Jokic crushes, Curry gets injured and Herro plays hero
NUGGETS 141 – WIZARDS 128
43 points (17 of 20 shooting), 14 rebounds, 8 rebounds and 5 steals. That was the impressive service record of a gigantic Jokic, who further depressed a Wizards team that has lost eight in a row.
Without Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis, Washington clung unsuccessfully to Kyle Kuzma’s 24 points.
PACERS 125 – WARRIORS 119
Stephen Curry’s left shoulder injury, sensational until then (38 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists in 30 minutes), further clouded a new black night for the Golden State Warriors away from home, where they accumulated a dreadful 2-13.
Tyrese Haliburton (29 points and 6 assists) was the reference for the Pacers who were leading by 25 points in the second quarter, who made 50.6% of their shots and took advantage of 24 Golden State turnovers.
THUNDER 108 – HEAT 110
With a layup with 5 seconds left, Tyler Herro, who finished the game with 35 points, was the hero for the Miami Heat in their assault on Oklahoma City, which has lost four straight games.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who missed the shot that would have forced overtime for the Thunder, had 27 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists.
BULLS 120-128 KNICKS
Julius Randle (31 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists) and Jalen Brunson (30 points and 7 assists) extended the flight of the New York Knicks, who added their fifth consecutive victory by defeating the Chicago Bulls in overtime.
DeMar DeRozan (32 points) was the best for the Bulls, who have not found their rhythm this season.
MAVERICKS 90 – CAVALIERS 105
Donovan Mitchell (34 points with 6 three-pointers) led a group of six players over 10 points for the Cleveland Cavaliers to take Dallas with a very choral and balanced performance.
Luka Doncic (30 points and 6 assists) led a Mavericks that were already down by 23 points before halftime and made only 39.2% of their shots.
CLIPPERS 99 – TIMBERWOLVES 88
In a rather dull game, the Los Angeles Clippers got their act together in the last quarter (32-23) to win their third straight game thanks to Kawhi Leonard (19 points and 8 rebounds) and Paul George (triple-double with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists).
For the Wolves, who have lost three consecutive games due to the absence of Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards (19 points and 7 rebounds) and Rudy Gobert (11 points and 13 rebounds) stood out.
MAGIC 135 – HAWKS 124
With a mind-blowing 50-22 in the first quarter, Orlando Magic, who broke their all-time record for scoring in a period, won their fourth straight victory over a struggling Atlanta Hawks (only one win in six games).
Franz Wagner (24 points) and Trae Young (19 points and 16 assists) were outstanding for Orlando and Atlanta, respectively.
SPURS 112 – BLAZERS 128
The San Antonio Spurs’ streak of three straight wins – after having lost eleven consecutive games – came to an end on Wednesday with the visit of the Portland Trail Blazers led by Damian Lillard, who was once again magnificent (37 points with 7 of 14 three-pointers and 8 assists).
Keldon Johnson (25 points and 7 rebounds) led the Spurs, who suffered from Portland’s 60.5% shooting from the field.
