The Philadelphia Sixers recorded a 5th consecutive victory on Friday, against Cleveland, thanks in particular to Tyrese Maxey and their new recruit James Harden, in an NBA evening also marked by the buzzer victory of the Suns against the Knicks.
Led by 21 points by the Cavaliers, the Sixers finally won 125-119 thanks to 33 points from Maxey and another busy game (25 points, 11 assists) from James Harden, still undefeated with his new team, 2nd in the Eastern conference behind Miami.
“It was especially necessary to make + stops +”, commented Maxey after the meeting, saluting the defense of his team. “They had scored something like 40 points in the first quarter (43, editor’s note), it’s far too many”. “Once we settled that, we turned the game around,” he added.
Sixers coach Doc Rivers praised the talent of his 21-year-old, who has more than doubled his points-per-game average since his first season (17.6 from 8 last year). : “He just plays very well. I insist a lot with him on the need to be aggressive. The more aggressive he is, the better we are”.
– The Suns at the buzzer –
In the other duel at the top of the Eastern Conference, the Bucks inflicted a 4th consecutive defeat on Chicago (118-112), carried by the inevitable Giannis Antetokounmpo (34 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists).
Leading by eight points at the start of the fourth quarter, the Bulls of Zach LaVine (30 points) and DeMar DeRozan (29 points) were nevertheless unable to win at home. They are now fourth in the Eastern Conference, with the same record as the Bucks (39 v. -25 d.).
In the Western Conference, the victory of Phoenix, the best record in the NBA (51 v. – 12 d.), marked the spirits: yet deprived of Chris Paul (injured) and Devin Booker (Covid protocol), the Suns snatched the 115-114 victory against the New York Knicks, thanks to a three-point buzzer from Cameron Johnson.
“That’s what we know how to do, we tear ourselves apart. We play together, we stay united”, commented Johnson, author of 38 points – including 21 in the last quarter – with an excellent 9 on 12 three-pointers. “We’re not falling apart. We’ve had tough times over the years, but we have a group of players who are there for each other and want to win games.”
Leading by 14 points early in the fourth quarter, the Knicks still led by two points when Alec Burks missed his second free throw seven seconds from the end of the game. The Suns took the rebound, moved up the field and offered Johnson the opportunity to inflict the New Yorkers their seventh straight loss.
Among the other meetings of the evening, a big 124-90 defeat for the Utah Jazz of Rudy Gobert (10 points, 11 rebounds) and Donovan Mitchell (14 points) against the Pelicans of Brandon Ingram (29 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists ). Also note the victory of the Nuggets 116-101 against Houston, thanks to veteran DeMarcus Cousins, author of 31 points to replace the MVP in title Nikola Jokic, sick and absent.
