Basketball world champion Dennis Schröder has stopped the series of bankruptcies in the North American professional league NBA with the Toronto Raptors.
After five defeats in a row, the national team captain led the Canadians to a 118:107 win over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night (January 31, 2024). Schröder contributed 16 points, ten assists and three rebounds to the Raptors’ success. The play-offs remain far away for Toronto as twelfth in the East.
Hartenstein is also celebrating success
The evening was also successful for Isaiah Hartenstein. The team around the German center won against the Utah Jazz with 118:103 (57:49). It was the Knicks’ eighth win in a row; the team ended January with 14 wins and just two losses.
The last time they achieved so many successes in one month was almost 30 years ago in March 1994, and there has only been one more in the franchise’s history. The best thrower against Utah was Donte DiVincenzo, who converted nine three-pointers and scored a total of 33 points.
Josh Hart became only the tenth NBA player to achieve the rare feat of achieving a so-called triple double, i.e. double-digit values in three statistics with exactly ten points, rebounds and assists each. Hartenstein also shone with 14 points and twelve rebounds.
After a changeable start to the season, the Knicks are now in third place in the Eastern Conference and clearly on course for the playoffs. Most recently, they overtook the Philadelphia 76ers for the most valuable player and top scorer of the previous season, Joel Embiid.
Embiid with eight turnovers, Curry with eight threes
He showed one of his weakest performances of the season in the 107:119 defeat at the Golden State Warriors, only hitting five of 18 shot attempts and only scoring 14 points for his standards, after he had previously scored more than 30 points in 22 games in a row.
Embiid also had eight turnovers and five fouls. Stephen Curry hit eight three-pointers for Golden State and ended up with 37 points.
Frustration with LeBron James
On the other hand, LeBron James looked full of frustration at the renewed setback with the Los Angeles Lakers. “We can beat any team in the NBA on any night – and on any night we can get our asses kicked by any team in the NBA. That’s where we are.”said the superstar after the 122:138 win at the Atlanta Hawks. After the second defeat within two days, the Lakers remain in ninth place in the West.