There were only five games scheduled for the NBA today, but it was quite exciting, the Rockets lost to the Jazz 121 to 124, and Van Jordan scored a season-high 42 points. The Knicks ended the Celtics' 27-game winning streak at home against Eastern Conference teams with a 118-109 win that the Celtics were beaten as a joke. The Warriors defeated the Trail Blazers 100-92 to tie the Kings Lakers and move up to No. 9 in the West. The Pelicans beat the Kings 135-123 to secure sixth place in the West. It also kicked the Kings to No. 8, but the Lakers saw a good opportunity to challenge for eighth in the West.
First, the Rockets lost to the Jazz 121-124 on the road, with a record of 39 wins and 41 losses, ranking 11th in the West. In this rookie game, the Rockets still lost, and the season belonging to the Rockets will also end.
In this game, Van Jordan performed quite bravely, but he was anticlimactic. Played 40 minutes in the game, shooting 12-of-30, 9-of-13 three-pointers, 9-of-10 free throws, and exploded with 42 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. At the same time, 42 points also set a new season record for Van Jordan with the Rockets, and it was also his second-highest score behind his career record of 54 points.
In addition, Jalen Green did not perform well, and he collapsed again today, and he didn't feel like shooting at all. He played 19 minutes, shooting 1-of-7 from the field and 1-of-5 from three-point range, finishing with a measly 3-pointer, 1-rebound and 1-assist, plus/minus of -23, a team-low plus/minus. Before the end of the season, Jalen Green's continued slump has bleaked his prospects, and he could be traded in the offseason.
Amen Thompson showed his potential on both ends of the floor, and he also got good stats in this game. He played 35 minutes, shooting 6-of-12 from the field, 0-of-1 from three-point range and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line, and finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals, six of which were frontcourt rebounds.
Dillon Brooks performed quite a game, shooting 4 of 14, 0 of 5 three-pointers, only 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 5 fouls, and missed the tie three points at the final critical moment, and in the end, Brooks was definitely the second culprit of the Rockets' loss in this game, second only to Green.
Whitmore off the bench was quite brave, scoring 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting, four rebounds and four assists. He will further hone his skills in the offseason and will definitely be a key player for the Rockets next season. Green Sr. contributed 13 points and 6 rebounds, Landale contributed 10 points, 1 rebound and 2 assists, and Holiday contributed 6 points and 2 rebounds, all of which were also quite good.
Second, the Celtics lost to the Knicks 109-118, ending their 27-game winning streak against Eastern Conference teams at home. It's worth mentioning that the last time we lost at home to an Eastern Conference team was the Knicks. It seems that the Knicks are really the Celtics' home nemesis. It's really ridiculous to be first in the league.
After this game, the Celtics continued to rank first in the East with a 62-19 record, and the Knicks followed the Bucks in third place in the East with a 49-32 record. Under the premise that Antetokounmpo is reimbursed for the regular season, the Knicks are expected to move further into second place in the East, with home-court advantage behind the Celtics.
The Knicks were able to win this game because of Brunson's brave play. With 39 points in the game, 21 points in a single quarter, and leading the team to beat the league's No. 1 score, Brunson did everything he had to do, and he deserves respect. He played 30 minutes in this game, shooting 15-of-23, 6-of-11 three-pointers, and 3-of-5 free throws, scoring 39 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists, with a plus/minus of +28. A true superstar, teaching Tatum and Brown to be people, Brunson has averaged 39.4 points and 8.4 assists per game in the last five games, shooting a whopping 54.1% from the field. In this game, he led the team to score six double-doubles and defeated the Celtics in one fell swoop.
Tatum collapsed again in this crucial game, shooting only 5 of 13 from the field, 1 of 7 three-pointers, and 7 of 9 free throws, with only 18 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists. Brown also had a sluggish performance, shooting 6-of-15 from the field, 1-of-5 from three-point range, contributing 15 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist. At critical moments, the Celtics lack superstars and can't make big things.
Three, the Pelicans defeated the Kings 135-123 to stabilize the sixth place in the West, and their record came to 48-32, so they can take a breather for the time being. The Kings have a 45-35 record that is tied with the Warriors and Lakers, ranking 8th in the West.
