Dennis Schröder finally celebrated another win with the Brooklyn Nets after a long dry spell – against his former team of all teams. For the Celtics and Suns, Tuesday night had some nasty surprises in store
World champion Dennis Schröder has won again with the Brooklyn Nets after six defeats in a row and impressed in a duel with his former team. In the 96:88 win against the Toronto Raptors on Monday evening (local time), the captain of the German national team was the best player on the court with 19 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
“We’ve really had a dry spell recently and the win was important,” Schröder told the German Press Agency. “It’s fun here and I hope the trend goes in the right direction in the next ten games.” With the win, the Nets keep their small hope of tenth place in the Eastern Conference and a play-in spot for the playoffs alive.
Because the Atlanta Hawks surprisingly won against league leaders Boston Celtics, the Nets were unable to close the gap. Before the 118:120 win, the Celtics had won nine games and had the longest winning streak in the NBA. Jayson Tatum’s team (37 points) even had a 30-point lead against Atlanta, but the Hawks fought their way back – even without star player Trae Young. Instead, De’Andre Hunter, among others, stepped into the breach with 24 points and a clutch three-pointer to win
Knicks record for DiVincenzo
The Raptors, meanwhile, are now the league’s weakest team with eleven defeats in a row and will next face Isaiah Hartenstein’s New York Knicks, who had no problems in their 124:99 win over the Detroit Pistons and consolidated fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Donte DiVincenzo set a franchise record with eleven three-pointers and scored a strong 40 points for the Knicks. Hartenstein collected six points, ten rebounds, five assists and three blocks in 24 minutes of action.
In the Western Conference, the Dallas Mavericks won 115:105 at the Utah Jazz and kept up with sixth place and direct qualification for the playoffs. Maxi Kleber from Würzburg scored two points and grabbed three rebounds in his 15 minutes on court. Luka Doncic recorded a triple-double for the Mavericks with 29 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds, while Kyrie Irving provided support with 27 points.
“Unacceptable” defeat for the Suns
Like the Celtics, the Phoenix Suns also suffered a nasty surprise. The team led by superstars Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal lost 102:104 against the San Antonio Spurs. The team at the bottom of the Western Conference table was missing its best man, top rookie Victor Wembanyama. Suns coach Frank Vogel called the defeat “unacceptable”, while Beal admitted: “We thought it would be easy for us without Wemby. We got our butts kicked.” Booker’s 36 points and Durant’s 29 points were not enough, with Devin Vassell (26) and Jeremy Sochan (26, 18 rebounds) the best players for the Spurs.
Daniel Theis also had a reunion with a former team. In contrast to his buddy Dennis Schröder, however, Theis did not get a chance for sporting satisfaction. He was only on the bench in the Los Angeles Clippers’ 116:133 defeat against the Indiana Pacers – just as he had been for most of his time with the Pacers. It was the sixth defeat in the last nine games for the stumbling Clippers.
