After sixteen straight wins, Milwaukee bowed on its floor against Philadelphia in the clash of the night. Minnesota also picked up a nice win over Sacramento.
Since January 21 in Cleveland, Milwaukee had not known the taste of defeat. But the Bucks, leaders of the East, fell this Saturday, at home, against one of the other favorites of the Conference, Philadelphia. The 76ers went on to win 130-133 in Wisconsin thanks to an excellent end to the game. The Bucks were indeed leading by 18 points a quarter of an hour from the end and thought they might be on their way to a comfortable 17th victory. But at the end of the third quarter, Philadelphia came back to 99-85, then ended up equalizing at 108-108 6’05 from the buzzer.
However, the 76ers failed to take the lead until a three-point shot from Joel Embiid (31pts, 6rbds, 10pds) 42 seconds from the end. which allowed them to lead 127-125. Free throws from Tyrese Maxey (26pts), James Harden (38pts, 9rbds, 10pds) and Joel Embiid then made the difference for Philadelphia, which won this victory in the snatch. Despite a Giannis Antetokounmpo to 34 points and 13 rebounds, Milwaukee must bow. Still in the East, Cleveland (4th) quietly disposed of the bottom Detroit (114-90), Miami (7th) signed an important victory against Atlanta (8th) for direct qualification in the play-offs (117-109, with 30pts from Bam Adebayo), while Toronto (9th) won 109-116 after extra time in Washington (10th).
Minnesota reigns over California
In the West, the only poster of the night opposed Sacramento to Minnesota, and after winning at the Clippers and the Lakers, the Timberwolves continued their Californian road trip with a 134-138 victory in the capital of State. If the final gap is tight, the Minneapolis players nevertheless dominated this match almost from start to finish (the Kings only led by a few points in the first quarter) and even had a 17-point lead in the middle of the third quarter. They scared each other a little, but Anthony Edwards (27pts, 8pds) finally won his duel with Domantas Sabonis (24pts, 14rbds). Rudy Gobert meanwhile finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds, and Wolves are now seventh, heading home for a game against Philadelphia on Tuesday.
NBA / REGULAR SEASON
Saturday March 4, 2023
Cleveland Cavaliers – Detroit Pistons : 114-90
Stats of Killian Hayes (DET): 18 minutes of play, 5 points (2/7 on shots including 0/1 to 3pts, 1/3 on free throws), 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 interception, 1 lost ball, 1 fault
Sacramento Kings – The Minnesota Timberwolves : 134-138
Rudy Gobert (MIN) stats: 31 minutes of play, 13 points (5/9 on shots including 0 3-point shots, 3/4 on free throws), 14 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 lost ball, 4 fouls
Washington Wizards – Toronto Raptors : 109-116 ap
Miami Heat – Atlanta Hawks : 117-109
San Antonio Spurs – Houston Rockets : 110-122
Milwaukee Bucks – Philadelphia 76ers : 130-133
