Not a really perfect night time for the Atlanta Hawks to be lacking Dyson Daniels.
That was all you can assume when the Australian defensive ace was proven on the bench within the fourth quarter of the Atlanta Hawks’ horror present loss to the Boston Celtics in a grim defensive exhibiting.
An undermanned Hawks suffered one in every of their largest losses of the season by the hands of the visiting Celtics in a 132-106 blowout on Sunday (all occasions AEDT) headlined by Jaylen Brown’s 41 factors.
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Additionally with out Zaccharie Risacher and Kristaps Porzingis, the Hawks leaked factors too simply and badly missed Daniels’ elite defensive presence.
Thy gave up 82 factors within the first half alone after Boston’s dominant 52-28 second quarter because the guests ballooned their lead out to past 30.
The Celtics led by as a lot as 43 earlier than Atlanta was in a position to claw again the scoreboard with a 32-15 fourth time period run in a interval Sam Hauser was letting it fly from past the arc.
Hauser poured in 30 factors together with 10 threes in a stunning outdoors taking pictures show, with all 21 of his area purpose makes an attempt coming from downtown.
Brown led all scorers with 41 to proceed his sensible, MVP-caliber season in stepping up in a serious approach with out injured celebrity Jayson Tatum.
It steered the Celtics to 26-16 and consolidated the No. 2 seed within the Japanese Convention whereas sitting 4 and a half video games behind the No. 1 seeded Detroit Pistons.
Onyeka Okongwu put up a team-high 21 factors, whereas Jalen Johnson added 12 on 4-of-14 taking pictures as his offensive struggles continued in a lean week because the Hawks dropped their third sport in a row to fall to 20-24 general.
That got here after Atlanta received three in a row after the Trae Younger commerce earlier this month, with the Hawks now critically sitting only a sport and a half in an East play-in spot forward of the Milwaukee Bucks, who they play on Tuesday.
Atlanta solely had two larger losses this season by Detroit (27 factors) and San Antonio (28 factors) than Sunday’s exhibiting.
Daniels missed simply his second sport of the season with an ankle sprain, with the severity of the harm unclear after the Aussie initially went into the sport with a questionable tag earlier than being dominated out.
In different video games, Antony Edwards exploded for a career-high 55 factors, but it surely wasn’t sufficient because the Minnesota Timberwolves fell to Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs 126-123 in an epic celebrity duel.
Edwards put Minnesota on his again within the fourth quarter with a spectacular 26 factors within the interval to try to full a comeback from the guests being down by as a lot as 25.
The Timberwolves star and Wembanyama traded bucks in an exhilarating closing time period that went right down to the wire because the 7-foot-4 French stud and Spurs has the final snigger.
Edwards shot 19-of-33 from the sphere general together with 9-of-16 from downtown.
Wembanyama had his personal enormous efficiency with 39 factors, 9 rebounds and two blocks, whereas De’Aaron Fox added a 25-point, 12-rebound double-double.
It was a vital win within the context of the Western Convention standings because the 29-13 Spurs consolidated the No. 2 seed and elevated their hole from the No. 4 seeded Minnesota to 2 and a half video games.
Fox mentioned the hard-fought nature of the San Antonio win would stand them in good stead within the later phases of the season.
“We’re taking part in in loads of grind it out video games, not simply blowing groups out,” Fox mentioned.
“That does assist you in the long term of getting used to taking part in in video games like this.
“However you understand, whenever you’re one of many higher groups within the league you will have to have the ability to put your foot on groups and put them away. As a crew we have now to discover ways to do this.”
The Denver Nuggets, who downed the Washington Wizards on Sunday behind 42 factors from Jamal Murray, are additionally 29-13 and proper on San Antonio’s tail within the No. 3 seed.
The Spurs stay in pursuit of Western Convention leaders Oklahoma Metropolis, who suffered an upset 122-120 loss to the Miami Warmth on the street in Florida.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 39 factors for the reigning NBA champions however Miami rattled in 20 three-pointers — together with Andrew Wiggins’ profitable rating with 32 seconds remaining — to carry on for a hard-fought victory.
Bam Adebayo led the Miami scoring with 30 factors, whereas Norman Powell completed with 19 on an evening when six Warmth gamers completed in double figures.
On the prime of the Japanese Convention, the Detroit Pistons bagged their thirtieth win of the season with a brutal 121-78 drubbing of the hapless Indiana Pacers, final yr’s NBA Finals runners-up who’re backside of the desk.
The gulf at school between the 2 groups was evident from the outset, with Detroit roaring right into a 31-11 lead on the finish of the primary quarter earlier than constructing a mammoth 59-25 lead at half-time.
Detroit would lead by 46 factors at one stage within the fourth quarter earlier than cruising to a wire-to-wire victory that sees them enhance to 30-10.
The third-placed New York Knicks in the meantime stumbled to their third straight loss with a 106-99 defeat to the Phoenix Suns at Madison Sq. Backyard.
Devin Booker led the Suns’ scoring with 27 factors towards a depleted Knicks line-up lacking the injured Jalen Brunson, who’s nursing an injured ankle.
-With AFP
ALL RESULTS
Jazz 130 Mavericks 138
Celtics 132 Hawks 106
Pacers 78 Pistons 121
Suns 106 Knicks 99
Thunder 120 Warmth 122
Timberwolves 123 Spurs 126
Hornets 116 Warriors 136
Wizards 115 Nuggets 121
Lakers – Path Blazers