New NBA day with up to 8 games. And despite the Kyrie Irving-related bombshell of the past few days, there has been some interesting stuff. Nets fall in first game without ex-star, while Mavericks win on eve of his arrival. Giannis leads again, this time with a little less brilliance, Bucks and Celtics conquer Detroit. Also, the Warriors prevail with a fantastic Klay and overcome the first round of Curry’s injury, while the Cavs win in a big group game. And, in the middle of all this, victories for the Kings and Bulls. All this and much more, in the summary of the day:
DETROIT PISTONS 99 – 111 BOSTON CELTICS
The Celts, leaders of the East, they put their home loss to the Suns behind them with a home win over the Pistons pushed by Jayson Tatum’s 34-point, 11-rebound double-double. Derrick White, with 23 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, and Robert Williams, who sealed a double-double of 15 points and 15 rebounds, also stood out.
WASHINGTON WIZARDS 91 – 114 CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
Without Spain’s Ricky Rubio, who is sitting out back-to-back games to avoid overuse following his cruciate injury, the Cavaliers triumphed in the Wizards’ court with an excellent team performance, led by 23 points from Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen. Donovan Mitchell contributed 21 points for some Cavaliers who are fifth in the East (34-22). The Wizards, without Kyle Kuzma, suffered their third straight loss.
BROOKLYN NETS 116 – 124 LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
The Nets pull caste, but fall after the departure of Kyrie. See the chronicle here.
CHICAGO BULLS 128 – 104 SAN ANTONIO SPURS
Andre Drummond signed the best game of his career with the Chicago Bulls on Monday, beating the San Antonio Spurs with a double-double of 21 points and 15 rebounds that extended Gregg Popovich’s team’s losing streak to 9.. Drummond and Montenegrin Nikola Vucevic, also with a double-double of 22 points and twelve rebounds, gave the Bulls their fourth victory in the last five games and placed Billy Donovan’s team in play-in positions in the Eastern Conference. The United Center ended up surrendering to the performance of Drummond, who signed 21 points, 9 of 9 shooting, 15 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 block in 20 minutes coming off the bench. In addition, he made some powerful dunks that ended the comeback attempts of the Spurs, sunk in the penultimate position of the Western Conference (14-40). The Bulls’ two centers dominated in the paint, on a night in which DeMar DeRozan, the former great of the game, contributed 19 points. and in which Zach LaVine scored 20. The Spurs held on for three quarters at the pace of Keldon Johnson, who had 17 points at halftime and ended up stuck with just four points in the second half. Chicago shot 65% in the opening game and, led by LaVine’s eleven points and DeMar DeRozan’s six, Billy Donovan’s team already had a double-digit lead after the first period, at 39-28. The Spurs got off to a rough start but surged in the second period boosted by Johnson’s big individual performance. He shot 70% in the first half and, after losing as many as twelve points in the first quarter, allowed the Spurs to cut the deficit to one point at 48-47 and 60-59. The Spurs’ choral play and good ball circulation put the Bulls in trouble and Popovich’s team completed its comeback in the third period to take a four-point lead, 83-79, on a Richardson jump shot. However, DeRozan, who was scoreless throughout the second period, woke up in the final minutes of the third quarter and his 7 consecutive points allowed the Bulls to change the momentum of the game.. Consecutive shots by Derrick Jones and Drummond, also a star with some powerful dunks, gave the Bulls a five-point lead entering the fourth quarter. The Bulls didn’t stop stepping on the gas, as they took advantage of double figures again with a 16-3 halftime demolition derby to open the final quarter. Popovich called a timeout at 88-102 after Drummond showed his prowess in the paint with an offensive rebound and a two-handed dunk. The game became a monologue for Drummond, who sealed three consecutive dunks. In a moment of sporting omnipotence, he began to celebrate his baskets by showing his muscles and with provocative gestures towards his rivals. His two points supported on the board made it 120-93 in the light and Popovich, after the timeout, took his starters off the court, practically accepting the defeat. The Bulls will now begin a three-game road trip away from Chicago, with demanding matchups against the Grizzlies, Nets and Cavaliers.. The Spurs have yet to see the light of day and come into a deep scoring crisis for a demanding nine-game road trip away from San Antonio, which will begin with visits to the Raptors, Pistons, Hawks and Cavaliers.
HOUSTON ROCKETS 120 – 140 SACRAMENTO KINGS
Keegan Murray had a career-best 30 points and 8 3-pointers in the Kings’ win over the Rockets. The California team outscored the Texans with as many as 21 three-point baskets and more than 50% success from the arc.. In the Rockets, the worst team in the NBA this year, the Spaniard Usman Garuba barely spent 2.27 minutes on the court and scored 3 points with 1 assist.
UTAH JAZZ 111 – 124 DALLAS MAVERICKS
It’s Doncic and waiting for Kyrie, the Mavs’ choral victory in Salt Lake City. See the chronicle here.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS 141 – 114 OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
Klay goes for 12 triples and the Warriors win in the first round without Curry. See the chronicle here.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS 108 – 127 MILWAUKEE BUCKS
Brook López, with 27 points and 9 rebounds, and the Greek Giannis Antetokounmpo, with 24 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists, gave the Bucks their eighth consecutive victory to keep putting pressure on the Celtics. Giannis won the private duel against Lillard, both chosen as players of the week respectively in the East and the West.. The leader of the Blazers scored 28 points and hit a spectacular three-pointer from the center of the court, but his Blazers are still without continuity and are outside the ‘play-in’ zone.