NBA in-season tournament: Nuggets and Celtics in danger
NBA in-season tournament: Nuggets and Celtics in danger
the Orlando Magic inflicted a blow to the Boston Celtics’ hopes of qualifying for the NBA postseason tournament.
Jalen Green of Houston scored 25 points, and Alperen Sengun of Denver added 21 points and 15 rebounds.
The Rockets won 105-86 despite Nikola Jokic of Denver playing another incredible game.
For Denver, Jokic finished with a season-high 38 points, 19 rebounds, and 8 assists.
However, the struggling Nuggets, who were still suffering the effects of Jamal Murray’s injury,
only managed 34 flawless shots from the field and lost their fifth straight game.
Aaron Gordon, who shot 0-for-12 from the floor and scored only two points,
personified their offensive struggles. They were tied 2-2 at the completion of group play,
but their hopes of moving forward were dashed by the maths of point differential.
The league-leading Magic intimidated the Celtics in the second half en route to a 113-96 victory that
extended Orlando’s winning run to six games.
The Magic had defeated the Nuggets two days prior.
The Magic were led by Moritz Wagner, who scored 27 points off the bench, and Paolo Banchero,
who contributed 23 points and seven rebounds.
With 26 points, Jayson Tatum led the Celtics, while Jaylen Brown added 18 points,
12 of which came in the first quarter.
In the final three quarters, Brown made just two of his seventeen attempts from the field as
the Magic tightened their defence,
delivering the Celtics their worst loss of the year.
Regarding the Magic’s defensive effort, Banchero stated, “That’s what we take pride in.
” That’s what we have to offer.
“We simply approach every game with the intention of stopping the team in front of us,
and we performed admirably tonight.”
When Orlando went on a 17-0 scoring run early in the third quarter, the Celtics were ahead by 12.
With a 10-0 run to start the fourth quarter, capped by a running layup by Moritz Wagner,
Orlando took control and never looked back.
The Magic finished group play in the new competition with a 3-1 record.
When group play ends on Tuesday, the Celtics,
who had a chance to guarantee their spot in the knockout round,
are tied with the Brooklyn Nets at 2-1 and have one game left to play.
The competition culminates in semi-finals and the championship game in December in Las Vegas,
with the six group winners and the two wild card teams moving on to the quarterfinals.
According to Banchero, the new Cup-style tournament has been “huge,
” with the goal of generating interest in early-season games.
“I’m happy we won,” he remarked. “Hopefully, we’ll be well-positioned to proceed.”
The Sacramento Kings defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-111,
denying them the opportunity to advance to the quarterfinals with a victory.
The Kings advanced to 3-0 in group play because to the 36 points and 12 assists that
De’Aaron Fox scored for them.
Knicks defeat the Heat
In a crucial tournament match, the Knicks in New York overcame a 21-point deficit in the third quarter to defeat
the Miami Heat 100-98.
The Knicks outscored the Heat 29-11 in the fourth quarter behind the scoring of
Jalen Brunson with 24 points and Immanuel Quickley with 20 points off the bench.
With two tenths of a second remaining,
Miami’s Jimmy Butler had 23 points but missed a possible game-winning three-pointer.
Milwaukee, who are 3-0 and getting closer to a quarterfinal spot,
with 31 points apiece from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
For the first time in the team’s existence, three Bucks players scored thirty points in one game.
The Phoenix Suns defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 110-89 to maintain their hopes of moving on as a wild card in the Western Conference.
Devin Booker, who scored 40 points to help the Suns overcome the absence of superstar Kevin Durant,
who missed his first game of the season due to a painful right foot, remarked, “Hopefully that’s enough.”
Get more related news on https://dailysportnews.co.uk/
Leave a Reply