Celtics win leaders clash against Suns, Morant signs triple-double
Brown and Tatum dominated Phoenix, Morant reignited Memphis.
Boston stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum shined in Phoenix in the clash between the leaders of the Western and Eastern Conferences of the NBA, which the Celtics won on Wednesday, while Ja Morant, author of a triple double, allowed Memphis to beat Oklahoma City.
Tatum and Brown each scored 25 points and the Eastern Conference-leading Celtics improved to a current NBA-best record of 21 wins-five losses by easily dominating Western Conference-leading Phoenix (125-98).
In the East, Boston now has three more wins than Milwaukee, which however has played two fewer games. In the West, Phoenix went 16 wins for nine losses and gave up first place to New Orleans (16-8).
The Suns trailed 69-42 at halftime, the largest point deficit they’ve had to this point in a game this season, and trailed by as many as 45 points in the third quarter.
“We really connectedTatum said.We just make the right choices. We made a lot of shots tonight“.
The Celtics, who lost to Golden State in the NBA Finals last season, improved their record to 10-3 on the road.
“But we are far from satisfied“, Tatum pointed out. “It means nothing if we don’t get back to where we want to go (the NBA Finals) and get over that hump. It is a long process but we are in the right direction“Assurance of the 24-year-old winger.
Utah outlasts Golden State
Meanwhile, Morant had a triple-double with 26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists to lead Memphis to a win over the Thunder (123-102).
It was the 23-year-old point guard’s sixth career triple-double, a franchise record. “It means a lotMorant said. “Much of the credit goes to my teammates and coaches who put me in a position to excel at a high level“.
“We knew rebounds would be important. I got it from the start, and I caught seven early. All other stats are due to my teammates. The fact that they made shots also gave me shooting opportunities“, he greeted.
Memphis scored just 15 points in the fourth quarter. “It’s mostly about closing the game, getting blocks and rebounds“, detailed Morant. “We have to keep fighting and playing hard“warned the star of the Grizzlies, firmly hanging on to 3rd place in the West.
The Greek Giannis Antetokounmpo, double MVP, scored 35 points, added six rebounds and seven assists, and his teammate Jrue Holiday with 31 points, was a big contribution to the victory (126-113) of Milwaukee against Sacramento.
The Bucks have the second best record in the NBA with 18 wins and 6 losses.
Kyrie Irving scored 33 points, nine assists, five rebounds and four blocks, along with Kevin Durant’s 29 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, in Brooklyn’s win over Charlotte (122-116).
Simone Fontecchio scored the game-winning basket with 1.4 seconds left to give Utah a 124-123 home win over the Golden State Warriors.
Williamson carries the Pelicans
Jordan Poole scored 36 points for the Warriors, but it was his missed pass that allowed the Italian winger to make a decisive inside shot.
Jordan Clarkson led the Jazz with 22 points and Fontecchio added 18.
Zion Williamson scored 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to help New Orleans beat Detroit (104-98) at home, its fifth straight win securing the Pelicans first place in the Western Conference.
D’Angelo Russell scored 28 points, his best total this season, and Frenchman Rudy Gobert added 16 points and 21 rebounds as Minnesota won 121-115 over Indiana.
Cameroonian Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet each brought 25 points in the victory of the Toronto Raptors against the Los Angeles Lakers (126-113).
The Lakers, without Anthony Davis due to illness and LeBron James with an ankle, relied on German back Dennis Schroder, who scored 18 points, still not enough to pull off a win in Toronto.
Paolo Banchero made six free throws in the final seven seconds of overtime to give the Orlando Magic a 116-111 home win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Italian-American scored 23 points, including 13 of 14 free throws.
Finally, Chicago beat Washington (115-111) thanks to 27 points from DeMar DeRozan, while Julius Randle scored 34 points and grabbed 17 rebounds to ensure New York’s wide victory over Atlanta (113 -89).
The results of the night:
Phoenix-Boston 98-125
brooklyn-Charlotte 122-116
New York-Atlanta 113-89
Toronto-LA Lakers 126-113
Utah-Golden State 124-123
Chicago-Washington 115-111
Memphis-Oklahoma City 123-102
Milwaukee-Sacramento 126-113
Minnesota– Indiana 121-115
New Orleans-Detroit 104-98
Orlando-LA Clippers 116-111 (ap)
