Houston (USA), Apr 26 (EFE) .- The prominence of point guard Stephen Curry, with a new NBA triple record, the triumphant return of forward Kevin Durant and the important victory of the Atlanta Hawks in the duel of division leaders from the Eastern Conference was the highlight of the NBA day.
Curru offered another scoring display by scoring 37 points, including seven triples, which helped the Golden State Warriors beat the Sacramento Kings 117-113.
Curry’s 3s allowed him to accumulate 85 so far in April to set a new NBA record in a single month of competition.
Curry’s new mark surpassed that of Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden, when he achieved 82 in November 2019, then as a player for the Houston Rockets.
Curry hit 11-of-21 from the field with seven more triples after the league’s two-time MVP sprained his right ankle in Friday’s win over the Denver Nuggets.
Durant, Curry’s former teammate with the Warriors, now a franchise player with the Brooklyn Nets, returned with his best touch of the wrist and contributed 33 points that helped them beat the Phoenix Suns 128-119 in a duel of leading teams in the league.
In his last return from injury, Durant did not show any type of problem adapting to the team’s rhythm of play and together with point guard Kyrie Irving, who achieved 34 points, leader of the Nets, they established the difference in favor of the New York team.
The Nets (41-20) are consolidated with the best record in the Eastern Conference and the Atlantic Division, a game and a half ahead of the Philadelphia Sixers (39-21), who occupy the second place.
Hispanic guard Devin Booker scored 36 points, including four triples from five attempts, which put him in front of the attack of the Suns (42-18), who lost the second consecutive game away from their field.
There was also a great duel, but of division leaders of the Eastern Conference, between the Hawks who, despite having significant losses in the roster, had reserve guard Lou Williams as a key player who helped them win 111-104 to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Williams scored four 3-pointers in the final seven minutes and finished with 15 points, all in the fourth quarter that helped the Hawks complete the comeback.
Serbian guard Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 32 points as leader of the Hawks (34-27), who won the second consecutive game and are consolidated at the head of the Southeast Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference.
Greek power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo again shone in the individual game with a double-double of 31 points and 14 rebounds.
An important victory was also achieved by the Memphis Grizzlies, the second in a row in Portland, against the Trail Blazers team, which they beat 113-120 and endorsed the fifth straight defeat.
The Grizzlies went 31-28 and are eighth in the Western Conference, halfway through the Trail Blazers (32-28), who are in seventh place.
Point guard Ja Morant scored 28 points and Lithuanian center Jonas Valanciunas, back after missing three games due to a concussion, immediately stood out in the inside game with a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds. The duel was the second of three meetings between the two teams in less than a week.
The same rivalry occurred between teams that occupy the intermediate positions of the Eastern Conference with a clear victory for the Charlotte Hornets 125-104 against the Boston Celtics. Point guard Devonte Graham contributed 24 points and nine assists, of the 39 the team had, the best mark so far this season.
The victory put the Hornets 30-30, eighth in the Eastern Conference, while the Celtics are 32-29, which keeps them in sixth place, a game and a half ahead.
Two other teams struggling to make it to at least the Eastern Conference playoff entry tournament were the Indiana Pacers and the Washington Wizards.
The Pacers easily beat Orlando 112-131 on the road in a game marred by the gruesome open fracture injury to the right ankle suffered by rookie Magic guard Devin Cannady, who had to undergo immediate surgery.
The Wizards did not have a triple-double from point guard Russell Westbrook, but they did have 33 points from guard Bradley Beal, and they beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 119-110, in what was their eighth consecutive win, the second best winning streak currently in existence. the NBA.
(c) EFE Agency