Los Angeles (AFP)
The Miami Heat, fell on a Luka Doncic in great form, suffered another defeat in Dallas on Friday night, while the Atlanta Hawks took a clear revenge on the Brooklyn Nets, two days after conceding 145 points.
- Doncic cools the Heat -
Third loss in five NBA games for Miami: Friday night, the finalist of the last season of the NBA, awkward in shooting, bowed 93-83 on the floor of the Dallas Mavericks.
The match in the game between the Slovenes of the two franchises turned to the advantage of Luka Doncic.
The N.77 of the Mavericks ended the match with a record of 27 points and 15 rebounds (against 10 points and 5 rebounds for Goran Dragic in the opposing camp).
It is also the first time in three official duels that the native of Ljubljana has gained the upper hand over his compatriot.
"Luka is working hard. Everything is going in the right direction at home in terms of condition," said Dallas coach Rick Carlisle.
The Slovenian prodigy is getting closer to his stats from the previous season, his second in the NBA, when he finished at 28.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists.
On the other hand, for Miami, which remained on a series of six victories against the Texans, the season is badly started.
The Heat suffered Friday from chronic ineffectiveness in shooting: the first three-point throw was scored by Duncan Robinson only in the third quarter!
And over the entire match, only seven of 33 attempts from a distance were converted.
Dallas scored 12 three-pointers on 37 attempts.
The Heat nevertheless recorded the return of its star Jimmy Butler on Friday, sidelined for two matches due to a sprained right ankle.
- Atlanta takes revenge against the Nets -
The Atlanta Hawks sharply beat the Brooklyn Nets on Friday (114-96), enough to erase the loss and the 145 points conceded two days earlier against the New York franchise.
"It really helps us to grow to see the mistakes we made (Wednesday) and to play the same team again, which will do similar things again," said Georgian strong winger John Collins.
The 23-year-old was a key player in the Hawks' victory, with twenty points and eight rebounds.
His teammates DeAndre Hunter (23 points) and Trae Young (21 pts) also contributed to the building.
Thanks to them, the Hawks take their revenge on the Nets, who had narrowly beaten them Wednesday, after a match marked by a rain of baskets (145-141).
Like the Heat, the Nets were too vague, registering just seven three-pointers despite 37 attempts.
"We had a hard time," said Joe Harris for Brooklyn.
The duo Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving, who must help the Nets to conquer the title, however split with honorable statistics, with 28 points for the first and 18 for the second.
With four wins in five games, the Hawks continue to lead the Eastern Conference standings, alongside Philadelphia, Orlando and the Indiana Pacers.
The Nets are sixth and the Heat shares 9th place with the Charlotte Hornets and New York Knicks.
- The Suns at the zenith -
In the West, the Phoenix Suns' good start to the season was confirmed on Friday against the Denver Nuggets, beaten at home 106-103.
With five wins in six games, the Arizona franchise alone dominates the conference standings.
Behind the Suns, the Lakers joined rivals Los Angeles in 2nd place, with four wins and two losses.
The defending champions won 109-103 on the floor of San Antonio, while the Clippers suffered in Salt Lake City the law of the Utah Jazz (106-100).
On the Lakers side, LeBron James (26 points, 11 rebounds) and especially Anthony Davis (34 points, 11 rebounds) stood out.
"It feels good to start the year with a victory," said the latter.
© 2021 AFP