.5 | 116.4 | -8.98 |