The Orlando Magic clinched a victory in Atlanta thanks to an outstanding Franz Wagner, the winning streak of the Cleveland Cavaliers was torn against the Boston Celtics. The Bucks show no nakedness against Houston, Nikola Jokic shows a poor performance in the Denver bankruptcy in Oklahoma City.
Atlanta Hawks (14-16) – Orlando Magic (7-25) 98:104 (BOXSCORE)
- Franz Wagner made a dominant appearance in Atlanta, he finished the game with 25 points and 4 rebounds and was the best man among the guests. In the end, the rookie was only three points away from his career record.
- The German did most of the damage in the zone: Acrobatic layups, clever cuts to the basket, hookshots – the Hawks simply couldn’t find an answer on the defensive. Gary Harris provided support with 17 points, Robin Lopez recorded a double-double (10 points, 11 assists) and Chuma Okeke contributed 12 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists and had the highest plus-minus of all Magic players (+ 15).
- In the absence of Trae Young, the hosts placed their hopes on the offensive on John Collins and the Big Man was able to deliver (26 points and 11 rebounds). Cam Reddish meanwhile showed the best performance of his career, the forward put up 34 points (career high), threw 46.7 percent out of the field and sank 6 of 10 throws from a distance.
- After a balanced first quarter, the guests were able to break away before half-time, the Hawks only threw 33.3 percent out of the field and found no rhythm on the offensive. Orlando went into break with a 10-point lead.
- Wagner and Co. were now up to 20 points ahead, but a 16: 4 run in the third quarter brought the Hawks up to 6 points. Atlanta tried everything again in the closing minutes, but Orlando kept a cool head and drove home the victory safely.
- Corona-Protokoll: Clint Capela, Danilo Gallinari, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Lou Williams, Trae Young (alle Hawks) – Mo Bamba, Ignas Brazedeikis, R.J. Hampton, Mychal Mulder, Terrence Ross, Moritz Wagner (alle Magic)
Boston Celtics (16-16) – Cleveland Cavaliers (19-13) 111:101 (BOXSCORE)
- After the last six wins in a row, the Cleveland Cavaliers suffered a significant defeat in Boston. Jaylen Brown scored at will, the Celtics star finished the game with 34 points (12/22 FG) and hit 5 of his 10 triple attempts.
- Due to the failures of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, Tacko Fall made his debut in the starting five and was quite convincing here, the center grabbed 10 rebounds (three of them on the offensive board).
- On the defensive, the 2.31-meter man patrolled the zone and played drop coverage. The Celtics took advantage of this several times in pick-and-roll and came up with free jump throws from the midrange and downtown. Brown alone got 16 points in the first 12 minutes, Jayson Tatum went up in the second quarter (11). At halftime, the Celts were leading 63:48.
- With the Cavaliers, the ball just didn’t want to fall through the net, especially from a distance the guests in the first three quarters were freezing (4/25 3FG). Darius Garland (28 points, 6 assists) and Kevin Love (18 points, 12 rebounds) were the Cavs’ only bright spots.
- Dennis Schröder caught a used evening (3 points, 4 assists, 1/11 FG), Celtics newcomer Joe Johnson celebrated his comeback with the Celts after 7249 days, the 40-year-old played for two minutes in garbage time. “He can gamble. He’s a good scorer, seven-time all-star, he’s in top form. He brings experience and leadership qualities with him,” said Celtics coach Ime Udoka about Iso Joe before the start of the game.
- Corona-Protokoll: Al Horford, Grant Williams, Josh Richardson, Jabari Parker, Sam Hauser, Juan Hernangomez, Brodric Thomas (alle Celtics) – Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, Isaac Okoro, Lamar Stevens, Dylan Windler, Ed Davis, RJ Nembhard (alle Cavs)
Chicago Bulls – Toronto Raptors (POSTPONED)
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