By Antigoni Zachari / info@eurohoops.net
The Dallas Mavericks swept the Detroit Pistons on the road 131-113 to move to 50 wins in the packed Western Conference standings. Luka Doncic flirted with triple-double figures to lead his team into this victory, their second in a row, as he posted 26 points, 14 assists and 8 rebounds. Jalen Brunson added 24 points for the Mavs, Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith had 13 points apiece. Cade Cunningham scored 25 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds for the struggling Pistons that are ruled out of playoffs contention and Isaiah Steward added a double-double with 19 points, 14 rebounds.
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving combined for 56 points to help the Brooklyn Nets emerge victorious in the New York City derby against the Knicks. The Nets held on to overturn a 21-point deficit to win 110-98 and swept the regular-season series. Durant posted a triple-double with 32 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds to lead the way for the visitors, while Irving had 24 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Seth Curry and Patty Mills added 15 points apiece and the Nets won their second straight game. Alec Burks scored 24 for the Knicks and RJ Barrett dropped 23, as the team has now lost three of its last five games.
Danilo Gallinari scored a season-high with 26 points and 10 rebounds and Trae Young had 30 points as the Atlanta Hawks beat the Washington Wizards 118-103 to snap back from their defeat to the Raptors and win their sixth out of their last seven games, which brings them to a tie with the Nets. Big man Clint Capela scored 19 points, along with 7 rebounds and 4 steals and Bogdan Bogdanovic added 18 points from the bench for the Hawks. Wizards‘ Kristaps Porzingis posted a double-double with 26 points and 18 rebounds, Daniel Gafford and Corey Kispert both tapped 12 points.
Bojan Bogdanovic and Rudy Gobert went off for 47 points to lead the Utah Jazz to a dominant 137-101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder at home. Bogdanovic tapped 27 points, while Gobert picked a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Jazz. On the opposing end, Jaylen Hoard dropped 23 points to lead the Thunder, Isaiah Roby had 18, while Greek forward Georgios Kalaitzakis posted 11 points, 2 rebounds and 2 steals in 30 minutes on the court.
Jaylen Brown posted 25 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals to lead the Boston Celtics to a 117-94 victory over the Chicago Bulls on the road. Al Horford tapped 17 points, Jayson Tatum had 16 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists and Daniel Theis scored 15 as the Celtics won their third consecutive game. DeMar DeRozan had 16 points to pace the Bulls, Nikola Vucevic followed with 13 points, 7 rebounds and Tristan Thompson added 10 points while coming from the bench in the team’s third straight defeat.
The Clippers were up by 39 points in the third quarter against NBA-leading Phoenix Suns and survived a 48-point run in the final period to grab a 113-109 victory at home. Normal Powell led the way with 24 points for the Clippers in his return to action after two months and Paul George reached the 15,000 career-points mark with 19 against the Suns. Ivica Zubac added a double-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds and Reggie Jackson followed with 11 points. Phoenix rested Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton and Jae Crowder and had Ish Wainright scoring a team-high 20 points.
