The Boston Celtics lost a memorable game at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. Without their stars, there was nothing for the Golden State Warriors. The NBA on Friday morning.
A bitter 105:108 was the final score on the video screen at Madison Square Garden for the Celtics. Shortly before, RJ Barrett had sunk a wild three-pointer with the final siren – the ball fell off the board through the trap and the fans of the New York Knicks were drunk with joy in each other’s arms. “Honestly, I didn’t even see the ball go in, but from everyone else’s reaction, I knew,” Barrett said. His team had already trailed by 24 points midway through the second quarter, but then rallied to make a great comeback.
Matchwinner besides Barrett was Evan Fournier: 41 points are a career record for the Frenchman, who converted ten three-pointers. Schröder was the second best scorer for the Celtics (18:21) with 20 points after Jayson Tatum (36), but he also lost his only ball of the game in the dramatic final minute. The loss dropped the Celtics behind the Knicks (19-20) in 11th place in the Eastern Conference. The top ten go into the regular season after the regular season.
Personnel woes cause Clippers to slip
Without stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard and centre Isaiah Hartenstein still injured, the Los Angeles Clippers remain in a slump. The 89-106 loss at the top-ranked Phoenix Suns (30-8) was their seventh defeat in the past ten games. The Suns, led by mastermind Chris Paul’s triple-double (14/13/10), became the first team to reach 30 wins this season.
The Golden State Warriors, also plagued by personnel problems, fell short of the mark once again. Without the injured Stephen Curry and Draymond Green and still without shooter Klay Thompson, the “Dubs” lost 96-101 to the New Orleans Pelicans, for whom Brandon Ingram (32 points) made the difference. Meanwhile, the Memphis Grizzlies are currently the most successful team. The clear 118-88 win over the Detroit Pistons was their seventh in a row, with young star Ja Morant again leading the way (22 points, nine rebounds, six assists).