The Golden State Warriors sweep the L. A. Clippers with a blowout from the hall. The Mavs only play well for a half and then break in, and the Blazers manage to score only 6 points in a quarter. Furthermore: Kristap’s Porzingis makes the Knicks cheer with a Career High, the Wolves win an OT victory in Miami and the Sixers kidnap a win from Houston thanks to Simmons and Embiid.
This OT Wolves win is likely to be the next proof that the young team has taken a huge step forward compared to last season when it comes to getting close games home. Tom Thibodeau’s team did not lose sight of the setback at the end of the regular season either.
Three seconds before the end Heat-Guard Dion Waiters provided a running layout for the 110:110. Thibs then used his two remaining timeout times to conjure up a last play on the tactic board – but that didn’t help much. In the end, only a difficult corner trio of Karl-Anthony Towns jumped out of the field, who missed his goal by a mile.
So, after a cheerful game with 9 lead changes, they went into extra time, in which both teams sought their salvation in the offensive. The Wolves were able to rely on Jeff Teague, who placed several Clutch Plays and became the hero of the evening with 7 OT points (2/2 FG, 2/2 FT, plus 2 assists). On the other hand, Waiters fought against it, but his last roll with the Buzzer, which would have extended the game again, did not want to pass through the Reuse.
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Teague scored 23 points and 11 assists, while Andrew Wiggins scored 22 points. Karl-Anthony Towns (20 points, 12 Rebounds) and Jimmy Butler (16 points) also contributed to the success. Waiters scored 33 points in the Heat, his career high (14/28 FG) and Kelly Olynyk scored 23 points from the bank. In the absence of Hassan Whiteside, Rookie Bam Adebayo convinced Adebayo with a double-double (13 points, 13 rebounds) on the board.
The last few seconds of the first half were the ultimate proof that this evening belonged to Kristaps Porzingis. First he sunk a difficult fadeaway in the offense, only to officially block a sprint back into the defensive nuggets star Paul Millsap. The unicorn was then celebrated in Madison Square Garden – after all, he was mainly responsible for his team taking a 22-point lead into the cabin.
After the change of sides, however, the mood tipped in the meantime. The hosts were defensively next to the track, allowing the opponent 38 points in the third quarter and scoring 12 (!) ball losses. The result: The guests were back and even took the lead after a 27:2 run.
Good for the Knicks: They had Jr. a top-class support for Porz that night. The Guard made sure that his team found their way back into the tracks offensively in the fourth quarter. Characteristic for his performance: He scored all of his 13 points in the final 12 minutes, which made the Knicks rock the ball home. Nikola Jokic was the best man in the nuggets with 28 points and 8 rebounds, while Jamal Murray put on 20 points.
The spotlight after the match, however, was undoubtedly on Porzingis, who set a new career high with 38 points (14/26 FG). But afterwards he wanted to get rid of something else:”That was one of the worst quarters[third] we’ve ever played. So many turnovers, man. But we will learn from it.”
Page 1: Wolves win OT victory in Miami, Porzingis dominates with Career High
Page 2: Philly wins in Houston, Hornet’s annoying Memphis
Page 3: Magic shooting pels, Mavs with catastrophic half-time
Page 4: Blazers with 6-point quarter, Dubs roll over Clippers