Life is good for the Bucks of Giannis Antetokounmpo, author of 36 points on the floor of the Suns, in what is the 50th victory in 69 games for the Wisconsin franchise, a total which guarantees the leader of the Eastern Conference a place in the sun.

In Arizona, the 2021 NBA champion however had to whip, against a fine team from Phoenix, 4th in the West and carried by Devin Booker (30 pts), who still led by three units in the last quarter.

The Bucks then drew a decisive 24-9, on the road to success, the 4th in five games, which now allows them to focus on securing their first place.

Phoenix Suns' Devin Booker (#1) attempts a shot past Brook Lopez (#11) of the Milwaukee Bucks during an NBA regular season game on March 14, 2023 in Phoenix © Christian Petersen / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

On the contrary, life is rather complicated at the moment for their alter ego in the Western Conference, Denver.

A week ago, the Nuggets were also rolling mechanicals, with a record of 46 wins and 19 losses, far ahead of Memphis, second.

But the Colorado franchise has chained four losses in a row, the latest on Tuesday in Toronto, and his coach Michael Malone did not mince his words.

"I need to find guys willing to fight with me, because right now we're in relaxed mode," he thundered.

"And we can't be in relax mode when there are 13 regular season matches left," he warned.

Lakers 'alive'

The accounting situation is not critical for Denver, which is still five wins ahead of the Grizzlies, but Nikola Jocic's teammates arrived dozing on the floor of the Raptors, who scored 49 points in the first quarter - a record for the Canadian franchise.

Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone during an NBA game against the LA Clippers on February 26, 2023 in Denver © MATTHEW STOCKMAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/Archives

Tortured by Fred VanVleet (36 pts, 7 assists and 3 interceptions), the Nuggets ran after the score in vain, returning to -6 in the last quarter, before letting go for good.

Toronto, 9th, thus remains in the tempo for the play-offs.

This is also the case for the LA Lakers in the West (10th), thanks to a precious victory (123-108) in New Orleans (12th), a direct competitor.

The Californians are still deprived of LeBron James, injured, but this time they were able to count on Anthony Davis (35 pts, 17 rebounds), obviously anxious to redeem themselves after the last defeat against the Knicks.

"Everyone had done the job (Sunday), except me. She was for me (...). I wanted to show up tonight and make a difference," he said.

“We just make sure to stay alive (…), we came thinking that it was a mandatory victory”, also explained the pivot of the Lakers, who will have the opportunity to balance their balance sheet ( 34-35 to date) starting this Wednesday evening in Houston.

LA Lakers inside Anthony Davis (#3) during an NBA regular season game against the New Orleans Pelicans on March 14, 2023 in New Orleans © Sean Gardner / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

In the East, Cleveland (4th) and New York (5th) are in a much more comfortable situation when starting the home stretch of the regular season.

And on Tuesday, Cavaliers and Knicks enforced logic by winning respectively in Charlotte (120-104) and Portland (123-107).

Despite Damian Lillard, who again shone by scoring 38 points (including 8 three-pointers), the Blazers, antepenultimate in their conference, are poorly embarked.

© 2023 AFP