The hottest team in the NBA are the Los Angeles Clippers, who were able to withstand the onrushing Mavericks. Joel Embiid has shown the Timberwolves the limits
All nine! The Los Angeles Clippers are now getting their cogs turning, having extended their winning streak with a 120:111 victory over the Dallas Mavericks and, not least since the transfer of Daniel Theis, have become a functioning team. While the player from Lower Saxony showed great efficiency in his 16 minutes on court – 11 points, all four shots from the field (two threes), two rebounds, two assists – Kawhi Leonard (30 points) and James Harden (17, 11 assists) put in strong performances in the absence of Paul George, who was ill. The Californians, who were able to hold off the Mavs led by Luka Doncic (28 points – ending the franchise record of eleven games with over 30) after taking a 22-point lead, are now 17-10, while Dallas slipped to 16-11.
For other world champions, things did not go as well as for Theis on Thursday night. The Orlando Magic (16-10) suffered their third consecutive defeat in a 106-115 loss to the Miami Heat (16-12). Franz Wagner scored 15 points (six rebounds, five assists), while brother Moritz scored eleven points (seven rebounds). Tyler Herro was the Heat’s match-winner in this Florida duel (28 points), who were without top man Jimmy Butler.
Mosley: “We should be disappointed “
“We are disappointed. We should be disappointed,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said after the renewed disillusionment. “Miami deserves respect for their performance, but our guys know what they’re capable of and that’s what we have to measure ourselves against.”
The Toronto Raptors (11-16) with Dennis Schröder were defeated 104:113 by the reigning champion Denver Nuggets (19-10). The DBB captain remained rather inconspicuous with seven points and seven assists, while Nuggets star center Nikola Jokic dominated with 31 points and 15 rebounds, equipped with a new million-dollar shoe contract “made in China.”
Knicks are city champions
In New York, the Knicks (16-11) with Isaiah Hartenstein kept the upper hand in the city duel with the Brooklyn Nets (13-14) – the first away win at their local rivals after a four-year drought. The German center, who has slipped into the starting five, contributed two points, two blocks and a whopping ten rebounds to the 121:102 victory. Julius Randle (26 points) received a lot of applause from the Knicks supporters
Best score for Embiid – LeBron just misses a triple-double
What else was on offer in the league? Firstly, a super-dominant Joel Embiid, who led the Philadelphia 76ers (19-8) to a 127-113 win over the team with the best record so far, the Minnesota Timberwolves (20-6), with a season-best 51 points. The Sixers thus remain in touch with the top-ranked Boston Celtics (21-6) in the East, who responded to their bitter defeat at the Golden State Warriors with a 144-119 win at the Sacramento Kings (16-10). Jaylen Brown and Derrick White (28 each) shot the lights out for the Kings.
The Chicago Bulls (12-17) confirmed their upward trend with a 124-108 win at home in the United Center against the Los Angeles Lakers (15-13). DeMar DeRozan (27, 12/16 from the field, nine assists) won the duel with LeBron James (25/10/9), who missed his next triple-double by a hair’s breadth.
