The Boston Celtics have won a thriller in Denver. Daniel Theis also plays an important role, who sinks three threesomes at once. Dennis Schröder and his Atlanta Hawks take Minnesota by surprise, while the Dallas Mavericks have no chance against the Miami Heat.
It was a tough piece of work for the Pacers, but in the end there was the fourth victory in five games. At only 18 points, the hosts held the Hornets in the fourth quarter and were able to win a close match. 18 times the lead changed, 16 times it was undecided.
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One of the reasons for this was that Indiana couldn’t find its way to the infamous fast basketball. Instead, at this pace, the game had to be decided over the defense, which they did. Victor Oladipo in particular was leading the way. The Shooting Guard not only scored 25 points (11/15 FG), but also set an exclamation point with a block against Dwight Howard (22.11 rebounds).
“We played good team defense collectively today,”said a delighted Dipo. A 13:4 run at the beginning of the fourth quarter gave the hosts some air for the first time, a further 7:0 run in the middle of the section, initiated by a three-way from Myles Turner, ensured the decision. It was only one of six converted distance throws for the Pacers (28.6 percent). Only Turner (22,4/6 threesomes) showed a good touch during his comeback after an elbow injury.
With the Hornets, Howard was 697. Double-Double of his career, no other active player can look back on more. In addition, Kemba Walker (23) and Nicolas Batum (22) also showed good games. But the guests had nothing more to offer than this trio. No other Hornets player scored more than eight points.
I’m sure that’s not what the Wolves had in mind. After leaving Orlando a few days ago, Tom Thibodeau’s team stumbled on the worst team in the league. The Hawks once again proved their comeback qualities.
In the third quarter, the hosts were still trailing by eleven points, but the bank made an open play at the start of the final section. Two minutes before the end it was Kent Bazemore (22,8/14 FG), who took the lead of Atlanta (99:96) with a threesome, which they did not give up. Nevertheless, the Timberwolves had another chance to win.
With 14 seconds left on the clock and at 101:100, the guests had the ball after a time-out, but Jeff Teague (2.1/12 FG, 10 Assists) found no other player within five seconds, so the Hawks returned to the spalding thanks to their good defense. Dennis Schröder (18.5/15 FG, 10 points in the fourth quarter, 11 assists) remained ice cold and scuttled all four attempts from the free-throw line to victory.
The decisive factor, however, was the Bank of the Hawks. Mike Budenholzer’s reservists generated 45 points (Minnesota: 24). Tyler Dorsey (8) in particular attracted attention with two important threesomes in the fourth quarter. John Collins contributed 8 points and 11 rebounds. For Minnesota Jimmy Butler was the top scorer with 24 points. Karl-Anthony Towns (15,13 Rebounds), on the other hand, was rarely looked for and only took eight throws out of the field. Andrew Wiggins contributed another 18 points.
Without Devin Booker (rib) the Suns travelled to Memphis, but at first there was no sign of it. Thanks to 11 points from T. J. Warren, the guests gained a double-digit lead in the first quarter. But then it was over with the glory of the Suns. Memphis exploded with 42 points (17/21 FG) in the next section and set the course so early on victory. After the change they even extended the padding to 25 counters.
But the game was not nice to watch. It was obvious that both teams lacked key players. A whopping 39 ball losses achieved both teams together. The most welcome exception was Tyreke Evans. The Sixth Man scored 27 points (11/17 FG) and 4 assists and was an important factor in the offense of grizzlies. Wayne Selden (17) also had some good moments, especially in the second quarter. Marc Gasol (12,10 Rebounds, 3 Blocks) got a double-double.
Phoenix, on the other hand, did what young teams do best – running. 29 Fast Break Points concealed the big problems in the semi-field. Beside Warren (24) Josh Jackson rehabilitated himself after his 0/13 stink bomb against the rockets with good 20 points and 8 rebounds. Tyler Ulis from the bank also delivered 13 points and 7 assists.
Page 1: Schröder shows no nerves against the Wolves
Page 2: Triple Specialist Theis helps Celtics with detective story in Denver