Cleveland won the clash in the East against Boston, when Victor Wembanyama was brilliant and decisive for a success from San Antonio to Sacramento on Sunday in the NBA.
Sensation at the start of the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers won at home the clash at the top of the Eastern Conference against champion Boston (115-111), who missed the opportunity to steal first place from them. Cleveland got off to a better start but saw Boston accelerate in the 3rd quarter, reaching a 14-point lead, before the Cavaliers, in the wake of Donovan Mitchell (35 points including 20 in the last 12 minutes), did not dominate an intense last quarter.
Mitchell equalized with a long-range shot 1:40 from the clock before Jayson Tatum (33 points) missed two lay-up attempts. Darius Garland and Georges Niang made 8 of 8 free throws in the final seconds to resist the charge of Payton Pritchard (24 points including 17 in the last quarter). “We wanted to assert ourselves. Two recent defeats hurt us, we hadn’t been ourselves. We needed this victory”commented Mitchell. “We have to have confidence in the work we have been doing since the offseason. This is the most important. We saw it this evening and we will continue like this. Boston, deprived of Jaylen Brown (illness) and Derrick White (sprained right foot) on Sunday, won its first duel against Cleveland on November 19. The two teams will not meet again before February.
Imperial Wembanyama against the Kings
Omnipresent and very skillful, Victor Wembanyama compiled 34 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists and 3 blocks, to help the San Antonio Spurs dominate the Sacramento Kings (127-125) in California. The 20-year-old Frenchman thus validated the 3rd triple-double of his NBA career, and above all proved decisive in a tense 4th quarter, displaying his range of complete basketball player, unique for a player of his size (2 .24m).
In the final minutes, Wembanyama scored with a superb «fadeaway» (shot with a backward jump), against DeMar DeRozan, found Chris Paul for a long shot and took a hotly contested rebound on a missed free throw from Keldon Johnson to close the game. The shape of “Wemby” corresponds to the good period of Spurs, who have won 5 of their last 6 matches and are in 10th place in the West (11 wins – 9 defeats).
Six in a row for Orlando and Memphis
The Orlando Magic, still deprived of its star Paolo Banchero, scored a 6th success by dominating the Nets in Brooklyn (100-92) with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists from the German Franz Wagner, although clumsy from afar (0 out of 6). Orlando has won 12 of its last 13 matches and remains 3rd in the East (15 wins – 7 losses). The Memphis Grizzlies of Jaren Jackson Jr. (25 points, 8 rebounds), in the same place in the West, also won for the 6th time in a row, against the Indiana Pacers (136-121).
Hot end to the match in Houston
Another shock at the top, but in the West, Oklahoma City and Houston offered a tense and indecisive meeting, with no team leading by more than 11 points. The Rockets ended up overcoming the Thunder (119-116), who remain conference leaders. On fire, Fred VanVleet (38 points on 10 of 19 shooting) returned a very long shot at the end of the possession to give the Rockets a three-point lead 1:40 from time, before receiving a response from Cason Wallace.
A scuffle was then sparked by Dillon Brooks, who is accustomed to doing so, on a ball disputed with his Canadian compatriot Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists).
Brooks then raised the house with another basket after 24 seconds of possession, to give a decisive two points lead with 33 seconds to go. Still in the West, the Los Angeles Clippers dominated the Denver Nuggets (126-122), thanks in particular to 39 points, 9 rebounds and 11 assists from James Harden, against Serbian pivot Nikola Jokic, in triple-double (28 points , 14 rebounds, 11 assists).
