Kings feast as Giannis comes back strong
KINGS 133 – GRIZZLIES 100
The Kings hit 22 three-pointers and, with a magnificent test of strength, beat a Ja Morant-less Grizzlies to clinch third place in the Western Conference.
The Kings’ numbers were outstanding. Trey Lyles scored 24 points on six-of-eight three-pointers, Barnes 20 points on six-of-nine three-pointers and Murray another 20 points on five-of-seven from beyond the arc.
To the monumental three-point performance, the Kings added a triple double from Domantas Sabonis of fourteen points, ten rebounds and eleven assists.
PISTONS 130 – BUCKS 150
The Bucks recovered their best version with the return, five games later, of Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek scored 20 of his 29 points in a 49-point first half on a night when Mike Budenholzer’s team could count again on Khris Middleton after an 18-game absence.
Middleton scored eight points in just over 15 minutes on the court and the Bucks moved to third in the East (30-17) behind the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics.
MAGIC 113 – CELTICS 98
Without Marcus Smart and Robert Williams, injured last Saturday against the visiting Raptors, the Celtics had their nine-game winning streak snapped.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown contributed 26 points each, but the Magic, second-to-last in the East, won led by the 23 points of Italian Paolo Banchero, the first pick of the last draft.
BULLS 111 – HAWKS 110
DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls to a 26-point, six-assist win over the Hawks, his team’s third straight, on a night when he played his 1,000th NBA game.
The 33-year-old Californian, an Olympic gold medalist with the United States in Rio 2016, wore the jerseys of the Toronto Raptors (2009-2018) and San Antonio Spurs (2018-2021) before signing with Chicago two seasons ago.
The Bulls are tenth in the Eastern Conference (22-24), in play-in positions and triumphed against a direct rival in their fight for a postseason berth.
TRAIL BLAZERS 147-127 SPURS
Damian Lillard moved into seventh place on the all-time list of three-pointers made, surpassing Jason Terry’s 2,282, in the Blazers’ win over the Spurs.
Lillard hit seven three-pointers and scored 37 points with 12 assists to revive the Blazers after three straight losses.
JAZZ 120 – HORNETS 102
Finland’s Lauri Markkanen led the Jazz with a double-double of 25 points and 11 rebounds in a comfortable home win over the second-to-last-place Hornets in the East.
Without LaMelo Ball, injured, the Hornets’ best player was Terry Rozier, with 23 points.
ROCKETS 119 – TIMBERWOLVES 114
The Rockets cut their streak of thirteen consecutive losses pushed by a monumental performance of Jalen Green, with 42 points and six three-pointers, against the Wolves.
