The Boston Celtics confirmed their dominance in the NBA with a huge beating of the Phoenix Suns while the Golden State Warriors, sans Stephen Curry, starred in the fiasco of the day as they lost to the Utah Jazz in a game they won by 4 points with just 13 seconds left.
ONLY 98 – 125 CELTIC
The Boston Celtics put together an impressive performance against a totally defeated Phoenix Suns that they went as far as dropping 45 points in the third quarter.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, with 25 points apiece in under 30 minutes, led the Celtics without Dominican Al Horford due to coronavirus protocol.
Devin Booker had 17 points in a very disappointing Suns.
JAZZ 124 – WARRIORS 123
Due to disastrous management of the last seconds, the Golden State Warriors, with Jordan Poole in front (36 points and 8 assists), they lost against a very strong Utah Jazz (seven players over 10 points) and with Jordan Clarkson in the spotlight (22 points and 9 assists).
After Malik Beasley’s 3-pointer for the Jazz left the Warriors up 1 and possession with 6.9 seconds left, Poole fumbled after the throw-in, a golden opportunity Utah capitalized beautifully with a field goal counterattack that Simone Fontecchio won after a pass from Beasley.
BUCK 126 – KING 113
The Milwaukee Bucks continue to hunt the Boston Celtics, who added their third straight win by beating the Sacramento Kings at the hands of a Giannis Antetokounmpo who has already been eight consecutive games with more than 30 points and over 50% shooting from the field (he shone tonight with 35 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists=.
Domantas Sabonis came close to a triple-double in the Kings (23 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists).
PELICANS 104 – PISTONS 98
The fifth straight win by these powerhouse New Orleans Pelicans came with an extra prize as it placed them as the leaders of the West instead of the Phoenix Suns.
Zion Williamson (29 points and 10 rebounds) stood out in a Pelicans in which Spaniard Willy Hernangómez had no minutes and Puerto Rican José Alvarado added 2 points and 2 assists in 21 minutes.
Killian Hayes (17 points, 6 rebounds and 12 assists) was Detroit’s best.
Raptors 126 – LAKERS 113
Without Anthony Davis or LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers, with Dennis Schroder as the point of reference on offense (18 points), added their second consecutive loss by losing to the Toronto Raptors led by Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet (25 points each) .
Spaniard Juancho Hernan Gómez did not play for the Raptors due to a sprained ankle, the same injury suffered during the game by Mexican Lakers Juan Toscano-Anderson (3 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 16 minutes).
MAGIC 116 – CLIPPERS 111
The Los Angeles Clippers floundered in Orlando, where they trailed the Magic by 18 points in the first quarter but went to overtime after several big errors in the final stretch (five seconds after a timeout and a kickoff turnover).
Paolo Banchero, number one in the last draft, was the leading scorer with 23 points for the Magic, who suffered nine consecutive losses and are last team in the East, while Terance Mann (19 points and 9 rebounds) led these poor Clippers.
RETI 122 – CALABRI 116
The Brooklyn Nets continue to climb positions in the East and, against some gritty Charlotte Hornets, have sealed the fifth win in the last six games.
Kyrie Irving (33 points and 9 assists) and Kevin Durant (29 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists) beat Terry Rozier (29 points) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (28 points and 8 rebounds).
KNICKS 113 – HAWKS 89
Trae Young returned to Madison Square Garden, where he always experiences very tense and exciting games against the Knicks, but this time he left New York with a sensational loss courtesy of a great Julius Randle (34 points and 17 rebounds).
Wearing shoes emblazoned with “King of Broadway,” Young was only able to add 19 points and 6 assists for the Hawks.
GRIZZLY 123 – THUNDER 102
A 29-15 run unchallenged in the fourth quarter allowed the Memphis Grizzlies to pull away from the Oklahoma City Thunder for their fourth straight win.
Ja Morant had a triple-double (26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists) and already holds the all-time league record for Memphis while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder (26 points and 7 assists).
Spaniard Santi Aldama had a very solid performance and contributed 14 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in 22 minutes for the Grizzlies.
BULLS 115 – MAGI 111
After three consecutive losses, the Chicago Bulls took some oxygen by beating the Washington Wizards with a very complete game of their stellar trio: DeMar DeRozan (27 points and 7 rebounds), Zach LaVine (25 points and 7 rebounds) and Nikola Vucevic (25 points and 7 rebounds 11 rebounds).
Kristaps Porzingis (28 points and 9 rebounds) was the go-to as the Wizards ran out of gas and racked up a four-game losing streak.
Timberwolves 121 – Pacers 115
A block by Rudy Gobert (16 points and 21 rebounds) in the final seconds was crucial for the Minnesota Timberwolves to defeat the Indiana Pacers at home.
Anthony Edwards (26 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 6 steals) was the most reliable player for the Wolves while Tyrese Haliburton (26 points and 15 assists) led the Pacers.
RANKINGS
Eastern Conference:
.1. Boston Celtics 21-5
.2. Milwaukee Bucks 18-6
.3. Cleveland Cavaliers 16-9
.4. Brooklyn nets 14-12
.5. Atlanta Falcons 13-12
.6. Indiana Pacers 13-12
.7. Toronto Raptors 13-12
.8. Philadelphia 76ers 12-12
.9. New York Knicks 12-13
10. Miami Heat 11-14
11. Wizards of Washington 11-14
12. Chicago Bulls 10-14
13. Charlotte Hornets 7-18
14. Detroit Pistons 7-20
15.Magic Orlando 6-20
. Western Conference:
.1. New Orleans Pelicans 16-8
.2. Phoenix just 16-9
.3. Memphis Grizzlies 16-9
.4. Denver Nuggets 14-10
.5. Sacramento Kings 13-10
.6. Utah Jazz 15-12
.7. Dallas Mavericks 13-11
.8. Portland Trail Blazers 13-11
.9. Los Angeles Clippers 14-12
10. Golden State Warriors 13-13
11. Minnesota Timberwolves 12-12
12. Oklahoma City Thunder 11-14
13. Los Angeles Lakers 10-14
14. Houston Rockets 7-17
15.San Antonio Spurs 6-6pm.
NEXT DAY (Thursday 8 December)
Miami Heat – Los Angeles Clippers
San Antonio Spurs – Houston Rockets
Portland Trail Blazers – Denver Nuggets.
