With the victory against Utah, Gregg Popovich is the head coach with the most wins in NBA history. A Dallas Mavericks big man hits a career high and the Knicks lose another lead.
Orlando Magic (18-50) – Minnesota Timberwolves (38-30) 118:110 (BOXSCORE)
- The Wolves seemed on course for their first seven-game winning streak since 2004, but Orlando and Mo Bamba clearly objected. The Big Man made a monster play with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks at 10/15 FG and 5/8 from Downtown, his last 5 points making the decision.
- In the final minute, Bamba, with a +3 lead, was first set up by Jalen Suggs for a free three before Wendell Carter Jr. found him to alley-oop. The comeback of the Magic was perfect! Minnesota led early in the second quarter by +18 and continued until the end of the third quarter, but then Orlando put on a 12-0 run and soon after found himself leading by +12. The Wolves made it exciting again, but ultimately lost the race against time.
- In addition to Bamba, Carter Jr. (20, 10 rebounds, 5 assists) also played excellently, Moritz Wagner contributed 18 points (5/8 FG) and 6 rebounds in just 13 minutes coming off the bench and fired his team again and again. Rookies Suggs (5, 4 assists) and Franz Wagner (8, 0/4 3P, 4 assists) learned the hard way.
- At the other end, Anthony Edwards was the top scorer with 25 points at 9/19 FG and 5 assists. Karl-Anthony Towns (21, 13 rebounds) scored well when he was on the field and unpacked two poster dunks, but had to spend a lot of time on the bench due to early foul play (3 in the first quarter). Pat Beverley sank 3 of his first 4 treble attempts before being substituted off with 3 fouls in 4 minutes and never coming back on the floor.
Atlanta Hawks (32-34) – L.A. Clippers (35-34) 112:106 (BOXSCORE)
- With six hawks in double digits, Atlanta secured a team win against the strong guests from Los Angeles. Trae Young led all players with 27 points (10/12 FT) and 11 assists, while Kevin Huerter (16, 4/8 3P) and Danilo Gallinari (13, 3/7 3P) provided most of Atlanta’s three-pointers.
- The Hawks only hit 9/31 from outside (29 percent), but thanks to 15 offensive rebounds and only 10 turnovers they had significantly more shots than their opponents. Atlanta led by as much as 11 points early in the second quarter, but the game then stayed close to the end.
- Ivica Zubac in particular made sure of this with 24 points (10/13 FG), 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks, Reggie Jackson followed suit with 23 (3/8 3P) and 5 assists with 5 turnovers. Isaiah Hartenstein (2) only played 12 minutes because he fouled three times in his first two minutes. Marcus Morris Sr. (12) was knocked out in the third quarter with back-to-back technical fouls.
Boston Celtics (41-27) – Detroit Pistons (18-49) 114:103 (BOXSCORE)
- The Pistons continued to sell dearly as they have for several weeks, but there is not much that can be done against Jayson Tatum in his current condition. Compared to his recent shows, he played a rather quiet game, which was still enough for 31 points (13/27) and 6 assists.
- Cade Cunningham was long an equal in the duel with Tatum, but the Celtics grabbed a larger lead with the No. 1 pick on the bench early in the fourth quarter and hardly let it melt. Cunningham (27, 10/27 FG, 6 assists) seemed to run out of breath towards the end against Boston’s outstanding defense, which picked up noticeably in the closing stages.
- The difference was clear after the Celtics seemed a bit inaccurate and unfocused defensively for the first three quarters, never leading by more than 4 points there. Detroit hit just 2/15 from the field in the last 12 minutes, allowing the Celtics to secure the win.
- In addition to Cunningham, Jerami Grant (6/17 FG) and Marin Bagley (11 rebounds, 4 turnovers) participated in the resistance provided by Detroit. Jaylen Brown (22, 1/8 3P, 4 assists) and Marcus Smart (20, 6/10 FG) provided support for Boston. Smart also played 5 assists and recorded 5 steals. Daniel Theis remained without points in almost 11 minutes (0/1 FG, 3 rebounds).
