In the NBA home game, the Dallas Mavericks scored 123:110 against the record champions Los Angeles Laker, who had to play without the injured basketball superstar LeBron James and slipped out of the playoff places due to the defeat.
Mavericks secure fourth place
While the Mavericks consolidated their fourth place, the Lakers have 31 wins and 43 losses – the same haul as the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have the better record in a direct duel with the Lakers and are therefore in tenth place.
Should the Lakers miss the playoffs, it would be the second time in the four years since James arrived in Los Angeles and the seventh time in the past nine years.
The last time the Lakers were spectators in the 2019 playoffs was when James missed large parts of his first season injured. The following year the team won the championship, last season there was a defeat in the first round.
Important success for the Clippers
Isaiah Hartenstein and the Los Angeles Clippers, on the other hand, ended the negative series and celebrated an important success in the race for the play-off spots.
After the last five consecutive defeats, the Californians won the duel with Utah Jazz 121:115. The 23-year-old Hartenstein experienced a successful evening with 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists. The Clippers are eighth in the West.
Bucks win against 76ers
Meanwhile, in the Eastern Conference, defending champions Milwaukee Bucks clinched an enormously important away win at the Philadelphia 76ers. With the 118:116, first place in the table is within reach for the team around Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was the best thrower of the evening with 40 points and blocked the last attempt by 76ers star Joel Embiid.
With 62.7 percent of games won, the Bucks are only a hair’s breadth behind leaders Miami Heat, who have an average of 63.2 percent with 48 wins and 28 losses. The 76ers, meanwhile, slipped behind the Boston Celtics to fourth place.
Main round ends in mid-April
The main round of the NBA ends in mid-April. The top six teams in each of the two conferences are directly qualified for the playoffs, the teams in positions seven to ten play the two remaining playoff places in the east and west among themselves. From eleventh place, the season is over for the teams after the main round.
Source: dpa