The Celtics, leaders of the Eastern Conference, remain invincible this season in Boston: they beat the Utah Jazz (126-97) on Saturday night in their den, while at the other end of the country, the Minnesota Timberwolves went to give Houston a beating (122-95), by almost the same margin as Boston.
3-point success: Boston players, who remained in control at home by clearly beating the Utah Jazz 126 to 97, made 17 three-point baskets in this meeting. The Celtics, semi-finalists last season, knocked out the Jazz from the start, to whom they inflicted a 10-0, to lead 30-15 at the end of the first quarter. But the Memphis Grizzlies (23 winning shots against the LA Lakers) and the New York Knicks (18 in Philadelphia) did better away from the circle.
Metronome Tatum: On the Celtics team, Jayson Tatum scored 30 points. This is the 14th time this season that he has reached this total. But the Celtics also won the game on defense, limiting the Jazz attack, which scored 154 points last Wednesday to beat the Detroit Pistons in overtime, to less than 100 points.
Ruthless Minnesota in Houston. The Minnesota Timberwolves, who dominate the Western Conference, won in Houston against the Rockets 122 to 95, winning every quarter, to have a lead of up to 33 points. Anthony Edwards (24 points) and Karl-Anthony Towns (22) were the main fireworks for the Timberwolves, and French interior Rudy Gobert produced a solid performance (13 points, 12 rebounds, 2 interceptions, 2 blocks).
Hand fracture for Chris Paul. Chris Paul, the Golden State Warriors point guard, suffered a broken left hand during the match against the Detroit Pistons won by his team 113 to 109. He will have surgery in the coming days, his managers announced. Chris Paul, one of the veterans of the League at 38 years old, joined the Warriors, the sixth franchise of his career, last June from Phoenix.
150: this is the number of points scored by the Indiana Pacers, who stunned the Atlanta Hawks 150 to 116. This is the sixth success in a row for the Pacers, who climbed to fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
50: this is the staggering number of assists distributed by Pacers players during their monumental victory against the Atlanta Hawks. Tyrese Haliburton, the best passer in the NBA this season with an average of 12.8 per game, delivered 18 alone in three quarters, before going to rest on the bench during the fourth.
End of streak: The Brooklyn Nets ended a five-game losing streak, beating the Oklahoma Thunder 124 to 115. The Nets had a 32-point lead after three quarters, before loosening their grip in the fourth.
New York slaps Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Sixers took a slap from the New York Knicks, who beat their opponents, who were third in the Eastern Conference, 128 to 92. It was the biggest victory of the evening, obtained with 36 points. gap, tied with Dallas winning Portland 139 to 103.