NBA April 6 results:
Detroit Pistons – Dallas Mavericks 113-131
New York Knicks – Brooklyn Nets 98-110
Atlanta Hawks – Washington Wizards 118-103
Chicago Bulls – Boston Celtics 94-117
Utah Jazz – Oklahoma City Thunder 137-101
LA Clippers – Phoenix Suns 113-109
NBA standings (via nba.com):
Eastern Conference
| TEAM | W | L | WIN% | GB | CONF | DIV | HOME | ROAD | OT | LAST 10 | STREAK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 Miami Heat – se |
52 | 28 | .650 | — | 34-16 | 12-2 | 28-12 | 24-16 | 1-3 | 6-4 | W 5 |
|
2 Boston Celtics – x |
50 | 30 | .625 | 2 | 33-18 | 9-7 | 28-13 | 22-17 | 4-3 | 8-2 | W 3 |
|
3 Milwaukee Bucks – c |
49 | 30 | .620 | 2.5 | 31-18 | 11-3 | 26-14 | 23-16 | 1-2 | 6-4 | W 1 |
|
4 Philadelphia 76ers – x |
49 | 30 | .620 | 2.5 | 30-19 | 6-9 | 22-17 | 27-13 | 3-1 | 6-4 | W 3 |
|
5 Toronto Raptors – x |
46 | 33 | .582 | 5.5 | 29-21 | 9-5 | 22-17 | 24-16 | 3-2 | 7-3 | W 1 |
|
6 Chicago Bulls – x |
45 | 35 | .563 | 7 | 29-22 | 10-6 | 27-13 | 18-22 | 1-1 | 4-6 | L 3 |
|
7 Cleveland Cavaliers – pi |
43 | 37 | .538 | 9 | 26-24 | 9-6 | 24-16 | 19-21 | 2-0 | 3-7 | L 2 |
|
8 Brooklyn Nets – pi |
42 | 38 | .525 | 10 | 29-21 | 10-6 | 18-21 | 24-17 | 2-1 | 6-4 | W 2 |
|
9 Atlanta Hawks – pi |
42 | 38 | .525 | 10 | 26-25 | 9-6 | 27-14 | 15-24 | 0-1 | 7-3 | W 1 |
|
10 Charlotte Hornets – pi |
40 | 39 | .506 | 11.5 | 24-25 | 6-8 | 20-19 | 20-20 | 0-7 | 6-4 | L 2 |
|
11 Washington Wizards – o |
35 | 45 | .438 | 17 | 24-26 | 7-8 | 21-19 | 14-26 | 3-1 | 5-5 | L 1 |
|
12 New York Knicks – o |
35 | 45 | .438 | 17 | 20-30 | 4-11 | 16-24 | 19-21 | 1-2 | 5-5 | L 1 |
|
13 Indiana Pacers – o |
25 | 55 | .313 | 27 | 11-39 | 2-14 | 16-25 | 9-30 | 4-4 | 2-8 | L 8 |
|
14 Detroit Pistons – o |
23 | 57 | .288 | 29 | 18-32 | 6-9 | 13-27 | 10-30 | 3-1 | 4-6 | L 1 |
|
15 Orlando Magic – o |
21 | 59 | .263 | 31 | 11-39 | 2-12 | 11-29 | 10-30 | 0-4 | 3-7 | W 1 |
Western Conference
| TEAM | W | L | WIN% | GB | CONF | DIV | HOME | ROAD | OT | LAST 10 | STREAK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 Phoenix Suns – w |
63 | 17 | .788 | — | 38-12 | 10-5 | 32-8 | 31-9 | 2-0 | 7-3 | L 1 |
|
2 Memphis Grizzlies – sw |
55 | 24 | .696 | 7.5 | 35-15 | 10-5 | 29-10 | 26-14 | 2-2 | 8-2 | L 1 |
|
3 Golden State Warriors – x |
50 | 29 | .633 | 12.5 | 30-19 | 11-4 | 30-10 | 20-19 | 0-2 | 3-7 | W 2 |
|
4 Dallas Mavericks – x |
50 | 30 | .625 | 13 | 34-16 | 13-2 | 27-12 | 23-18 | 1-2 | 7-3 | W 2 |
|
5 Utah Jazz – x |
48 | 32 | .600 | 15 | 32-18 | 14-1 | 29-11 | 19-21 | 2-0 | 4-6 | W 2 |
| 47 | 33 | .588 | 16 | 28-22 | 6-10 | 22-17 | 25-16 | 3-1 | 5-5 | L 1 | |
| 45 | 35 | .563 | 18 | 31-20 | 12-4 | 25-14 | 20-21 | 2-1 | 5-5 | L 1 | |
|
8 LA Clippers – pi |
40 | 40 | .500 | 23 | 24-26 | 8-7 | 23-16 | 17-24 | 0-4 | 4-6 | W 3 |
|
9 New Orleans Pelicans – pi |
35 | 44 | .443 | 27.5 | 24-25 | 6-9 | 18-21 | 17-23 | 1-2 | 7-3 | W 1 |
|
10 San Antonio Spurs – pi |
34 | 45 | .430 | 28.5 | 24-25 | 6-9 | 16-24 | 18-21 | 1-3 | 8-2 | W 3 |
|
11 Los Angeles Lakers – o |
31 | 48 | .392 | 31.5 | 16-33 | 3-12 | 20-20 | 11-28 | 7-2 | 2-8 | L 7 |
|
12 Sacramento Kings – o |
29 | 51 | .363 | 34 | 19-31 | 5-9 | 16-25 | 13-26 | 2-1 | 4-6 | L 2 |
|
13 Portland Trail Blazers – o |
27 | 52 | .342 | 35.5 | 11-38 | 1-14 | 17-23 | 10-29 | 0-2 | 1-9 | L 8 |
|
14 Oklahoma City Thunder – o |
24 | 56 | .300 | 39 | 17-33 | 6-10 | 12-29 | 12-27 | 4-1 | 4-6 | L 1 |
|
15 Houston Rockets – o |
20 | 60 | .250 | 43 | 11-41 | 3-13 | 11-29 | 9-31 | 2-1 | 3-7 | L 5 |
Photo credit: Getty Images