Triumphs of Cavaliers, Grizzlies, Timberwolves and Nuggets in NBA

Joel Embiid suffered a nasal fracture this Friday in some Philadelphia 76ers mired in bad luck, in a day that saw new triumphs of Cleveland Cavaliers, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggetsamong others.

In the last minute before halftime, Embiid suffered a fractured sinus after receiving a fortuitous hit from Bennedict Mathurin while fighting for a rebound. The 2023 MVP no longer returned to the court and closed his performance with 12 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists.

The Sixers assured after the meeting that Embiid will be tested throughout the weekend but did not give an estimated recovery time.

This was only Embiid’s sixth game (of his team’s 23 in total) in this season full of misfortunes and bad news for the Sixers, who added another defeat and have a painful record of 7-16. Tyrese Maxey (22 points) was Philadelphia’s leading scorer.

Tyrese Haliburton (32 points and 11 assists) led Indiana’s victory (11-15).

With 20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 of 9 in triples in just 26 minutes from the bench, Aldama, who is having a fantastic campaign, was once again a key piece in the Grizzlies that placed second in the West (18-8) after 10 wins in their last 11 games.

Three other Memphis players surpassed 20 points: Ja Morant (28 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists), Desmond Bane (21 points and 8 assists) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (20 points and 7 rebounds). The Grizzlies excelled with 47.2% in triples (17 of 36).

The Nets, who lost five of their last games, had eight players in double figures in scoring but none reached 20. The most productive was Dorian Finney-Smith with 19 points and 5 of 8 in triples.

There were several crossings during the match and Jordi Fernández, Brooklyn coach, regretted Morant’s attitude in the subsequent press conference, dedicating words to him to turn him on during the match.

“I will never talk to other players (on the rival team) and I don’t want them to talk to me. If they want to be nice, obviously it’s part of this sport. But if not, I don’t want any interaction. I think it’s disrespectful and it’s not part of this sport,” he said.

With 22 turnovers that led to 27 points from their rivals, the Lakers (13-12) fell in Minneapolis without LeBron James and are a terrible 3-8 in their last 11 games.

Anthony Davis (23 points and 11 rebounds) was the top scorer for the Lakers without aim with 38.4% in field goals and 28.6% in triples (10 of 35).

For Minnesota (13-11), which has won five of its last six games, limiting its opponents to 92 points or less with its fierce defense in victories, Anthony Edwards (23 points and 6 rebounds), Jaden McDaniels (18 points, 9 rebounds and 5 steals) and a motivated Julius Randle against his former team (21 points) were the most productive.

The Nuggets (13-10) did not need a Nikola Jokic in superhero mode but rather had a choral performance from their block to defeat the Clippers (14-12), who have suffered three consecutive defeats.

Jamal Murray (20 points) led the scoring for Denver, which had six players over 10 points. Jokic added 16 points (6 of 9 shooting) and 7 rebounds.

Norman Powell and Kevin Porter Jr., with 16 points each, led the Clippers. James Harden scored 15 points but lost 9 balls.

The pause of the NBA Cup did not affect the Cavaliers who continue to lead the East with the best record in the league (22-4). Darius Garland (24 points and 8 assists), Donovan Mitchell (20 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists) and Jarrett Allen (21 points and 11 rebounds) were Cleveland’s best.

Bilal Coulibaly (27 points and 6 rebounds) was the beacon of the Wizards who remain bottom of the East (3-20).

Devin Booker (34 points and 8 assists) and Kevin Durant (30 points and 8 assists in his return) signed the victory for the Suns (13-11), who ended their three-game losing streak.

Jordan Clarkson (23 points) was the benchmark for the Jazz who are second to last in the West (5-19).

Phoenix will have another option to continue improving in the table since their next game will be against the Portland Trail Blazers, who are second to last in the West with 8-17 and five losses in a row.

In the other two games of the day, the Chicago Bulls beat the Charlotte Hornets (109-95) and the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Portland Trail Blazers (116-118) thanks to Victor Wembanyama, who had 28 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists and he also made two free throws in the last seconds that gave the Texans the victory.