Brooklyn and its stars are close to elimination from the play-offs, after a third loss suffered against Boston on Saturday, during an evening which saw Utah – thanks in particular to Rudy Gobert – and the Timberwolves return to 2 -2 against Dallas and Memphis.
The threat of elimination hovers more than ever over the Nets, defeated at home 109-103, and dominated by a more organized and combative Celtics, with Jayson Tatum in charge. The winger scored 39 points, took 5 rebounds and offered 6 assists. Marking Kevin Durant on defense, Tatum also overpowered the Nets’ star scorer, limited to 16 points, like Kyrie Irving. Despite a champion roster on paper, Brooklyn is close to elimination: no team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in the NBA play-offs. “I think it shows the growth of our teamsaid Jayson Tatum. “At the start of the season, we were giving big leads all the time. And we understood. We will never be perfect, what matters is how we react. We knew how to react.»
The Utah Jazz meanwhile returned to a tie (2-2) by winning 100-99 at home against Dallas, which had nevertheless recorded the return of Luka Doncic, absent since the start of the play-offs. “I was really happy“said the Slovenian. “I missed basketball. I had fun on the field. What’s better than the play-offs?The star point guard scored 30 points and 10 rebounds, including a 3-point shot that gave the Mavericks a 4-point advantage with 40 seconds remaining. But that was without counting on the talent of Donovan Mitchell (23 pts, 7 assists), who, after a 2-point shot and a free throw, found his teammate Rudy Gobert on an alley-oop, who took charge of the winning dunk 11 seconds from the end.
While many questions arise about the relationship between Mitchell and Gobert and the future of the team, the French pivot reacted strongly after the match: “Don’t give a fuck about the discussions (about the team). We’re just trying to be the best team we can be, we’re trying to enjoy the moment, and whatever happens will happen.“. “We have an opportunity and we will make the most of it“, added Gobert (17 pts, 15 rebounds). “We believe in each other. We have to keep moving forward“.
The Minnesota Timberwolves also came back to 2-2 in the series against the Memphis Grizzlies after their 119-118 win at home. Karl-Anthony Towns signs a double-double with 33 points and 14 rebounds. “I did my job, that’s what I gotta do“, he said, when he had scored only 8 points in the N.3 match, lost by Wolves. On the Grizzlies side, Desmond Bane finished top scorer (34 points), and point guard Ja Morant was limited to 11 points (4/13 shooting), even if he also distributed 15 assists.
Finally, in Toronto, the Raptors escaped elimination by beating the Philadelphia Sixers (110-102). Pascal Siakam scored 34 points, his personal best in the play-offs. The Raptors, however, lost to injury Fred VanVleet, hit in the left hip, and Scottie Barnes, just elected rookie (beginner) of the year and who was however returning after his ankle injury in game N.1.
On the side of the Sixers, Joel Embiid (21 pts, 8 rebounds), holder despite an injury to his right thumb, suffered somewhat. “I haven’t had an MRI yet so we need to see how bad it really is“said the Cameroonian pivot about his injury:”It’s the playoffs. Nothing will stop me. I gotta keep going and hope for the best“.