While waiting for James Harden’s debut, the Cleveland Cavaliers rolled to a 124-91 road win over ‘The Beard’s’ former team, the Los Angeles Clippers, on an NBA night marked by the New York Knicks’ eighth straight win and uncertainty over Giannis Antetokounmpo’s possible departure from the Milwaukee Bucks.
A few hours after a trade that sent Harden to Cleveland and Darius Garland to Los Angeles, the Cavs and Clippers met at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles in a game dominated from start to finish by the visitors.
Neither Harden nor Garland were available for their new teams.
Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points, nine assists and four steals and Jaylon Tyson supported him with 17 points for the Cavs.
The Clippers did not get past a modest six of 28 on three-pointers and succumbed despite Kawhi Leonard’s 25 points.
Knicks win a battle against the Nuggets
The New York Knicks needed two overtimes and 42 points from Jalen Brunson to beat the Denver Nuggets 134-127 and celebrate their eighth consecutive victory.
Brunson added eight rebounds and nine assists and Dominican Karl Anthony Towns contributed 24 points and 12 rebounds, despite taking a hard blow to the head in the first period that caused a deep cut near his eye.
In the Nuggets, Serbian Nikola Jokic recorded his first triple-double since returning from his knee injury, with 30 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists.
Jamal Murray was the protagonist of a spectacular game, without reward. He scored 20 (18 consecutive) of his 42 points in the first quarter.
Calm before the storm in Milwaukee?
In an atmosphere of expectation and frustration at the Fiserv Forum, the Milwaukee Bucks went into overtime to win 141-137 against the New Orleans Pelicans, in a crucial time to know the future of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Greek is currently sidelined with a calf injury and could leave the franchise where he has spent his entire NBA career in the coming hours.
Ryan Rollins led the Bucks with 27 points on a night when Trey Murphy’s 44 points (12 three-pointers) were not enough for the Pelicans.
One of the franchises that sounds like a possible destination for Antetokounmpo is the Minnesota Timberwolves, who on Wednesday rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat Toronto.
Anthony Edwards led the Wolves with 30 points and handed his team its fifth win in the last six games.
Victories for Hugo Gonzalez and Santi Aldama
The Boston Celtics thrashed the Houston Rockets 93-114 in a game they faced without Jaylen Brown or Sam Hauser and still waiting for the arrival of Nikola Vucevic.
Derrick White and Payton Pritchard led the way for Boston with 28 and 27 points, respectively. Luka Garza added 19 points, Baylor Scheierman 15 points and 10 rebounds and Neemias Queta had another double-double with 10 points and 19 rebounds.
The rookie from Madrid, Hugo Gonzalez, contributed 2 points and 3 rebounds in just over 15 minutes on the court.
The Spaniard Santi Aldama was also triumphant, starting in the lineup for the Memphis Grizzlies. His team won 129-125 at the Sacramento Kings, bottom of the Western Conference (12-40).
Aldama contributed 12 points, six rebounds and two blocks in 24 minutes on the court, shooting four of 10 from the field.
