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
“Please love us. Please cheer us on. We have been working hard. Do not give up on us.” Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien’s heartfelt plea echoed across the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 tournament after a historic victory. Rather than boasting, Chen was making an earnest appeal after leading Taiwan to a 4-0 victory over Japan to claim their first major international baseball title at the senior level. Chen’s decisive three-run homer in the fifth inning and his Premier12 leading .632 batting average secured him the Premier12’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) title. He was also named one of the tournament’s outstanding defensive players
WELL-AGED: Although the youngest team in the tournament, Taiwan featured several veteran stars, including Sunday’s home-run hero Chen Chieh-hsien “I will never forget today,” veteran Taiwanese pitcher Chen Kuan-yu said after Taiwan on Sunday night blanked Japan to secure their first ever gold in the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 championship. Chen, who at 34 is the oldest member on the team, said Taiwan “made every difficult step to come to today’s victory. I will never forget today.” Taiwan made history when they won their first gold medal of the Premier12 tournament, beating Japan in a 4-0 shutout victory in the final at the Tokyo Dome. It was a jaw-dropping victory for many baseball commentators who went into the game with
Nikola Jokic on Saturday scored 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to spark the Denver Nuggets over the Los Angeles Lakers 127-102, continuing their dominance of the NBA rivalry, while Scotty Pippen Jr scored a career-best 30 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies past the Chicago Bulls, 142-131. The Nuggets won for the 13th time in the past 14 contests against the Lakers, including ousting the Lakers in the playoffs the past two seasons. Serbian star Jokic failed to achieve his sixth consecutive triple-double, managing only eight assists, but his effort was plenty as Michael Porter Jr added 24 points and 11
Major League Baseball (MLB) star Shohei Ohtani wants his former interpreter to hand over hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of baseball cards he says were fraudulently bought using his money. The Los Angeles Dodgers star is also requesting Ippei Mizuhara, who previously pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud for stealing nearly US$17 million from the unsuspecting athlete, return signed collectible baseball cards depicting Ohtani that were in Mizuhara’s “unauthorized and wrongful possession,” court documents filed on Tuesday said. The legal filing alleges Mizuhara accessed Ohtani’s bank account beginning in about November 2021, changing his security protocols so that he
RSS