The other favorite, Brooklyn responded well. After their 127-104 loss to Milwaukee, the Nets won 109-114 in the room in Philadelphia, another contender in the East. If New York confirmed Orlando (96-121) and Chicago against New Orleans (128-112), Boston was corrected at home by Toronto 83-115. Led by their MVP Nikola Jokic, Denver scored their second 102-96 victory against San Antonio. Utah came out on top at Sacramento 101-110.
More than defeat, the Lakers have exposed the internal concerns of a workforce rich in oversized egos. Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard grappled before the entire LA bench separated its two interiors. The image is rare and eloquent.
“We just had a disagreement on one action… We are passionate, we are adults, we fixed the problem. These are things that happen. He’s my brother, he’s my teammate. there’s no problem between us, i don’t want someone to say i’m trying to cause a problem, i’m not, ”Howard explained.
If the coach Frank Vogel has also played down – when you get your ass kicked, the exchanges can sometimes get worse – the former legend of the club Magic Johnson was offended by the show: “in 42 years spent with the Lakers, I’ve never seen anything like this. “
At the time of this peak of tension, the Lakers were sinking in the 2nd quarter (18-34). And the ordeal continued in the 3rd (37-23), without LeBron James (20 pts) being able to do anything about it, nor Davis (16 pts, 10 rebs), nor Russell Westbrook who was nevertheless well resumed after a disastrous first match (15 pts, 11 rebs, 9 assists). In front of them, the Suns Chris Paul (23 pts, 14 ast, 5 rebs) who crossed the barrier of 20,000 points, Devin Booker (22 pts) and Mikal Bridges (21 pts) shone.
Kevin Durant brought out the big game on the floor of the Sixers. The savior of the United States at the Tokyo Olympics managed a triple-double (29 pts, 15 rebs, 12 assists). But Brooklyn’s X-factor was arguably veteran LaMarcus Aldridge who made the difference, scoring 9 of his 23 points in the final five minutes, during which Brooklyn inflicted a fatal 1-16 on Philly. James Harden (20 pts, 8 ast, 7 rebs) contributed. Orphan of Ben Simmons, in conflict with his leaders and who said he was “mentally unfit” to replay with the team, Joel Embiid did what he could (19 pts, 8 rebs, 4 blocks) for the 76ers just like Seth Curry (23 pts). In vain.
Winner at the Clippers on Wednesday, Denver was still delighted with the talent of Jokic (32 pts, 16 rebs, 7 assists) against Spurs.
The Knicks confirmed their offensive potential with Julius Randle (21 pts, 10 rebs, 7 assists) and Evan Fournier (18 pts) in the Magic room.
Utah accelerated in the second half to beat Sacramento, carried by Donovan Mitchell (27 pts) and ultra-domineering Rudy Gobert inside (17 pts, 20 rebs).
Washington relied on Spencer Dinwiddie (34 points) to overcome 135-134 after extra time Indiana already beaten by one point by Charlotte at the start of the season.
Chicago and Zach LaVine (32 pts) defeated the Pelicans and Charlotte won (123-112) in Cleveland with 30 points from Miles Bridges.
Toronto was able to count on its rookie, N.4 of the last draft, Scottie Barnes (25 pts, 13 rbs) to blow up the Celtics. Other satisfactions on the Raptors side: Precious Achiuwa justified his first name (15 pts, 15 rbs) and Gary Trent (20 pts) rose in the decisive third quarter (17-33).
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