The Pelicans were able to win this game, which can be regarded as an indirect help to the Lakers, and it is possible to break away from the ninth and tenth in the play-offs with two lives. In this game, the team played a playoff-like offense and defense, and the offensive efficiency was very efficient throughout the game, shooting 11-of-18 from the field, 9-of-12 from three-point range, scoring 31 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists, and averaging 31.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game in the past five games. The three-point shooting rate is an exaggerated 50%, 51.7%, and 100%, which is the key to the Pelicans' return to sixth place in the West.
Morway III was also quite brave and cut 27+5+4, hitting 6 three-pointers, providing great help to McCollum, especially in the first three quarters of the three-point shooting was quite smooth, in the fourth quarter McCollum stepped up, and the strong play of the two of them on the outside was the guarantee of the team's furious offense.
In addition, Xi'an is also very lethal on the inside, completely beating Sabonis, although he left the court with a finger injury in the second quarter, but his performance in the second half exploded and continued to attack at critical moments in the fourth quarter, he shot 13 of 21 from the field, 5 of 5 from the free throw line, and cut 31 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 1 block, plus or minus +16.
In this game Fox performed perfectly and gave everything he had. He played 41 minutes and finished with 33 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals on 11-of-18 shooting, 3-of-7 three-pointers and 8-of-10 free throws. In the fourth quarter, Fox scored 12 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists and 1 steal, almost helping the team turn the game around.
However, Sabonis's performance was average, although he scored 18 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists, but he was completely blown up by Zion on the defensive end, and not holding the interior became the key to the loss. Barnes contributed 22 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Murray contributed 19 points, five rebounds and one assist. The Kings were quite passive after losing this game.
Fourth, the Warriors defeated the Trail Blazers 100-92 with a 45-35 record. It has the same record as the Kings and Lakers, but ranks 9th in the West by virtue of its mutual relationship.
Curry performed quite bravely in this game, shooting 8 of 22 from the field, 5 three-pointers, contributing 22 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists, which became the basic market for winning. Curry has made a total of 350 three-pointers this season, and for the third time in his career, he has made 350+ three-pointers in a single season.
Kuminga contributed 19 points, six rebounds and one assist on 7-of-11 shooting, Wiggins had 15 points, five rebounds and one assist on 5-of-12 shooting, Davis contributed 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists, and Paul finished with eight points, three rebounds and four assists on three-of-nine shooting. Sister Bo on the bench made 4 of 9 shots and had 9 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Looney had nine points and 11 rebounds, Moody had eight points, and it was not surprising that the Warriors could beat the Trail Blazers.
Fifth, although the Lakers fell to 10th in the West, they still have a good chance to hit the eighth place in the West and have 2 lives in the play-offs.
After today. The Pelicans are in 6th place in the West with 48 wins and 32 losses, and the Suns are 7th in the West with 47 wins and 33 losses. The Warriors are in 9th place in the West with a 45-35 record, the Kings are 8th in the West with 45 wins and 35 losses, and the Lakers are 10th in the West with a 45-35 record. The Kings, Lakers, and Warriors have the same record, and the competition is quite fierce, but the Lakers have a low error with them, so the Lakers are in tenth place in the West, but the Lakers still have a chance.
Here's a look at the Lakers' competitors' remaining schedules:
Suns: Kings, Timberwolves.
Kings: Suns, Trailblazers.
Brave Warrior: 鹈鹕, Knight.
Pelicans: Kings, Warriors,
If the Lakers can defeat the Pelicans with all their might, winning all the last two games, the record is 47-25, and they will have the initiative.
The Pelicans are 1-1 (likely to lose to the Lakers) and have a 49-33 record.
The Suns are 1-1 (likely losing to the Timberwolves) and have a 48-34 record.
The Kings are 1-1 (possibly losing to the Suns) and have a 46-26 record.
The Warriors are 1-1 (losing to the Pelicans, who have been in explosive form lately) and are 46-26.
In this way, the 6th to 10th places in the West will be the Pelicans, Suns, Lakers, Warriors, Kings.
The Lakers can still be eighth, go all out to beat the Suns in the playoffs, and avoid the first round against the Nuggets.