A conflicted evening for Nicolas Batum. The Frenchman is the perfect criminal with 22 points and a rare performance: without missing a single 3-pointer. The former Portland finished with a stellar 7/7 behind the arc! But the decisive shot of Los Angeles winger Luka Doncic (35 points and 11 rebounds) is taken over the head and the Mavericks win by the wire against the Clippers.
For their part, in an impressive meeting, the Pelicans were able to dominate the Grizzlies while Zion Williamson was absent. Ja Morant had a big game with 36 points, and Jaren Jackson Jr. returned to action, but CJ McCollum (30 points) and his team were stronger. Second straight loss for Memphis.
Also in the Western Conference, the Blazers maintained first place with a win over San Antonio. Jakob Poelt had the game of his life with 31 points and 14 rebounds, but Damian Lillard, Jeremy Grant and Anfernee Simons dominate the discussion with 74 points. Behind Portland, Utah is underperforming and losing ground with its third straight loss. This time against the Knicks, Jalen Brunson scored 25 points in a game without Evan Fournier.
Finally, the surprise result of the night came from Sacramento, where the Kings crushed the Nets by 153 points in a 32 point victory! Kevin Durant (27 points) was very much alone, and Brooklyn only lasted a short quarter. All was well for the Kings as the Nets fell again and sealed their fourth straight win.
- New Orleans-Memphis: 113-102
- Dallas-LA Clippers: 103-101
- Portland-San Antonio: 117-110
- Sacramento-Brooklyn: 153-121
- Utah-New York: 111-118