Durant started for Phoenix for the first time and helped win, Milwaukee continues to win

Phoenix basketball player Kevin Durant in an NBA game on March 2, 2023.

New York – Basketball player Kevin Durant played for the Phoenix for the first time since his injury, where he transferred from Brooklyn in February, and scored 23 points to help the team win 105:91 at Charlotte. The first place in the NBA was defended by Milwaukee with a 139:117 win over Orlando and claimed the sixteenth success in a row. Even a 117:113 victory over Cleveland did not help Boston to return to the top of the competition.

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Phoenix fans had to wait almost a month for Durant's first game in a Suns jersey because he had an injured knee. The four-time leading scorer in the NBA showed that he should be a significant addition to an already stellar line-up. He converted 10 of 15 shots and also helped create space for Devin Booker, who scored 37 points.

“I've played almost a thousand games, but I was really nervous today,” Durant said. “It's a new team, new teammates and I wanted to fit in well, work hard for the team. All day I was only thinking about what I was going to do in the game,” he added.

Coach Mark Williams tries to put pressure on Durant moderate. “There's a lot of expectation on him. And some players in the league focus too much on being the leader of the team. But I don't want that from Kevin. Being the leader of the team is my job. After him, I just want him to play basketball and whatever most by himself,” Williams said.

Milwaukee is just four wins away from tying the 1970/71 club record of 20 straight wins. Against Orlando, the Bucks helped themselves with 26 threes, which is the most for them in the season. The best scorer was Janis Adetokunbo with 31 points.

On Wednesday, there were five 40-point performances, including two in the match between Boston and Cleveland. Jayson Tatum's 41 points helped the Celtics win 117-113, Donovan Mitchell's 44 points were not enough for the Cavaliers.

It was the 20th game with at least 40 points for Tatum, who will celebrate his 25th birthday in two days. He moved into seventh place ahead of Adetokunba in the all-time table for the most points scored before twenty-five. In front of him are LeBron James, Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and Booker.

Brandon Ingram scored 40 points for New Orleans to win 121:110 over Portland, Damian Lillard scored 41 points for the Blazers.< /p>

Zach LaVine led Chicago to a 117-115 victory over Detroit with 41 points. The opponent also helped the Bulls to a big win, when rookie Jaden Ivey wanted to take a timeout with 9.7 seconds left, and the Pistons had none. The result was a technical foul, a free throw for the visitors and also a loss of the ball. A quick foul had to follow, Chicago jumped to five points and secured the win.

“I've never seen anything like this in my career,” said 33-year-old DeMar DeRozan, who helped Chicago with 21 points. “Ivey panicked, but he's not responsible for the loss. We lost the game in the first quarter when we let them do what they wanted on offense,” Detroit coach Dwane Casey said.

Although the Los Angeles Lakers started without their three biggest stars LeBron James, Anthony Davis and D'Angelo Russell, they still won 123-117 on the field of Oklahoma City. Dennis Schröder contributed 26 points.

The Knicks dominated the New York derby, beating Brooklyn 142:118. Jalen Brunson scored 30 of his 39 points in the first half. The home team had a great start to the game and scored 47 points in the first quarter.

NBA:

Boston – Cleveland 117:113, Charlotte – Phoenix 91:105, Detroit – Chicago 115:117, Houston – Memphis 99:113, Miami – Philadelphia 96:119, Milwaukee – Orlando 139:117, New York – Brooklyn 142:118, Oklahoma City – LA Lakers 117:123, Portland – New Orleans 110:121.

Table:

Eastern Conference:

Atlantic Division:

Central Division:

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Southeastern Division:< /p>

Western Conference:

Southwest Division:

Northwest Division:

Pacific division: