Only two games were on the night’s schedule in the NBA, and they saw the two conference leaders, Milwaukee and Denver, lose at home to Boston and New Orleans respectively.
Funny evening this Thursday in the NBA… Only two games were on the program, and they saw the two leaders bow down heavily at home. The most unlikely clash came from Milwaukee, where the Eastern leader lost 41 points to second-placed Boston! The Celtics indeed went to win 99-140 in Wisconsin, after a match where all the stars were on the floor. The C’s already led by eight points at the end of the first quarter, then won the second by twenty points (21-41) and the third by twelve points (27-39) to increase the gap to +49 in this encounter with an unthinkable scenario. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown finished with 40 and 30 points, respectively, against a non-existent Bucks defense. Opposite, Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 24 points in 25 minutes (11/27 on shots including 0/5 at 3pts), Khris Middleton with 13 points in 20 minutes (5/13 on shots) and Jrue Holiday, the day after his match at 51 points, settled for 6 units in 24 minutes. With only 37.6% shooting success, the Bucks could not expect much, especially against the Celtics at 51.2% from 3 points. With this huge success, Boston is two games behind Milwaukee (with the advantage in the event of a tie) and can still dream of first place, five games from the end. And if the two teams are to meet in the play-offs in the coming weeks, this Thursday slap will certainly be on everyone’s mind.
The Pelicans take advantage of the windfall
In the West, the leader Denver received New Orleans, which whips for a place in play-in, even in play-offs. And the Pelicans won a capital victory, with a score of 88-107, which allows them to be seventh, one game from sixth place, but also two games from eleventh place, synonymous with vacation from mid- april. If the Celtics went to win against the full Bucks, the Pelicans benefited from the package of Nikola Jokic (calf), which still changes a lot of things. Except in the first minutes, New Orleans led throughout the game (40-50, mt), counting up to 21 points ahead at the end of the match. Brandon Ingram offered a triple-double (31pts, 11rbds, 10pds) and CJ McCollum added 23 points. As for the Nuggets, Jamal Murray finished top scorer with 21 points.
NBA / REGULAR SEASON
Thursday, March 30, 2023
Milwaukee Bucks – Boston Celtics : 99-140
Denver Nuggets – New Orleans Pelicans : 88-107
Qualified for the play-offs: Milwaukee, Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Denver, Memphis, Sacramento
