Super Giannis at the "curtain's fall" of 2022
The "Greek Freak" was on the court for 37 minutes and 50 seconds and finished the game with 13/22 2-pointers, 1/1 3-pointers, 14/21 shots, 20 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks and 5 turnovers. Bobby Portis had an important contribution to the victory of the "deers" who had 22 points and 14 rebounds. In fact, he scored 11 points in the first twelve minutes, when most of his teammates were trying to find their... footing. Instead, Thanasis Antetokounmpo was not used. In the Timberwolves camp, which was missing the ailing Rudy Gober and the injured Karl-Anthony-Towns, Anthony Edwards led the way with 30 points, while Luca Garza and Jalen Nowell each added 16 points in their fifth straight loss Minnesota.
Meanwhile, LeBron James celebrated his 38th birthday with an impressive performance to help the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Atlanta Hawks 130-121. The "king" nearly became the first player in league history to achieve a triple-double figure on his birthday, as he finished the game with 47 points (14/22 2-pointers, 4/6 3-pointers, 7/8 shots), 10 rebounds , 9 assists, 1 block and 5 turnovers in the 39 minutes and 38 seconds he was on the floor. Still, he became the fourth player 38 or older in NBA history to score at least 45 points in a game, following Michael Jordan (3 times), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jamal Crawford. LeBron James reached 70 career games with 40+ points, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Rick Barry for eighth on the all-time list, and is now only 527 points behind Abdul-Jabbar for first place list of the NBA's all-time leading scorers.
From there, the Warriors celebrated their fourth straight victory, beating the Portland Trail Blazers in San Francisco 118-112. Jordan Poole scored 41 points for the hosts and Klay Thompson added 31, including a key 3-pointer with 1:36 left in the game, as the Warriors tied their best home record. NBA at 16-2. In the opposing "camp", Damian Lillard did his best to lead the Blazers to success after halftime and finished the game with 34 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists.
Finally, CJ McCollum hit 11 3-pointers and scored a total of 42 points, while Zion Williamson added 36 points and the Pelicans beat the Sixers 127-116 in New Orleans. McCollum hit three straight 3-pointers in a span of 42 seconds in the second quarter, giving the Pelicans a 16-point lead (56-40), while he was 7/11 at halftime and 11/16 in the game. It's worth noting that McCollum broke the New Orleans record for 3-pointers, which was held by Peja Stojakovic with 10, a feat he accomplished against the Lakers in 2007 (when the team was the New Orleans Hornets).
In summary, in the early morning NBA games, the following results were noted:
Orlando-Washington 100-119
Atlanta-LA Lakers 121-130
Toronto-Phoenix 113-104
Chicago-Detroit 132-118
Milwaukee-Minnesota 123-114
New Orleans-Philadelphia 127-116
Denver-Miami 124-119
Golden State-Portland 118-112
Sacramento-Utah 126-125
RATINGS
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EAST REGION
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ATLANTIC DISTRICT
Boston 26-10
Brooklyn 23-12
Philadelphia 20-14
New York 18-18
Toronto 16-20
CENTRAL DISTRICT
Milwaukee 23-12
Cleveland 22-14
Indiana 19-17
Chicago 16-19
Detroit 9-29
SOUTHEAST DISTRICT
Miami 18-18
Atlanta 17-19
Washington 16-21
Orlando 13-24
Charlotte 10-26
WESTERN DISTRICT
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NORTHWEST DISTRICT
Denver 23-12
Portland 18-17
Utah 19-19
Minnesota 16-20
Oklahoma City 15-20
PACIFIC DISTRICT
LA. Clippers 21-16
Sacramento 19-15
Phoenix 20-17
Golden State 19-18
LA. Lakers 15-21
SOUTHWEST DISTRICT
New Orleans 23-12
Memphis 21-13
Dallas 20-16
San Antonio 12-23
Houston 10-25
