By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Boston Celtics are having a great season, but so is Oklahoma City Thunder. Two teams collided at Paycom Center, and the hosts prevailed after a great fight, winning 127-123.
Another outstanding performance from Kristaps Porzingis wasn’t enough for the Eastern Conference leaders. The Latvian scored his second season-best with 34 points and 10 rebounds on 12-18 shooting from the field and 8-9 from the free-throw line.
Porzingis made two free throws with 15.2 seconds to go, cutting Oklahoma’s lead to 123-121. He then hit a deep shot in the left corner with 3.7 seconds on the clock, proving to be a two-pointer since his foot was on the line. Boston still trailed by two, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sealed the win for the hosts from the free-throw line.
The Canadian led the winning side with 36 points, while Vasilije Micic scored three points and dished five assists in just under 11 minutes on the court.
Santi Aldama’s double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds helped the Memphis Grizzlies defeat the San Antonio Spurs 106-98, despite Victor Wembanyama leading the Spurs with 20 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks.
“I think we were communicating pretty effectively,” Aldama said. “We were following the game plan discipline, something we’ve been lacking. I think we just let our defense dictate our offense, and we played very hard. When we play that way, it’s very hard to beat us.”
Ja Morant led the winning side with 26 points and 10 rebounds as the Grizzlies recorded their fifth win in his seventh game upon returning to the field.
“Good player. Very small, so it’s hard to catch up with him. Very fast. Just another great player that I see every night in the NBA,” Wembanyama said about Morant.
Domantas Sabonis had another good game for the Sacramento Kings with 23 points and 19 rebounds, but his team suffered at home to the Charlotte Hornets 104-111. The Lithuanian also had 11 turnovers.
Orlando Magic gave a good fight to the Golden State Warriors but eventually lost 121-115, despite Paolo Banchero’s double-double of 27 points and 12 rebounds, and Franz Wagner scoring 25.
Goga Bitadze followed the mentioned duo with 13 points and seven rebounds for the Florida team, while Franz’s brother, Moritz, added 12 points with five boards.
NBA results:
Philadelphia – Chicago 110-97 (Embiid 31p, 15r, 10a, Batum 6p)
Memphis – San Antonio 106-98 (Aldama 13p, 11r – Wemby 20p, 7r, Sochan 12p, Mamukelashvili 3p, Osman 6r)
New Orleans – Brooklyn 112-85 (Valanciunas 11p, 12r)
Oklahoma – Boston 127-123 (Micic 3p, 5as – Porzingis 34p, 10r)
Golden State – Orlando 121-115 (Saric 2p, 3r – Banchero 27p, 12r, F. Wagner 25p, 6r, Bitadze 13p, 7r, M. Wagner 12p, 5r)
Sacramento – Charlotte 104-111 (Sabonis 23p, 19r, Len 3p, 4r)
Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics 26-7
2. Milwaukee Bucks 24-9
3. Philadelphia 76ers 23-10
4. Miami Heat 19-14
5. Orlando Magic 19-14
6. Indiana Pacers 18-14
7. New York Knicks 18-15
8. Cleveland Cavaliers 18-15
9. Brooklyn Nets 15-19
10. Chicago Bulls 15-20
11. Atlanta Hawks 13-19
12. Toronto Raptors 13-20
13. Charlotte Hornets 8-24
14. Washington Wizards 6-26
15. Detroit Pistons 3-30
Western Conference
1. Minnesota Timberwolves 24-8
2. Oklahoma City Thunder 23-9
3. Denver Nuggets 24-11
4. Los Angeles Clippers 20-12
5. Sacramento Kings 19-13
6. New Orleans Pelicans 20-14
7. Dallas Mavericks 19-15
8. Phoenix Suns 18-15
9. Houston Rockets 16-15
10. Los Angeles Lakers 17-17
11. Golden State Warriors 16-17
12. Utah Jazz 15-19
13. Memphis Grizzlies 11-22
14. Portland Trail Blazers 9-23
15. San Antonio Spurs 5-28
-Teams ranking first through sixth advance directly to the Playoffs
-Teams ranking seventh through tenth compete in the Play-Ins