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The Boston Celtics defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 119-108 on Monday and remain undefeated at the start of the NBA season, while Paolo Banchero had a huge 50-point performance for the Orlando Magic.
In Boston, the current champions remain intractable by adding a resounding fourth victory of the course against the Bucks of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, one of their main rivals in the Eastern Conference.
Jaylen Brown, with 30 points, assumed the offensive leadership this time against a subdued Jayson Tatum, who stayed at 15 points with 6-16 field goals.
Point guard Payton Pritchard was the big boost for the locals off the bench with 28 points and 8 triples.
For the Bucks, Lillard recorded 33 points and Antetokounmpo another 30 but only two other teammates were in double figures in scoring.
The game progressed evenly until the Celtics gave the decisive acceleration at the end of the third quarter, with an 18-7 run crowned by one of Pritchard’s triples.
The point guard’s eight triples were the same amount that all Milwaukee players accumulated in 31 attempts.
If the Celtics are leaders in the East with a 4-0 record, the Bucks are in the rear at 1-3 and are a worrying 18-22 since Doc Rivers took over the bench last January.
Another illustrious franchise in trouble is the Denver Nuggets, who needed overtime, 40 points from Nikola Jokic and a saving basket from Jamal Murray to achieve their first victory of the campaign, against the Toronto Raptors.
Murray, who finished with 17 points, rescued the 2023 champions with a basket past the rim in the last second to force overtime.
Jokic then took over, scoring seven points in overtime, and the Nuggets won 127-125 to improve to 1-2.
In Orlando, Paolo Banchero achieved one of the best performances by a Magic player in the 119-115 victory against the Indiana Pacers.
The 21-year-old power forward scored an astonishing 50 points (16-26), 13 rebounds and 9 assists.
Before the Italian-American, only three Magic players had reached fifty points in a game: Nick Anderson, Shaquille O’Neal and Tracy McGrady, who achieved it four times.
Banchero, number one in the 2022 Draft, had a frenetic start and by halftime he already had 37 points for the Magic, who added their third win in four games at the expense of the Pacers, another of the most thriving teams in the East.
The figure of Indiana, Tyrese Haliburton, bordered on the triple double with 19 points, 9 rebounds and 10 assists but remains unfocused in shooting, with just 6 scored from 15 attempts.
For their part, the Cleveland Cavaliers won against the New York Knicks 110-104 with 34 points from point guard Darius Garland and 25 from guard Donovan Mitchell.
The Cavaliers are tied with the Celtics atop the East at 4-0, their best start since the 2016-2017 season when they were led by LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.
— Monday’s NBA results:
Orlando Magic – Indiana Pacers 119-115
Atlanta Hawks – Washington Wizards 119-121
Boston Celtics – Milwaukee Bucks 119-108
Miami Heat – Detroit Pistons 106-98
NY Knicks – Cleveland Cavaliers 104-110
Toronto Raptors – Denver Nuggets 125-127 (overtime)
Memphis Grizzlies – Chicago Bulls 123-126
At stake:
San Antonio Spurs – Houston Rockets
Dallas Mavericks – Utah Jazz
Phoenix Suns – LA Lakers
Sacramento Kings – Portland Trail Blazers
gbv/ma
