The All-Star Game break had no effect. The matches follow one another and look alike for the Los Angeles Lakers who seem condemned at best to qualify for the play-offs (7th-10th places) for the play-offs. LeBron James’ teammates lost Tuesday for the second straight time at home, after New Orleans on Sunday (123-95), the sixth defeat in seven games.
Dallas negotiated the last minutes well to secure an eighth success in ten matches (109-104) and consolidate its place in the top 6 of the Western Conference.
Faced with a Luka Doncic (25 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists) yet at half mast at long distance (0 out of 5), the Lakers still ran after the score. They were led by twenty-one points in the second quarter (56-71 at halftime).
Malik Monk (17 points) and LeBron James (26 points, 12 rebounds) gave a good boost after the break. The superstar even allowed to take control at the end of the third quarter (87-85) and take a six-point lead in the fourth (100-94). But the defensive weaknesses, in particular, once again weighed down Frank Vogel’s players in the final package. They conceded 11-0 and did not recover. Fullback Jalen Brunson was a good three-pointer from Doncic (4 of 6 for 22 points).
The Warriors in slow motion
Still second in the standings in the west, Golden State has been idling since Draymond Green’s injury. The best NBA defense conceded 129 points in Minneapolis and a sixth loss in eight games. Karl-Anthony Towns (39 points to 14 of 22, 9 rebounds) was again the engine of the Timberwolves who made a first difference before the break (68-56) before regaining their distance for good (129-114 in final).
Stephen Curry scored 34 points but 5 of 16 from three points for a collective 13 of 45 from behind the arc as Klay Thompson was out for the second game in a row.
But the problem is mainly defensive for the Warriors who left Minnesota’s attack at 53% success. Malik Beasley shot 6 of 9 from long range to complete the offensive fest for Wolves, seventh in the Western Conference, who can believe in a direct ticket to the play-offs.
The Los Angeles Clippers dominated Houston (113-100) in Texas with 22 points and 12 rebounds from Croatian pivot Ivica Zubac who did not even play the fourth quarter. Coupled with the setback of their Lakers neighbors, this success, built in the third quarter (40-25) allows Nicolas Batum’s teammates (4 points to 2 of 7 on shots, 4 rebounds in 22 minutes) to widen a comfortable gap to eighth place in the conference with a view to, at least, the play-off.
