Grizzlies, Hawks, Wizards, Heat, Nets (twice), Bulls and now Knicks: the men in green have been unstoppable since a defeat against the LA Lakers in early February, and are flying more than ever in the Eastern Conference, with a nine-win lead (45 against 36) on their first pursuers, Cleveland and Milwaukee. Saturday night, at Madison Square Garden, it was Jaylen Brown who scored the points (30), followed by Kristaps Porzingis (22) and the essential Jayson Tatum (19 pts, 6 rebounds, 6 assists).
“We have so many good players on our team,” rejoiced Tatum, who made no secret that Boston was looking far into this season, already thinking about the best way to prepare for the play-offs. “We have a very good team and we know what the end goal is, what we are trying to accomplish,” he commented. Despite Jalen Brunson’s 34 points, New York quickly struggled to compete, and were up to 20 points behind in the heart of the last quarter. Philadelphia, the Celtics’ next opponent, Tuesday evening at TD Garden, has been warned.
The competition is much closer in the West, where the Timberwolves, beaten the day before by Milwaukee (112-107), reacted perfectly by dominating Brooklyn (101-86), despite the absence of Rudy Gobert, spared. This 40th victory of the season (for 17 defeats), acquired in particular thanks to the performance of the duo Anthony Edwards (29 points) and Karl-Anthony Towns (28), allows Minnesota to regain first place in Oklahoma City (39 v ., 17 d.). The Nets recorded their 4th defeat in a row and seem out of the running for the play-offs (11th).
In the 3rd and final match of the evening, the Orlando Magic, 6th in the East, won with a short header over the last Detroit, 112-109, thanks to three points (a basket followed by a free throw) registered at the last second by the Magic’s young strong winger, Paolo Banchero, in tears after this decisive action.
