Ideal recovery for the Warriors
A great success and a distributed playing time. Steve Kerr, coach of the Golden State Warriors could hardly ask for better in terms of recovery after the break linked to the All Star Game, since his team largely won in Portland (132-95). No need to force the talent of Stephen Curry (18 points, 14 assists), nor to over-solicit Klay Thompson (18 points) while the Californians made the difference from the second quarter (39-25), to widen the gap after the break (62-38 in 24 minutes). Thus, eight Golden State players have scored at least eight points: all elements of the starting five, as well as three from the bench. A perfect recovery scenario for a team that had lost four of its last five games before the break.
While waiting for their stars, the Nets unscrew
Ten wins in eleven matches. This is the kind of good form that we expected rather on the side of the Brooklyn Nets, and finally to put to the credit of the Boston Celtics. The dynamics are totally reversed between the two franchises, knowing that the New York club plays with the means at hand, without Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons – late rookie obtained in exchange for James Harden -, nor Kyrie Irving, still banned from playing at home in due to local vaccination policy.
Faced with the Celtics in full swing, whose doubts at the start of the season seem to have been definitively dispelled, there was therefore a world of difference, widened by Jayson Tatum (30 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists) or Jaylen Brown (18 points ), in a match quickly mastered by the visitors (22-35, 12th). Now fifth in the East, the C’s are fully relaunched in the race for home advantage in the first round of the play-offs. On the Brooklyn side (31 victories, 8th in the East), the hoped-for returns in the coming days of the three stars of the franchise could change the situation, and finally give back to this team the ambitions it had at the start of the season.
Memphis and Cleveland bow
Sensation of the season, Memphis missed his preise by losing on the floor of the Minnesota Timberwolves (119-114). Between Wolves and Bears, marksmanship made the difference, between a 46.2% shooting for the locals, led by D’Angelo Russell (37 points, 9 assists), and 38.8% for the visitors, Ja Morant (20 points) embodying the lack of success of his family (7 out of 25). The two teams mainly distinguished themselves by lack of efficiency on the free throw line: 29 out of 40 for Memphis (72.5%), who could thus have hooked his opponent in the evening, who was satisfied with a small 17 out of 25 (68%). The setback is however of little consequence for Memphis, solid third in the West (41 victories) but which sees Golden State moving away to second place. Minnesota is 7th (32v-28d).
Absences from the Cleveland Cavaliers (Garland and LeVert) did not help, but do not really excuse the poor performance lost to the Detroit Pistons (103-106), the second worst record in the League (14 wins). “We didn’t have enough players focused on what it took to winthen scolded Cavs coach JB Bickerstaff. What disappoints me is that I have the feeling that we started the All Star break with this state of mind, and we came back with it.One of the good news of the evening remains the return to business of the Finnish interior Lauri Markkanen (22 points, 6 rebounds).
