Tsuma Okeke was the winner’s top scorer with 19 points, Franz Wagner gained 18 points. For the Mavs, Luka Doncic had 34 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists and Jalen Branson had 15 points.

The Appearance of the Night

When Carl-Anthony puts Towns aside… my goodness, he’s showing he belongs among the NBA elite. That was demonstrated — without Rudy Gomber and Donovan Mitchell — in Jazz in the Wolves’ 126-106 win, who had a massive triple-double with 31 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

Towns has the ability to… get scary when he’s more demanding in attack, as he can shoot from the periphery, put the ball on the ground or the post with the same ease, while he’s also improved as a passer. It’s about continuing this with the same consistency.

The Hawks and Young caught fire

The Hawks defeated (and) the Lakers (129-121) for 7 straight wins, the second best streak in the NBA after the Suns (10 straight wins). They are now 10th in the East and in play-in tournaments with a record of 24-25 and have ambitions for greater things. And they owe it to Trey Young.

The Hawks leader had 36 points and 12 assists against the Lakers. In the last 7 games, he has averaged 28.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 9.1 assists and 1.4 steals with 42% on three-pointers (4.1/9.9 per game) in 34 minutes of attendance. Atlanta is starting to be reminiscent of the team that wowed the world last year. If he continues like this, he will be a tough nut to crack for any opponent

Jokic showed how much ό Lopez is missing

One thing is clear: Nikola Jokic cannot be stopped by any player. Just like one player isn’t enough to stop Giannis Antitokoumbo, Joel Ebid, Steph Curry or LeBron James. But there are always ways to limit a star’s action with a combined defense, but one that starts with a good defender, an opponent in awe. In the case of the Bucks and the Nuggets, that formidable opponent would be Brooke Lopez, who is injured. And there aren’t many games that are more missed than this game, in which the Denver 136-100 beat the Bucks in Milwaukee.

The Serb didn’t score much. However, he finished the game on 18 points with 5/5 two points, 2/4 three points, 2/2 shots, 9 rebounds, 15 assists and 3 steals in 28 minutes of attendance. And sometimes it seemed very easy since Bobby Portis and Giannis Antitokoumbo couldn’t limit him. Of course, Lopez couldn’t limit him either. But it would probably be more difficult for him and more importantly it would allow Giannis to move more comfortably in the back line of defence, where he is best.

The truth, of course, is that Jokic is a basketball paradox and one of a kind. He and Joel Ebid are the only centers who can show the Bucks’ absence of Lopez so powerfully, but Ebid doesn’t fit as well as the Serb (basically, no big man fits as well as the Serb). Still, the Bucks would definitely like to have Lopez on the floor.

Chris Paul is a conductor

The Suns have 10 straight wins, the best record in the NBA (40-9) and are stuck in the All Star Game thanks to their win over the Spurs (115-110) in the presence of their coach (Monty Williams). , on a night where Chris Paul had 20 points and… 19 assists. No, it’s not a typo, Paul shared 19 assists.

The veteran guard has shared double-digit assists in 6 of the Suns’ last 7 games, averaging 20.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 12.9 assists and 1.6 steals with 44.8% on three pointers in 38 minutes. He is the conductor of the suns. And all at the age of 37.

The Bulls Big-3 keep the team

The bulls are still holding out against the problems. After their 130-116 victory over the Blazers, they even improved their record to 31-18 and rose to second place in the most competitive East in recent years. In the middle were Nikola Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan and Jacques Lavigne, who combined for 67 points and drew Chicago for another night.

Chicago has a lot of problems, but as long as its three stars are good, it can beat anyone. Especially when he’s backed by the likes of Coby White (18 points), Javode Green (16 points) and rookie Agios Dosumnou (7 points, 11 assists), which is the revelation of the team. The cops aren’t over yet.

The Cavaliers… got bigger and paid for it

“We beat the Bucks and I think we believed that was a sign that we were a better team than we were. “Today we woke up and landed back on earth.” Tade efi, Ivan Bobley, after the Cavaliers’ loss to the Pistons (115-105) in Detroit in a match that started with a 15-0 in the first period.

The Cavaliers are one of the pleasant surprises of the season as they have a young team that’s in the top 6 when most – at best – expect to be battling for play-in tournament play. The win over the Bucks showed their potential, but the loss to the Pistons reminded them they still lack the maturity needed to produce some results. They are small but they will learn.

The Clippers are still here

The Clippers, basically their roles, have a mission this year: they’re fighting to get into the top 10 and stay on track in play-in tournaments in the hopes that Kwai Leonard and Paul George will eventually will return this year. They’re doing their job for now though, as after their comfortable win over the Hornets (90-115) they’re 7th in the West with a 26-26 record!

The Clippers are kind of still here. Tyrone Lou has built a compact ensemble. Every player in the squad believes they will have a chance to shine. From Reggie Jackson and Marcus Morris to Amir Coffey, Terrence Mann, Luke Kenard, rookie Brandon Boston, Ivica Zubac, Eric Blencho and even Justis Winslow, everyone has a nightmarish difference. If Leonard and George return this year, the Clippers could set the NBA on fire.

Sadiq Bay is the Pistons’ win

In a season where the Pistons are looking to maintain… the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft and improve on Cade Cunningham, Sadiq Bay is the real asset for the team. The dynamic guard/forward is having an excellent second season, making Jeremy Grant, who is expected to be wanted in the trade deadline, unnecessary.

Bay is averaging 15.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists with 33.6% three-pointers in 34 minutes this season. But in the past two months — without Grant due to injury — he’s averaged 17.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 35 minutes with a 36.6% on three points. The Pistons have found a player to lean on going forward.

Davis’ question

There are many ways for a player to respond when accused of a foul that he believes he did not commit. Anthony Davis decided to give the world an incredible grimace when it happened in the game with the Hawks.

Of course, the Lakers aren’t laughing at this point. Either way, Davis’ style was all about the money.