On the floor of Atlanta, Kyrie Irving scored 15 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, and Kevin Durant added 26 points to lead Brooklyn to victory, the tenth consecutive - including six outside.

You have to go back to 2006 to find such a series of Nets.

At the time, this franchise was in New Jersey, and its current coach, Jacque Vaughn, was in the field.

After "a few years of ups and downs (...), it feels good to find some stability, win games and have fun," said Kevin Durant, who also grabbed 16 rebounds and delivered eight assists.

Irving had him 5 winning shots out of 11 attempted, while providing 8 assists and taking 5 rebounds.

Nic Claxton also scored 17 points for the Nets who, thanks to this 23rd victory of the season (for 12 losses), took second place in the Eastern Conference at the Bucks.

Milwaukee was indeed inclined after extra time (119-113) against the Bulls who resisted the performance of the Greek Giannis Antetokounmpo, author of 45 points and 22 rebounds.

On the Chicago side, DeMar DeRozan scored 42 points and took 10 rebounds, and Zach LaVine added 24 points, allowing the Bulls to move up to tenth place in the East (15-19).

In Louisiana, Zion Williamson and his 43 points allowed New Orleans to snatch victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves (119-118), who suffered their fourth straight loss.

Williamson, who scored the point of victory on a free throw 4 seconds from the buzzer, was particularly illustrated by a poster dunk (dunk above an opponent) on Rudy Gobert, limited to 10 points and 8 rebounds.

Thanks to this success, the Pelicans (22-12) return to the top of the Western Conference, taking advantage of the defeat of the Nuggets in Sacramento (127-126).

LeBron James (very) frustrated

In Miami, the Lakers lost 98-112 against the Heat of Jimmy Butler (27 pts) and Bam Adebayo (23 pts, 14 rebounds).

LeBron James, who scored 27 points, took 9 rebounds and offered 6 assists, was playing his 1,393rd career game, the 10th best total in league history, just ahead of Tim Duncan.

LA Lakers superstar LeBron James (#6) during an NBA game against the Heat on December 28, 2022 in Miami © Megan Briggs / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

But, soon to be 38, the LA star expressed his frustration with the Lakers' disappointing season, 13th in the West with a sad record of 21 defeats in 35 games.

"I am a winner, I want to win and give myself the opportunity to continue fighting for titles," said the player with four NBA championship rings.

"It's always been my goal since I made my debut in the league at 18 (...). I know what it takes to get there, and once you've done that, playing basketball at this level just to play basketball is no longer part of my DNA," he added.

Still deprived of their other great star Anthony Davis, the Lakers will at least have to celebrate LeBron James' birthday with a victory on Friday in Atlanta...

Wednesday evening, the Pistons, who remained on six defeats in a row, took them a little air by beating the Magic 121-101.

Their French leader Killian Hayes, involved in a general fight, was however excluded and risks a suspension.

At the end of the second quarter, jostled by Moe Wagner, who retreated in defense, Killian Hayes struck a blow on the neck of the Orlando player, obviously knocked out.

The two were excluded for their gesture, as well as Hamidou Diallo (Pistons), involved in the scuffle.

© 2022 AFP