Basketball world champion Dennis Schröder and the Brooklyn Nets have suffered the next bitter setback in the NBA. The team from New York City lost 98:113 to the crisis-ridden Philadelphia 76ers, thus suffering their fourth defeat in the last five games. It was also the second defeat in the third game of the NBA Cup, meaning Brooklyn has virtually no chance of making it to the quarterfinals.
Schröder remained largely inconspicuous; the national team captain finished the game with eight points and also provided seven assists. The Nets’ best player was Cameron Johnson with a strong 37 points. For the hosts, who rested top star Joel Embiid, Jared McCain stood out with 30 points. With only their third win of the season, the 76ers, who had started the season disastrously, ended a series of five defeats in a row.
Mavericks squander their lead – but still win
Maximilian Kleber, however, was able to celebrate a victory with the Dallas Mavericks. The Texans won 123-120 at the Denver Nuggets despite a dip in performance in the second half. Dallas had already led by 20 points after the first two quarters, but lost that lead. With two minutes left, the Mavericks were down by three points, but turned the game around.
Despite the defeat, Nuggets star Nikola Jokic was the outstanding player of the game. The three-time MVP was missing for a good two weeks due to the birth of his son, but returned in style with a triple-double. The Serb scored 33 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and provided ten assists. The Mavericks had to do without their exceptional injured player Luka Doncic; in his absence, Naji Marshall surprisingly shone with 26 points. Kleber remained without points in eleven minutes.
Warriors first quarterfinalist
The Nuggets’ defeat also means the Golden State Warriors are the first quarterfinalists in the NBA Cup. The Californians previously won 112:108 at the New Orleans Pelicans and can no longer be pushed out of the top of Group C of the Western Conference thanks to the Mavericks’ victory. For the Pelicans, Daniel Theis was somewhat surprisingly in the starting lineup and scored three points with five rebounds. Theis had not played at all in the previous five games.
