The Brooklyn Nets validated their ticket for the play-offs Friday in Orlando by beating the Sacramento Kings (119-106). This will be the second year in a row that the franchise will play the finals, the fifth since its establishment in Brooklyn in 2012. The Nets have found the solution collectively as seven players have scored at least ten points and thirty assists have been made (against 19 at the Kings). Jarrett Allen had a full game with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists plus a block. Caris LeVert also responded with 22 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds. Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot, off the bench, scored ten points and took three rebounds.
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Memphis has finally opened its counter of victories in Orlando (121-92 against the Thunder). After four straight losses, the Grizzlies were under pressure as their lead over all chasers for eighth place had melted. Against Oklahoma City, they showed great strength of character after missing their first quarter (7 lost balls and a score of 37-25 in favor of the Thunder). They also overcame a funny streak just before half-time where OKC scored twice with three points in the space of four seconds sending the two teams to the locker room with a three-point gap (63-60).
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But the match had already turned. In the second half, the Thunder showed great difficulty in shooting (3 of 19 three points in particular) and absent on the rebound without Steven Adams left to rest (33 rebounds to 17 for the Grizzlies after the break). The trio of Dillon Brooks (22 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists), Jonas Valanciunas (19 points, 11 rebounds) and Ja Morant (19 points, 9 assists, 4 rebounds) played a key role for Memphis. The Grizzlies thus retain a victory over Portland, ninth, before the last three games against the three best teams in the East but who do not have much to play in this end of the classification phase. The Western Conference is still far from having rendered its verdict for the last ticket in the play-offs.
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