Without their injured star Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks lost the first play-off game of the NBA season against the Utah Jazz. The Memphis Grizzlies also suffered a defeat later in the evening.
The team around Maxi Kleber from Würzburg conceded a 93:99 in front of their own fans on Saturday. In the best-of-seven series, the Texans are already under pressure before the next home game on Monday, but then they can possibly start with Doncic again. The Slovenian has a calf injury.
Kleber, on the other hand, could be back for the start of the Western Conference play-off series after a lengthy break due to ankle problems. The player from Würzburg had good scenes defensively, but like all the Mavericks he had difficulties on the offensive end. With important free throws and a three-pointer in the final quarter, the 30-year-old kept his team in the game, but without Doncic, the Texans lacked ideas in many situations. The best scorer of the game was Jazz pro Donovan Mitchell with 32 points, Kleber had ten points and four rebounds in the end.
The Mavericks went into the break with a narrow deficit and then fell behind even more in the third quarter. In the final quarter, after good phases, only one successful shot was missing several times to take the lead, but Utah defended the narrow lead always and until the end. Since the first and only championship with Dirk Nowitzki in 2011, the Mavericks have not made it past the first round of the play-offs.
36 points by Edwards
In Memphis, the main round runner-up suffered a somewhat surprising loss at home to Minnesota. From the start it was clear that it would be a game of offence, as the first quarter went 41-33 to the Timberwolves. The game continued entertainingly, but the defence did not do the best job on either side. In the end, the visitors won 130-117, with Anthony Edwards excelling with 36 points. Ja Morant was the main player for the hosts, but he couldn’t prevent the defeat with his 32 points.
Animal rights activist chains herself to basket
An animal rights activist caused a stoppage in play in Memphis with a protest. The 19-year-old woman chained herself to one of the basket installations – the game therefore had to be temporarily stopped in the second quarter. Security forces first removed the chain wrapped around her neck and led the woman out of the hall.
The woman was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing. She is part of a group of animal rights activists protesting against conditions on production sites. Timberwolves co-owner Glen Taylor also owns animal farms. With her T-shirt inscription, the woman criticised Taylor. In the Bundesliga, a week ago the match between Eintracht Frankfurt and SC Freiburg was interrupted because two men had attached themselves to both posts of a goal in a protest action. The men were wearing T-shirts with the inscription: “Last Generation – Stop the Fossil Madness”.
Poole shines in Warriors win
Winning the opener and a comeback without much pressure for Steph Curry: For the Golden State Warriors, the start of the series against the Denver Nuggets went almost perfectly. The superstar made his first appearance since 16 March in the 123-107 win after overcoming a foot injury. Playing off the bench, he recorded 16 points, three rebounds and four assists in just over 21 minutes on the court. The Warriors were in complete control of the game in the second half and benefited especially from the strong performance of Jordan Poole, who scored 30 points. The Nuggets around Nikola Jokic had no answer to the many offensive options of the hosts.
Raptors lead only briefly
0:4, 4:5 – those were the only two scores in which the 76ers were behind to start the series against the Toronto Raptors. After that, the team around the two stars Joel Embiid and Kyrie Irving took control. Embiid had a good 19 points and 15 rebounds as a centre, but man of the match was Tyrese Maxey with 38 points for the 76ers. Harden had 22 points and Tobias Harris 26. The Raptors did not get the many offensive options defended. Isaac Bonga also returned to action for Toronto for the first time in more than two months, but could do little in his less than three minutes, converting only two free throws.
