A resounding win over the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Sixers’ loss to the Suns lifted the Boston Celtics to first place in the Eastern Conference. The NBA on Monday morning.
Up together: Daniel Theis and Payton Pritchard (right) help Aaron Nesmith to his feet.
NBAE via Getty Images
Daniel Theis and the Boston Celtics have taken the lead in the Eastern Conference. The record champions clinched a 134-112 against the Minnesota Timberwolves and also benefited from the Philadelphia 76ers’ loss to the Phoenix Suns in the top game of the day. Theis scored four points on the field in just under 18 minutes. The duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown played a key role in the sixth win in a row for the record champions: Tatum scored 34 points, Brown contributed 31 points and ten rebounds in the 47th win of the season.
The Suns (Devin Booker, 35 points) extended their winning streak to eight and are still the undisputed best team in the league, while the 76ers slipped from first place in the East to fourth place with a 104:114. The Miami Heat and defending champion Milwaukee Bucks are now in front of the 76ers, which Joel Embiid’s 37 points were not enough for.
A 20-point lead isn’t enough for the Lakers
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers, tied with the Celtics in the NBA with 17 championship titles, suffered another major setback. LeBron James’ team lost against the New Orleans Pelicans by 108:116 despite a 20-point lead at the break and slipped back to tenth place in the table behind the Pelicans. The Californians would just about take part in the play-in tournament as tenth, the eleventh is already on summer break after the regular season.
The Dallas Mavericks climbed to fourth in the Western Conference with a 114-100 win over the Utah Jazz. Luka Doncic (32/10/5) was once again the match winner, Maxi Kleber contributed two points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes. Third are the Golden State Warriors, who lost five of their last ten games by beating the Washington Wizards 115:123. Even a career best of 25 points by Corey Kispert didn’t help the guests in the capital.
Oscars for “Shaq” and Steph Curry
Kispert’s teammate Stephen Curry could console himself with the Oscar. Along with former superstar Shaquille O’Neal, the Warriors’ guard scooped the coveted film award. Both are co-producers of the 22-minute film “The Queen of Basketball”, which won the Best Short Documentary category. It is about Lusia Harris, who scored the first basket in Olympic history in Montreal in 1976 and became the first woman drafted by an NBA team in 1977.
