The results of the night in the NBA
Wolves @ Cavs : 127-122
Pacers @ Magic : 103-119
Raptors @ Nets : 133-97
Bulls @ Heat : 99-112
Spurs @ Grizzlies : 105-118
Hornets @ Bucks : 106-130
Kings @ Thunder : 131-110
A massive poster and an alley-oop from elsewhere: The 2 unreal actions of Ja Morant
Ja Morant is a superstar
Ja Morant does not come from this planet, we are almost certain now. The Memphis Grizzlies point guard broke his NBA points record last night against San Antonio, while putting on an amazing show to confirm his status as a highlights machine. Morant scored 52 points at 22/30 (4/4 from 3 points) and in 32 minutes to guide Memphis to victory.
The summary of his match deserves to land in front of the screen with some popcorn, to appreciate the virtuosity with which he manages to find angles to attack the basket. By the way, he offered himself the scalp of Jakob Poeltl on a huge dunk and an incredible buzzer beater to close the first half.
Ja Morant’s highlights from tonight are straight out of a video-game!
He went off for 5️⃣2️⃣ points putting on a show for the crowd in Memphis #GrindCity
???? 52 PTS
???? 22-30 FGM
???? 7 REB
???? 4 3PM pic.twitter.com/u0Hw3jdDMS— NBA (@NBA) March 1, 2022
We’re going to have to start wondering if Ja Morant can’t disrupt the top three in the MVP Race by the end of the season.
– The Wolves have recovered from their defeat against Philadelphia. Karl-Anthony Towns and his comrades went to win in Cleveland by resisting the Cavs’ comeback in the 4th quarter. KAT had to take care of folding the deal on a 3-point clutch basket in the last minute of play.
KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS FOR THE LEAD! ????pic.twitter.com/Kl6HH1hV5F
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) March 1, 2022
14 months later, Fultz played again
– Back on the court after more than a year’s absence, Markelle Fultz contributed to the Magic’s home win over Indiana. The leader, former Draft No. 1 not spared from physical and psychological glitches since his NBA debut, scored 10 points and 6 assists in 16 minutes. An interesting contribution that makes you want to follow what Fultz will do at the end of the season without real stakes for Orlando.
418 days after her cruciate ligament rupture, Markelle Fultz is back!pic.twitter.com/OMNqyL7fty
— Mos (@mosdehuh) March 1, 2022
Scottie Barnes pulls off a unique match for a rookie
– The Nets had a bad night at home – redundancy – when the Raptors came. Without Kyrie Irving, nor Kevin Durant (close to returning) and Ben Simmons (whom we will probably not see until the trip to Philadelphia is over…), but also without their coach Steve Nash, placed in health protocol, New Yorkers took a gigantic broth.
Scottie Barnes took the opportunity to recall that he had not said his last word in the discussion for the Rookie of the Year trophy. The Toronto winger was huge and had 28 points, 16 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 assists at 12/14. A historic performance for a rookie, since no beginner had ever released these figures while shooting at least 85%.
We knew Scottie Barnes was going to have a great night when he started 5-for-5 in Q1. He ended the game tying his career-high in points with 28! #WeTheNorth #NBARooks@ScottBarnes561: 28 PTS (12-14 FGM), 16 REB, 4 AST, 5 STL pic.twitter.com/0ThfW3rKxI
— NBA (@NBA) March 1, 2022
Solid leader, Miami calms Chicago
– Miami imposed its law on the Bulls and showed that it would be difficult to get them at the top of the Eastern Conference. The Heat strolled home in this clash which saw the series of consecutive matches at 30 points of DeMar DeRozan (18 pts) come to an end.
The Floridians relied on the 20 points of Tyler Herro and Gabe Vincent, without having to dip into their reserves. Collectively, Erik Spoelstra’s players were far too in place and focused to be worried.
Giannis perfect on the line
– Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks got angry in the 2nd quarter to bend Charlotte. Milwaukee slammed 44 points in that period alone to kill any suspense in the game, behind the Greek Freak’s 26 points and 16 rebounds, the 21 points and 8 assists of Jrue Holiday and the double-double of Bobby Portis (20 pts, 10 rbds).
Giannis went on to indirectly show Ben Simmons that you could be near-catastrophic on the free throw line at one point in your career but correct the shot dramatically. The double MVP returned his 14 shots this night against the Hornets. Mentally and work-ethically, Giannis is also a freak.
Sarr and Maledon in action
– The Kings took a half to get the better of the Thunder. De’Aaron Fox (29 pts, 10 pds), Trey Lyles (24 pts), Harrison Barnes (23 pts) et Domantas Sabonis (14 pts, 16 rebounds, 7 wt) then shared the load to end the 4-game losing streak on which Sacramento remained.
On the OKC side, we saw the two Frenchmen from the Thunder in action. Olivier Sarr was active in his 28 minutes of play with 12 points and 4 rebounds at 5/8 with a 3-point basket. Théo Maledon spent 19 minutes on the field for 9 points, 4 assists and 3 steals.
