Kevin Durant is playing basketball again, but the Brooklyn Nets still can’t win. Best shot continues to be Luka Doncic, the Lakers are not. The NBA on Friday morning.
21 games the Brooklyn Nets had to play without their protagonist. During this time, the team from the “Big Apple” conceded many defeats and lost James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers. Now Kevin Durant is back on board, but it was not enough for the ambitious franchise to win against the East leaders Miami Heat. Despite 31 points from the All-Star, the final score was 107-113 on the video screen – partly because Durant failed to put the ball away in crunch time.
Adebayo leaves little to be desired
With 32 losses now on the books, the Nets need to start reaching for the ceiling or face an uncomfortably long summer break. The Heat (42-22), who were led by Bam Adebayo (12/15 from the field, 30 points, 11 rebounds), extended their lead in the Eastern Conference over the Chicago Bulls (39-24), who lost 124-130 to the Atlanta Hakws.
The Boston Celtics climbed to fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 120-107 home win over the Memphis Grizzlies (Ja Morant with 38). Jayson Tatum scored a whopping 37 points on his 24th birthday and had a particularly strong final quarter with 21 points. Daniel Theis came off the bench to contribute six points and six rebounds to the win. Because the seventh-placed Toronto Raptors lost their home game against the Detroit Pistons 106-108, the Celtics’ chances of direct participation in the play-offs have increased further.
Kleber missing with injury – Doncic better than the “Splash Brothers “
Another look in the West: There, the Dallas Mavericks (38:25) underlined their ambitions with their third win in a row, especially since the opponents were called Golden State Warriors – and after three losses in a row they are in a slump (43:20). Without Maxi Kleber (ankle injury) on the court, Luka Doncic once again excelled with 41 points, ten rebounds and nine assists. The “Splash Brothers” on the other side did not have as many points as the Slovenian (Curry 21, Thompson 16).
The free fall of the Los Angeles Lakers continued in the city duel with the Clippers – 111:132! Reggie Jackson led the box score for the winner (36), Isaiah Hartenstein, who has earned a permanent place in the rotation as a centre, impressed with twelve points on a high shooting percentage (6/7) and five rebounds and assists each. LeBron James, meanwhile, scored 26 points for the Lakers (27-35), who failed to win any of their four games against their local rivals.
