For his return, the Brooklyn point guard played a big part in the Nets’ victory over the defending champions. Ja Morant also shone with the Grizzlies on the night from Saturday to Sunday.
After two weeks out, Kyrie Irving scored 38 points on Saturday to lift the Nets to a 126-123 win at Milwaukee, on an NBA night also marked by 46 points from victorious Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant. in Chicago. “It’s all the guys in the locker room, honestly they keep me in shape“Commented the leader of Brooklyn, not vaccinated against Covid-19 and who therefore cannot play his team’s matches at home due to New York sanitary measures:”They keep pushing me, I stay motivated because of them».
Still the author of a big game, with 29 points and 14 rebounds, the star of the Bucks, reigning NBA champions, Giannis Antetokounmpo however missed the 3 points of the last chance at the buzzer to snatch the equalizer against a team that did not had won only two of their last 10 meetings. “My God, he could have gotten that shot!commented Irving, who scored his highest point total of the season on Saturday. “Anything could have happened, but we were tough tonight, we did all the little things necessary to win».
Still deprived of their superstar Kevin Durant – who could resume next week according to coach Steve Nash – and Ben Simmons, who arrived from the Philadelphia Nets in exchange for James Harden, and who has still not participated in high intensity training since his transfer, the Nets have however been able to count on the debut under his new colors of Slovenian point guard Goran Dragic, author of six points in 14 minutes.When we have recovered all our players, we will be good!“warned Irving. Little spared by injuries and handicapped by Irving’s choice not to be vaccinated, the Nets (32 v.-29 d.) point only to 8th place in a very tight Eastern Conference, and led by the Heat from Miami.
Spectacular Ja Morant
Behind Bam Adebayo’s 36 points (his best total this season), the Floridians even benefited from their 133-129 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, and the Chicago Bulls’ home defeat (116-110) against to the Grizzlies with a huge Ja Morant (46 points), to come away slightly (40 v.-21 d., against 39-22 for Chicago).
Thanks to another spectacular performance from its young point guard, author of the best total of points of his career and now holder of the franchise record, Memphis ended a six-game winning streak for Chicago. And with 31 points, DeMar DeRozan also saw his streak of 35 or more games stop at eight, just two units from the franchise record set by a certain Michael Jordan.
A few days after his first appearance at the All-Star Game, Morant for his part multiplied the brilliant actions promised to the “Top 10” of the evening, also ending the meeting with very clean statistics (15/28 in shooting, including 3/4 at 3 points, 13/15 in free throws), despite 5 lost balls all the same.
In the other games of the evening, Boston, behind Jayson Tatum’s 26 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists and Jaylen Brown’s 27 points, won 113-104 in Detroit, Atlanta won 127-100 at home against the Toronto Raptors, including 41 points from point guard Trae Young, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat Washington 92-86. Finally, in the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets dismissed the Sacramento Kings 115-110, thanks in particular to a new triple double from reigning MVP Nikola Jokic (18 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists).