The Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets couldn’t wish for a better start to the year, as they remain atop their respective conferences in the NBA.
Milwaukee would have lost the top seed in the Eastern Conference had they lost, while Denver’s lead over second-placed Golden State Warriors would have been cut with a defeat. Fortunately for the two best teams (record-wise), they managed to pull off the W when it mattered most.
On the other hand, East contenders Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers, as well as West playoff hopefuls Portland Trail Blazers also got great results in the New Year show.
Utah Jazz 116-122 Toronto Raptors
‘MVP’ ‘MVP’ ‘MVP’
That was the chant of the crowd in the closing seconds of the Raptors’ game against the Jazz at Scotiabank Arena after Kawhi Leonard put on a memorable performance.
Leonard showed that he is as good as advertised, leading Toronto to victory with a career-high 45 points on top of six rebounds and an assist. The 27-year-old sliced through the Utah defenders with ease and finished on an efficient 72.7 percent (16-of-22) shooting.
Utah were ahead at halftime, 53-51, but the Raptors outscored them in the third, 32-44, to pull away for good. Leonard scored 19 in the quarter alone.
Pascal Siakam also had quite a night, posting a career-best 28 points and 10 boards for the Canada team.
Detroit Pistons 98-121 Milwaukee Bucks
Despite Leonard’s display for the Raps, the Bucks didn’t allow themselves to lose grip of the top spot.
However, in a night that superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was limited to just 15 points, Brook Lopez stepped up and grabbed the NBA 2019 highlights.
Lopez hit seven of his 12 three-point attempts en route to 25 points. The former All-Star big man also had three rebounds and two blocks as the Bucks blow by Detroit at Fiserv Forum.
The Pistons never really had a chance in the game despite Blake Griffin making 29 points and nine boards.
New York Knicks 108-115 Denver Nuggets
When the Nuggets signed Nikola Jokic to a five-year extension over the summer, hopes are high that he can bring Denver to the next level. Now, the Serbian centre is living up to expectations, with Mile High City rolling and staying no.1 in the West.
The 23-year-old bagged a triple-double in their victory over the Knicks, finishing with 19 points, 14 boards and 15 assists—capped by a brilliant no-look pass to Malik Beasley who then converted from a cutting layup.
New York put up some fight in the first half, thanks in large part to Luke Kornet, but their depth was exposed in the second half as Michael Malone’s men ran riot.
Portland Trail Blazers 113-108 Sacramento Kings
It’s no surprise that the NBA 2019 betting odds at SBOBET are slowly swinging in the Kings’ favour. After all, they are off to a fantastic start and are in contention for a playoff place despite pre-season predictions of another lottery-bound season.
However, the soaring Sacramento team was simply no match for the Blazers who received a massive boost from Jusuf Nurkic.
Nurkic proved to be too much for the Kings, as he became the only player in NBA history to ever have a stat line of 20-plus points and 20-plus rebounds with at least five assists, steals and blocks each. The Bosnian centre finished with 24 points, 23 boards, seven assists, five steals and five blocks.
The Kings played well and almost won after erasing a 14-point first-half deficit. But Damian Lillard sent the game to overtime to kill the momentum of the home team.
Buddy Hield led all scorers for Sacramento with 27 points on 47.8 percent shooting.
Final #NBA Scores
🏀 The Trail Blazers toppled the Kings in OT, 113-108.
🏀 Joel Embiid leads the Sixers to a 119-113 victory against the Clippers with 28 pts and 19 reb.#ThisIsWhyWePlay pic.twitter.com/UUOquiNLmd
— SBOBET (@SBOBET) January 2, 2019
Philadelphia 76ers 119-113 LA Clippers
Joel Embiid is an All-Star, and he is now making his case as the best player in the East with another dominant display against the Clippers at Staples Center.
Embiid scored 15 points in the opening quarter alone, and his energy transmitted to the Sixers well as they never trailed in the game. The Cameroonian big man ended up with a double-double of 28 points and 19 rebounds.
The Clips went down early, 41-28, and they weren’t able to recover despite a better showing in the second half.
Ben Simmons had another near triple-double outing, banking 14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, while Jimmy Butler chipped in 16, six and four.
Meanwhile, Danilo Gallinari and Tobias Harris made 21 points each, though they were the only Clippers starters to score in double-digits.
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