NBA – The Los Angeles Clippers are gaining momentum, the Boston Celtics stopped by the Chicago Bulls

The game: The Clippers overthrow the Jazz

Slowly, little by little, without being complete, the Clippers are asserting themselves as the expected super power in the West. The finding is only beginning to be established because the balance sheet of the Californian franchise does not jump to the ceiling. But in the game, this team is getting stronger and stronger. More and more sure of his abilities. Even behind at the end of the match, it knows how to find the resources to win. Like Monday evening, against the Jazz, when she went 20-8 in a few minutes to regain the advantage in money time before winning on the wire (121-114).

All without Paul George but with a Kawhi Leonard limited to 23 minutes (8 points). No big deal, other players can create danger in Los Angeles. Norman Powell scored 30 points off the bench. Reggie Jackson added 27. Enough to leave Utah, yet first in the West, without a solution in the most important moments of the game. The Clippers won a third game in a row. They have a record of 11 wins and 7 losses. Here they are back in the top-4 in the West, with first place within range.

The player: DeRozan calms the Celtics down

Boston remained on 9 straight wins. Chicago had just lost 4 games in a row. The confrontation between the two teams could have turned into a massacre. But DeMar DeRozan decided otherwise. The All-Star guard scored 28 points to lead the Bulls to an interesting 121-107 success against the league’s best team this season. Billy Donovan’s players dominated their subject. They led by 13 points at the break and then by 21 lengths during the third quarter. They then resisted the return of Jayson Tatum (28 points) and Jaylen Brown (25). Zach LaVine and Patrick Williams backed up DeRozan well with 22 and 17 points respectively.

The duel: Mitchell and Garland dominate Young and Murray

The Cavaliers and Hawks sacrificed many assets to bring in an extra All-Star this offseason. The two teams each formed a formidable duo on the back lines: Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland for Cleveland, Dejounte Murray and Trae Young for Atlanta. Dynamic and prolific tandems around which franchises hope to build very ambitious projects. And after more than a month of competition, things are going pretty well since Cavaliers and Hawks had the same record – 10 wins, 6 losses – before meeting each other on Monday evening. A shock at the top won by the formation of Ohio (114-102).

Mitchell (29) and Garland (26) combined for 55 points to get the better of their opponents. Young (25) and Murray (11) have converted just 14 of their 39 combined attempts. A first duel which therefore turns to the advantage of Cleveland. There will be others. Maybe even in the playoffs…

The performance: Portland falls on a great Antetokounmpo

The Blazers tried to hold off the Bucks in the absence of Damian Lillard. But the All-Star point guard would have been a great help in responding to a gala Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek posted 37 points (16-24 on shots), 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals to guide Milwaukee to victory (119-111).

The series: 5 straight wins for Indiana

The surprising success of the Jazz has attracted a lot of attention since the start of the season, but what about that of the Pacers! Expected in the depths in the East, the Indianapolis team occupies fourth place in its Conference. Winner of the Magic last night (123-102), she has just had five successes in a row under the leadership of her leader Tyrese Haliburton (18 points, 14 assists) and her rookie Bennedict Mathurin (22 points).

The French: Nicolas Batum very precious

Excellent game of Nicolas Batum with Los Angeles. The Frenchman compiled 7 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals while defending hard in the key moments of the meeting between the Clippers and the Jazz. Rudy Gobert didn’t shoot once during the game against Miami, but that didn’t stop him from contributing to the victory for his team, finishing with 4 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks in 31 minutes.

All scores

Clippers – Jazz : 121-114
Cavaliers – Hawks : 114-102
Pacers – Magic : 123-102
Bulls – Celtics : 121-107
Bucks – Trail Blazers : 119-111
Timberwolves – Heat : 105-101
Pelicans – Warriors : 128-83
Thunder – Knicks : 119-129