NBA: 49 points! Outstanding KD rescues Warriors

The Orlando Magic will provide the Golden State Warriors with a hot duel – the outstanding Kevin Durant ultimately decides the game. Meanwhile the Milwaukee Bucks stumble against the Charlotte Hornets and the Spurs and Timberwolves celebrate close victories.

“That’s a good sign. We can win against a good basketball team without Kemba having to score a massive number of points,” Hornets coach Borrego said after the match, satisfied with the performance of his Hornets. And he was right.

The aforementioned Kemba Walker was the top scorer of his team with 21 points (plus 6 rebounds and 5 assists), but he didn’t manage everything this evening. Especially with his throw the Point Guard had unusual problems (3/12 FG, 13/16 FT) and so it was a strong team performance that allowed the Hornets to win.

Beside Jeremy Lamb (also 21 points), Marvin Williams (16) or Tony Parker (16 and 6 assists) Michael Kidd-Gilchrist also made a strong performance. His statline (7, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks) wasn’t too spectacular, but his influence – especially in defense – was clearly felt after he missed the last six games with ankle problems.

But by no means all the gold that shone in the Hornets was gold. Charlotte made a 25-point lead in the third quarter, but the bucks in the final section allowed the comeback. A layout by Giannis Antetokounmpo (20 points, 13 rebounds, 9 assists) brought Milwaukee up to one point 17 seconds before the end, but finally Walker secured victory from the free-throw line. In the last attack the Bucks didn’t get a good throw anymore.

After Jimmy Butler’s trade, the Timberwolves now stand at 6 wins and only 2 losses – the deal seems to have a positive effect on all sides. “We still have a long way to go, but we’re constantly improving,” said coach Tom Thibodeau after the victory over the Cavs.

However, Thibs was not completely satisfied with his team’s performance, as the Cavs – the worst team in the Eastern Conference to date – remained within striking distance until the start of the fourth quarter (75:71 for Minnesota). Afterwards Cleveland only hit 8 of 21 out of the field and lost 5 balls.

Thanks to a strong performance from Derrick Rose, who scored 10 of his 12 points in the final section, the Timberwolves quickly dropped to 12 points. That was too much for the Cavs, where Kyle Korver was the best scorer with 22 points from the bench. Collin Sexton remained rather pale with 11 counters (5/19 FG).

In addition to Rose, Robert Covington (23 points, 7 rebounds) and Karl-Anthony Towns (21 and 10) also convinced the guests. Andrew Wiggins came after his 0/12-Performace against the Bulls nevertheless on 11 points with 4 of 11 from the field.

The Spurs had to tremble for their tenth victory of the season much longer than they would have liked. Against the Bulls – who, like the Cavaliers 2018/19, are more likely to be located in the basement of the eastern table – they were even 80:83 behind at the start of the fourth quarter. But then LaMarcus Aldridge turned up the heat.

The Big Man scored 11 of his 20 points in the final section and led the Spurs to victory. “I just got my touches,” LMA said afterwards. “I got the ball a little bit more often and found it in my rhythm. When I felt good, I just tried to move on.”

Aldridge got helpful support from DeMar DeRozan, who gave the Bulls 21 points (8 rebounds and 5 assists), Patty Mills also contributed 17 points. “I liked the fact that DeMar and L.A. became aggressive in the end and took over the game”, Head Coach Gregg Popovich was also satisfied.

However, the fact that his team, despite a 108-101 lead, made the game exciting again about two minutes before the end might not have pleased him so much. Ryan Arcidiacono hammered two consecutive three shots into the visitors’ ears within a very short time – but he left one last jumper for a possible victory.

Nevertheless, the 24-year-old Guard was able to convince with 22 points (8/12 FG, 4/6 Dreier). Zach LaVine led his team with 28 points (plus 8 rebounds and 7 assists) and Jabari Parker also played his part (18 and 10). In the end, however, it was not enough to prevent the seventh victory from the past eight games.

Page 1: Bucks stumble over the Hornets

Page 2: Warriors escape bankruptcy against Orlando