Actor Denzel Wahington and his wife Pauletta at the Los Angeles Lakers vs Golden State Warriors NBA game in Los Angeles on February 23, 2023.
New York – After the All-Star break, Boston's basketball players won a 142-138 overtime victory over Indiana and claimed first place in the NBA ahead of Denver. The Nuggets also won 115-109 over Cleveland and are one win behind Boston in first place in the Western Conference. San Antonio suffered its fifteenth defeat in a row, losing to Dallas 116:142 in the Texas derby.
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Boston led by 10 points at halftime, but Indiana's long range shooting was successful. She hit a total of 22 three-pointers, eight of which were made by pivot Myles Turner, who equaled a personal best of 40 points. It was a balanced game going into the end and no one scored in the last minute and a half. Jayson Tatum, who collected a total of 31 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, decided the overtime in the end.
“It was a great game. The more our opponents test us like this now, the more it will help us in the long run,” said Tatum. “We couldn't have asked for a better fight. We fought an even battle with the best team in the competition, we went all the way to overtime. Then it didn't work out, but we took a step in the right direction,” Turner commented on the match.
Denver was still losing five minutes before the end of the game in Cleveland, but then the match was decided by the pair of Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr., who provided 15 of the last 16 points of the Nuggets. Jokič scored his 22nd triple double of the season for 24 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists. Porter had 25 points.
“We did a good job on Jokic. I felt like our pivots defended him really well before I looked at the stats. At the end, Jokic made the decision,” the star said Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell.
Utah also succeeded in overtime, beating Oklahoma City 120:119 thanks to Lauri Markkanen. The Finnish representative scored 43 points, including the decisive three free throws five seconds before the end of overtime.
At the same time, the Thunder have not lost since halftime. In the end, Utah was saved from defeat by Walker Kessler, who first equalized five seconds before the end, and then arranged overtime with his seventh block in the match. In his final game leading Oklahoma City, Markkanen tried to turn the score around, but Luguentz Dort fouled him on a three-pointer and the Finnish player converted all free throws. Even Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 39 points were not enough for the Thunder.
Dallas' new star duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving celebrated their first win together as the Mavericks clearly dominated the Texas derby against the struggling Spurs. Doncic contributed 28 points to the victory, Irving added 23 points. Tim Hardaway scored 22 points. “People always talk about how Luka and Kyrie need the ball, but they also know how to use their teammates properly. And they showed that today,” said Dallas coach Jason Kidd.
The Los Angeles Lakers won 124-111 over defending champion Golden State. The Warriors lacked the pillars led by Stephen Curry, and the Lakers took advantage of that with a good team performance. They didn't even mind that the best scorer in NBA history, LeBron James, hit only five of 20 shots and scored only 13 points, the fewest of the season. The best scorer for the Lakers was Malik Beasley with 25 points. The Lakers decided the game with a 21-7 run in the third quarter.
NBA:
Cleveland – Denver 109:115, Dallas – San Antonio 142:116, Indiana – Boston 138:142 overtime, LA Lakers – Golden State 124:111, Orlando – Detroit 108:106, Philadelphia – Memphis 110:105, Sacramento – Portland 133:116, Toronto – New Orleans 115:110, Utah – Oklahoma City 120:119 overtime.
Table:
Eastern Conference:< /p>
Atlantic Division:
| 1. | Boston | 60 | 43 | 17 | 71.7 |
| 2. | Philadelphia | 58 | 39 | 19 | 67.2 |
| 3. | Brooklyn | 58 | 34 | 24 | 58.6 |
| 4. | New York | 60 | 33 | 55.0 | |
| 5. | Toronto | 60 | 31 | 48.3 |
Central Division:
| 1. | Milwaukee | 58 | 41 | 17 | 70.7 |
| 2. | Cleveland | 62 | 38 | 24 | 61.3 |
| 3. | Chicago | 59 | 26 | 33 | 44.1 |
| 4. | Indiana | 61 | 26 | 35 | 42.6 |
| 5 . | Detroit | 60 | 15 | 45 | 25.0 |
Southeast Division:
| 1. | Miami | 59 | 32 | 27 | 54.2 |
| 2. | Atlanta | 59 | 29 | 30 | 49.2 |
| 3 . | Washington | 58 | 28 | 30 | 48.3 |
| 4. | Orlando | 60 | 25 | 35 | 41, 7 |
| 5. | Charlotte | 60 | 17 | 43< /td> | 28.3 |
Western Conference:
Southwest Division :
| 1. | Memphis | 58 | 35 | 23 | 60.3 |
| 2. | Dallas | 61 | 32 | 29 | 52.5 |
| 3. | New Orleans | 60 | 30 | 30 | 50.0 |
| 4. | San Antonio | 60 | 14 | 46 | 23.3 |
| 5. | Houston | 58 | 13 | 45 | 22.4 |
Northwest Division:
| 1. | Denver | 60 | 42 | 18 | 70.0 |
| 2. | Minnesota | 61 | 31 | 30 | 50 ,8 |
| 3. | Utah | 61 | 30 | 31 | 49.2 |
| 4. | Oklahoma City | 58 | 28 | 30 | 48.3 |
| 5. | Portland | 59 | 28 | 31 | 47.5 |
Pacific division:
| 1. | Sacramento | 58 | 33 | 25 | 56.9 |
| 2. | LA Clippers | 61< /td> | 33 | 28 | 54.1 |
| 3. | Phoenix< /td> | 60 | 32 | 28 | 53.3 |
| 4.< /td> | Golden State | 59 | 29 | 30 | 49.2 |
| 5. | LA Lakers | 60 | 28 | 32 | 46, 7 |
