Devin Booker on Monday produced a 52-point masterpiece as the Phoenix Suns eclipsed the New Orleans Pelicans 124-111.
Booker boosted Phoenix’s hopes of overtaking New Orleans for an automatic playoff berth with a dazzling performance on the road at the Pelicans’ Smoothie King Center.
The Phoenix win — which ensured that the Minnesota Timberwolves have clinched a playoff spot — leaves the Suns just one win behind sixth-placed New Orleans.
Photo: AP
As things stand Phoenix are now 44-31 and on course for the Western Conference play-in tournament, but New Orleans (45-30) face a nerve-wracking finale to the regular season, knowing that one slip could be fatal.
All five of Phoenix’s starters posted double-digit totals, with Kevin Durant finishing with 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists, and Jusuf Nurkic adding 19 points with 19 rebounds.
Zion Williamson led the New Orleans scoring with 30 points, while Trey Murphy added 21.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, Jayson Tatum and Sam Hauser both scored 25 points as the Boston Celtics romped past the Hornets 118-104.
Boston, who have already secured top spot in the Eastern Conference, were stung by the Hornets in a surprise upset defeat earlier this season, but despite trailing early on in Monday’s game, there was little chance of a repeat defeat after the Celtics cut loose to open up a commanding 19-point advantage in the fourth quarter.
Hauser’s 25-point contribution off the bench included seven three-pointers, while starters Kristaps Porzingis (20), Derrick White (19) and Al Horford (15) also made double figures.
Tatum said Monday’s victory was cause for encouragement as the playoffs loom into view with less than two weeks of the regular season remaining.
“Last year we were so antsy to get back to the Finals, that we had a few bad losses in the last few weeks of the season,” Tatum said. “We may have taken some things for granted. This year we’ve done a great job of not skipping steps and respecting every game, every day, trying to get better — as cliche as that sounds.”
In Indianapolis, the Indiana Pacers boosted their hopes of locking an automatic playoff berth with a 133-111 rout of the Brooklyn Nets.
Tyrese Haliburton led the way with 27 points, while Jalen Smith had 17 points off the bench.
The Pacers improved to 43-33 to remain in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, just ahead of seventh-placed Miami (41-33) who are on track to finish in the play-in tournament.
The Pacers were always in control after erupting for 43 points in the first quarter, a display which helped them take a 28-point into halftime.
“When we’re playing like that, fast and random, we can be tough to play against,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said.
However, Carlisle sounded a note of caution to his team as they prepare for a rematch against Brooklyn on the road today.
“We’ve got a real challenge on Wednesday with the way this went,” he said. “We’ll have to be ready, because they’ll be ready. It will be a very good test.”
Brooklyn are all but eliminated from post-season contention. The Nets are 29-47 and sit in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, trailing 10th-placed Atlanta (34-40).
Elsewhere, the Hawks edged toward a place in the play-in tournament with a 113-101 win over the Chicago Bulls on the road, the Magic pipped the Trail Blazers 104-103 and the Grizzlies edged the Pistons 110-108.
Additional reporting by staff writer
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
When Wang Tao ran away from home aged 17 to become a professional wrestler, he knew it would be a hard slog to succeed in China’s passionate but underdeveloped scene. Years later, he has endured family disapproval, countless side gigs and thousands of hours of brutal training to become China’s “Belt and Road Champion” — but the struggle is far from over. Despite a promising potential domestic market, the Chinese pro wrestling community has been battling for recognition and financial stability for decades. “I have done all kinds of jobs [on the side]... Because in the end, it is very
No team in the CPBL can surpass the Taipei Dome attendance record set by the CTBC Brothers, except when the Brothers team up with Taiwanese rock band Mayday. A record-high 40,000 fans turned out at the indoor baseball venue on Saturday for Brothers veteran Chou Szu-chi’s first farewell game, which was followed by a mini post-game concert featuring Mayday. This broke the previous CPBL record of 34,506 set by the Brothers in early last month, when K-pop singer Hyuna performed after the game, and the dome’s overall record of 37,890 set in early March, which featured the Brothers and the
With a quivering finger, England Subbuteo veteran Rudi Peterschinigg conceded the free-kick that sent his country’s World Cup quarter-final into extra-time before smashing his plastic goalkeeper on the floor in frustration. In the genteel southern English town of Tunbridge Wells, 300 elite players have gathered to play the game they love. “I won’t say this is the best weekend I’ve ever had in my life, but it’s certainly in the top two,” said Hughie Best, 58, who flew in from Perth, Australia, to compete and commentate at the event. Tunbridge Wells is the “spiritual home” of Subbuteo, which was invented there in 1946