While the Grizzlies made sure to get into the play-in with their win over the Pelicans, Russell Westbrook broke the career triple-double record without benefiting the Wizards. Rudy Gobert, always at the rendezvous, could not avoid the defeat of Jazz.
28 points, 13 rebounds, and 21 assists. For the 182nd time since his NBA debut in 2008, Russell Westbrook concluded a meeting with a triple-double. Two days after equaling Oscar Robertson, the Washington Wizards point guard broke that 1970s record. But “RussWest” performance ultimately proved insufficient to allow the Wizards to return with their trip to Atlanta victory.
From the start of the match, the Hawks took the ascendancy but never widened a significant gap on the Wizards who relied on their leader to stay in contact. Taking advantage of a weak time for the Georgia franchise players, those from DC were able to finish better to have a lead of up to six points shortly before the break.
But, led by Trae Young (26 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists) and Clint Capela (10 points, 22 rebounds), the Hawks have found their floor with a whole new state of mind. Thanks to an almost impermeable defense for eight minutes, with only eight points conceded, Nate McMillan’s players have built up a nice mattress of 17 points twelve minutes from the end of the game. But it melted in the span of five minutes, allowing Washington to come back to a point.
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An end of the match under tension which however saw Atlanta keep the advantage from start to finish for a victory… of one point (125-124). A result that allows the Hawks to move forward after their defeat in Indiana and which is of no consequence for the Wizards, guaranteed to participate in the play-in of the Eastern Conference.
The match of the night
This time, that’s for sure! The Memphis Grizzlies will be vying for one of the final two tickets to the playoffs in the Western Conference. In a direct duel for the qualification against the New Orleans Pelicans, the players of Taylor Jenkins ensured with a short but more than precious victory.
Led by their duo of Dillon Brooks (23 points) and Jonas Valanciunas (20 points, 11 rebounds), the Grizzlies took control of the meeting very early, taking up to thirteen points ahead even before the end of the first quarter time.
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If the Pelicans, led by Nickeil Alexander-Walker (18 points) and Naji Marshall (12 points, 11 rebounds) reacted in the second quarter by returning to equality … they then took a new burst to find themselves led by twelve lengths at the break.
It was in a third-quarter that they dominated, and started with a 15-2 which allowed them to take the lead on the scoreboard, that the Pelicans had the opportunity to change the course. Match. However, with a new sovereign defense, the Grizzlies have found the foundations of their early game to get the better of Pelicans weakened by the absence of Zion Williamson or Brandon Ingram.
Memphis wins by five lengths (115-110) and can no longer be caught in the race for tickets for the play-in. For the Pelicans, it will take a small miracle for the season not to end prematurely.
The flop of the night
April 21… This is the date of the Cavaliers’ last victory against the Chicago Bulls. Since then, the franchise of Ohio, which has nothing more to play at the end of the season, continues to sink and conceded this Monday against Indiana its eleventh consecutive defeat.
It must be said that the Pacers were able to count on a Domantas Sabonis of the great evenings (21 points, 20 rebounds, 9 assists) to go for a victory which was not obvious in the end. Indeed, if the Indianapolis-based franchise got off to a strong start with up to ten points in the first twelve minutes, it was the Cavaliers of Collin Sexton (25 points, 8 assists) and Isaac Okoro (22 points, 10 rebounds) which took the game during most of the second and third quarters to count, in turn, up to ten points ahead.
But that advantage waned over time, allowing the Pacers to stay in the game to strike in a one-sided final quarter. A 14-4 in the middle of the last twelve minutes of the meeting allowed Indiana to control a potentially indecisive end of the game to get the 32nd victory this season (102-111) and strengthen their place for the play-in of the Eastern Conference with three victories ahead of the Chicago Bulls and three games still to play in the regular season for both teams.
French of the night
After five straight victories, the Jazz once again tasted defeat during their trip to the Golden State Warriors floor. But this meeting was played on details. As often, Rudy Gobert dominated in the racket (10 points, 16 rebounds) and this allowed the Utah franchise to take the game on its own from the first moments with up to seven points in advance.
But the teammates of a huge Jordan Clarkson (41 points, 7 rebounds) then fell off against the Californians, fully back in the match and who put a little boost before the break to reach it with five points in advance.
If the Jazz were able to equalize at the start of the third quarter, the Warriors then deployed their game, and teammates Draymond Green (12 points, 10 assists) then gave their opponents a bad quarter of an hour, taking 18 points ahead at the very start of the fourth quarter. But, by dint of will, the Jazz patiently fell behind with a 15-2 to get ahead of the score with a minute still to play.
It was then that Stephen Curry (36 points) came out of his box with a three-point shot that put the Warriors back in front. Five seconds from the buzzer, Jordan Clarkson had the equalizer ball in his hands but trembled, offering the victory to Golden State (119-116). A success that allows Bay Area players to ensure they participate in the play-in at the end of the regular season when the Jazz delays the validation of its first place in the Western Conference standings.
