Satisfied fans in Philadelphia – Jimmy Butler leads 76ers with 28 points to victory over Utah Jazz! In addition, Jabari Parker returns to Milwaukee and takes the bulls for a slap in the second half. Furthermore, the New Orleans Pelicans bring down the New York Knicks in the last minutes – Anthony Davis with a new season best performance.
Tyreke Evans delivered a strong performance from the bench and led the Pacers to victory over the Heat. Even in the first quarter, it looked as if Miami would achieve a simple success on the road. But Indiana turned up the heat and started a 16-0 run.
After Domantas Sabonis sunk a trio to the 34:32 lead in the second quarter, the Heat didn’t come back in the rest of the season. Bam Adebayo (8 points) brought Miami up to 3 points at the beginning of the final section, but the Pacers reacted immediately.
With a 7:0 run they went away again, finally Bojan Bogdanovic (16 points) hammered the Fastbreak-Dunk into the 79:69 lead. Again the Heat shortened and 1:27 minutes before the end they were only 3 points away. But then the weak Victor Oladipo (8, 3/12 FG) transformed a threesome and sealed Miami’s fate.
Evans finished the game with 23 points (5/7 3FG) and also grabbed 10 boards. There was also a double double for Sabonis, who scored 15 points and got 12 rebounds. On the Heat side, Josh Richardson was convincing and was the top scorer of the match with 28 points (7/10 3FG). Hassan Whiteside (12 points) earned 17 rebounds.
Jimmy Butler’s first home game for the Philadelphia 76ers became the ultimate triumph. First Sixers legend Allen Iverson was allowed to ring the bell in front of a sold out house, then Butler belonged to the stage and Philly started like the fire brigade. Brett Brown’s team scored an incredible 87 percent (13/15 FG) in the first quarter and quickly led with 14 points.
So for Jazz it went on like the embarrassing 50 counter clap in Dallas, only in the course of the game it got a little better. While Philly Butler and Joel Embiid set the tone, Utah Donovan Mitchell seemed to be particularly stirred up by the booing of Sixers fans. Already during the break Spida had fired 19 throws at the basket, but the yield of 12 counters was a bit meager.
But since the Shooting Guard got support from Derrick Favors (13) and Rick Rubio (13), the Jazz suddenly had to go back to 2 points and an exciting game developed deep into the final phase. Just two minutes before the end the guests were even in front, before J.J. Redick (16) hit two free throws and then Ben Simmons (10, 8 rebounds each and assists) took the lead by drive.
But the decision was made by debutant Butler, who profited from a great Out of Bounds Play by coach Brown and was able to put the spalding in the basket completely free (111:107). Butler scored 28 points (12/15 FG) and 7 assists in his first home game, Embiid added another 23 (7/20 FG). For the Sixers, it was the 18th victory in their home hall in a row.
Top scorer of the Jazz was Mitchell with 31 points (13/35 FG), but he did not score a single assist. The last 35 litters without an assistant were in 2014, when Carmelo Anthony poured 62 points into the Charlotte Bobcats.
Even without their best scorer, Caris LeVert, the Nets were able to clinch an important victory against the Wizards. In the first half, no team managed to break away with more than six points. But then Brooklyn started a 19-5 run and took a 79-64 lead in the third quarter.
D’Angelo Russell contributed 8 counters and Joe Harris (9) and Allen Crabbe (6) also served the three. Washington only came close to a single-digit score, but the Nets didn’t let their bread take the butter from their bread and kept control for the rest of the match.
Spencer Dinwiddie achieved a new best performance of the season with 25 points (8/13 FG) and prepared 8 goals of his team mates. Russell finished the East duel with 23 points (8/16 FG) and Jarrett Allen recorded a double with 16 points (5/11 FG) and 12 rebounds (6 OFF).
On the wizards side, Dwight Howard also scored 25 points (9/13 FG) and got 17 boards. Bradley Beal (20) and John Wall (16, 6/19 FG) again did not appear enough and played inconsistently. Washington threw only 17.6 percent from downtown (Nets: 27.3 percent).
Page 1: Butler shines at home debut – Wizards still weak
Page 2: Wolves continue to convince without Butler
Page 3: Pelicans and Bucks with Monster Comebacks