Lakers without James and Mavericks without Doncic fell, Boston confirmed its position as the leader at home

Last night, the LA Lakers and Dallas teams had to do without their biggest stars LeBron James and Luka Doncic, respectively, and they couldn’t do without their mainstays. The Celtics confirmed their dominance this year and notched their 30th win of the season.

The Lakers couldn’t even match Davis’ triple-double

In the Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Lakers (132:125), the LA team had to do without the star LeBron James. And it was noticeable. On the Lakers side, D’Angelo Russell broke out to a great performance, putting 39 points in the Jazz basket.

In addition, James’ “teammate” Anthony Davis had a great performance. He didn’t hit the traditional 30-point mark, scoring only 15 points, but he did something we’re not used to seeing from him. He recorded a triple-double. In 12 seasons in the NBA and nearly 700 regular season games, this is only the second time in his career that he has accomplished this feat.

Davis traditionally reigned under the basket with 15 rebounds, he also dished out an unusually high number of assists (11) and recorded 4 successfully blocked shots. But the Utah team was up against it and spoiled Davis’ joy. The Lakers still led by three points at halftime, but during the third quarter the Jazz took the reins of the game into their hands and did not let the lead go.

Lauri Markkanen scored 29 points and the hero of the recent games Collin Sexton scored 27 points. The Lakers lacked strength in the end in the form of James, who did not enter the game due to an ankle injury. And in the fight for the playoffs now every defeat hurts, with a record of 19-21 they are still outside the ranks guaranteeing participation in the title fight.

Dallas also failed without Doncic

In the Dallas Mavericks vs. New Orleans Pelicans (108:118), the home team had to do without their top scorer Luka Doncic, who was unable to start the game with a sore calf. However, the team from New Orleans was also very weakened, missing three players from the starting lineup, Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and C.J. McCollum.

The star of the night was a rookie on the Pelicans’ side Jordan Hawkins, who spent a full 36 minutes on the floor in the absence of the mainstays of the starting lineup and gave the performance of his life so far. He scored 34 points and hit six threes in 12 attempts. On the Dallas side, Kyrie Irving’s 33 points didn’t help either, as it was the accurate passes from Doncic’s hands that were lacking.

Boston asserted its dominance on its home floor

In the Boston Celtics vs Houston Rockets (145:113) Boston confirmed its position as the best team in the NBA and its dominance on the home court. It was the 30th win of the season. The Celtics controlled the game from the first quarter and then increased the score difference throughout the game.

The Celtics’ best scorers were traditionally Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, who loaded the Rockets’ basket with 32 and 27 points, respectively. This way, they maintained their home unbeatability this season with a 19-0 record and dominated the league with a 30-9 overall score.

Source: NBA, X