NBA: Brooklyn surprises the Bucks, Phoenix offers the Clippers, historic Luka Doncic

It was first Brooklyn with its team of substitutes who offered the best formation, at least statistically, of the Milwaukee season: 116-119. Then it was Phoenix, another big outsider, who snatched the victory at the expense of the Los Angeles Clippers 115-117 in the last second. Portland has not lost hope of removing the 8th and last qualifying place in the playoffs in the West by dominating Houston 110-102. The Nets therefore delayed the promised first place in the East to the Bucks. The coach of the latter Mike Budenholzer had decided to blow off several of his stars starting with Giannis Antetokounmpo limited to 16 minutes of play before the rest of what still align 16 points (7/8), 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot was the hero of the game with 26 points for Brooklyn, two more than his loss to Orlando in the resumption of the championship on July 31.

Devin Booker for his part offered a third success in a row to the Suns in Florida confinement. The rear planted the basket of victory on the final siren stroke and punctuated his three-star performance (35 pts, 8 ast, 4 rebs) against one of the best defenders who is Kawhi Leonard. Phoenix returned 17 of its 32 award-winning shots, which also explains this unexpected success.

Portland remains in the race for the playoffs. While Memphis, 8th (32v-36d), tramples, the Trail Blazers (31v-38d) are in ambush. Tuesday, Damian Lillard (21 pts) and Carmelo Anthony made talk about talent and experience at the end of the match and thus got the better of Houston where James Harden was limited (23 pts, 9 ast, 6 rebs) by personal faults.

On an individual level, the prize of the evening went to Luka Doncic. The Slovenian leader from Dallas achieved an impressive and historic triple double: 34 points, 20 rebounds, 12 assists in the overtime victory over Sacramento 110-114. At 21 years and 158 days, he became the youngest player in the NBA to accumulate 30 points or more, 20 rebounds or more and 10 assists or more in the same game. He erased Oscar Robertson, who was 23 years and 12 days old, from such a feat in December 1961.

–