Denver basketball players have a certain first place in the division, Milwaukee lost to Indiana

< /p> NBA game Detroit – Denver. Pictured, from left, are Cory Joseph and Bruce Brown in Detroit on March 16, 2023.

New York – After four straight losses, Denver basketball players won 119-100 in Detroit. With their 47th win of the NBA season, they have already clinched first place in the Northwest Division and maintained a lead over Sacramento for first place in the Western Conference. The Kings won 101-96 over Brooklyn and are certain to have more wins than losses in the regular season for the first time since the 2005/06 season. Competition leader Milwaukee failed, losing 123-139 to Indiana.

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Denver needed to catch up after four surprising defeats, and the duel with the worst team in the competition, Detroit, was the perfect opportunity to do so. Especially when the Pistons were missing top scorers Cade Cunningham and Bojan Bogdanovic. But Detroit didn't want to give up and led by six points at halftime and kept up with the favorite with ten minutes to go. But then the Nuggets decided the match in their favor with a score of 24:4.

Nikola Jokič was the best scorer with 30 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Detroit had seven scorers in double figures, but only Rodney McGruder reached 20 points. “It's a good win for us. We clinched the division title and the playoffs and ended the losing streak. We should bounce back from this game and do something special,” Denver coach Michael Malone said.

Sacramento is having its best season in 17 years. While in the 2005/06 season, 44 wins were only enough for eighth place in the conference, now with 42 wins, they hold the second place, which they defended with a win over Brooklyn. Domantas Sabonis, who scored 24 points and 21 rebounds, played a big part in the success.

“I experienced here when we were at the bottom and I saw the frustration of the fans and the people in the club. And it's very nice to be on the other side and experience these times,” said 30-year-old Harrison Barnes.

Milwaukee picked a weaker day defensively, allowing Indiana 22 3-pointers. The Pacers succeeded despite missing their best player, Tyrese Haliburton. But they replaced the absence with team performance, eight players had double-digit points. Andrew Nembhard gave 24 points, Aaron Nesmith 22 points including six three-pointers. Janis Adetokunbo scored 25 points for the Bucks, who were also missing several players including center Brook Lopez, but only played 26 minutes due to fouls.

Phoenix won 116-113 over Orlando after three defeats. Josh Okogie tied the game with a key 3-pointer with five minutes left, and the Suns held the lead from then on free throws. Okogie then kept the lead even in the last seconds, when he blocked Paolo Bancher's attempt at an equalizing three-pointer.

NBA:

Brooklyn – Sacramento 96:101, Detroit – Denver 100:119, Milwaukee – Indiana 123:139, Phoenix – Orlando 116:113, Toronto – Oklahoma City 128:111.

Table:

Eastern Conference:

Atlantic Division:

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Central Division:

Southeast Division:

Western Conference:

Southwest Division :

Northwest Division:

Pacific division: