Less dominant in the last month, the defending NBA champion Thunder managed to come from 21 points down to eventually beat Memphis 117-116.
Without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (ankle sprain) and Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma was quickly overwhelmed by the Grizzlies, who had seven players with at least 10 points. But Jalen Williams (26 points, 10 assists), Ajay Mitchell (23 points) and reserve Kenrich Williams (21) sparked the champions' comeback, taking the lead on a long-range shot by Williams with 1:07 left. Oklahoma remains the Western Conference leader (32 wins, 7 losses). Bad news for Dallas: Anthony Davis, who was injured on Thursday against the Utah Jazz, has torn ligaments in his left hand and must decide whether to undergo surgery, which could keep him out of action for several months. Houston wasn't satisfied with a stellar Kevin Durant, who at 37 years old in his 19th NBA season has become the seventh-best scorer in regular season history: the Rockets, however, had to fall to Portland 111-105. Durant was the protagonist with 30 points and 12 rebounds, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain's 31,435 points per game (31,419).
In Los Angeles, the duel between Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James ended in favor of the former and the Milwaukee Bucks, who defeated the Lakers 105-101 . Antetokounmpo scored 21 points, but more importantly, he forced LeBron James to turn the ball over as the King approached the basket, tying the game with two seconds left. The 41-year-old nearly scored a triple-double (26 points, 9 rebounds, 10 assists) after a brilliant fourth quarter, during which Luka Doncic (24 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists) was ejected for fouls.
In the other games, the Orlando Magic lost against Philadelphia (103-91) and Washington against New Orleans (107-128).
The Clippers won at the Brooklyn Nets' home (121-105), and Golden State overwhelmed Sacramento 137-103. Atlanta, led by Jalen Johnson (29 points), beat Denver (injury-ridden) 110-87. Phoenix beat New York 112-107 and Boston beat Toronto 125-117.
(Unioneonline)
