NBA: Curry shines, Philadelphia confirm and Dallas bring down Houston
Friday's NBA night was marked by outstanding individual performances and several turnarounds. While Stephen Curry guided Golden State to victory over the Lakers, Philadelphia confirmed their good momentum against New York. Dallas, for their part, ended Houston's unbeaten run in a hard-fought game.
Rieltony LOUBOKO · Author profile ·
Listen to this story
Synthetic English voice · 2 min 54 s
Curry moves a little further into history
Stephen Curry continues to climb the rankings of the NBA's all-time leading scorers. With 31 points, the Golden State Warriors point guard helped his side to victory over the Los Angeles Lakers (112-95). The performance takes his career total to 26,674 points and lifts him past Dominique Wilkins (26,668 points) into 18th place in the regular-season scoring rankings.
The win was also marked by the Warriors' response after long spells under pressure. Trailing by 23 points in the second quarter, they gradually clawed back the deficit to draw level with the Lakers at half-time (53-53), before taking firm control of the game.
At the other end, Luka Doncic delivered a remarkable offensive display with 37 points, but could not prevent defeat for his side.
Philadelphia get the better of New York again
The Philadelphia 76ers also confirmed their superiority over the New York Knicks. Winners by 98-93, the Sixers were able to count in particular on Tyrese Maxey, who scored 27 points, and LeBron James, who finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
At 41, the American veteran also stood out in the closing seconds, pulling down a decisive offensive rebound to protect his team's lead. His performance was praised by his coach Nick Nurse, who considered it his best since joining the club.
For New York, Jalen Brunson scored 24 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns put up 22 points and 12 rebounds. The Knicks nevertheless failed to turn the game around.
The fixture also had a special flavour as it marked the start of the fourth edition of the NBA Cup, a mid-season competition in which New York are the defending champions.
Dallas end Houston's unbeaten run
The surprise of the night came from Dallas. The Mavericks handed the Houston Rockets their first defeat of the season, winning 116-111. The victory was built in particular on the efficiency of Kyrie Irving, who scored 35 points, and of the young Cooper Flagg, who added 33.
Houston had nevertheless gone into the final quarter with an eight-point lead. But the Mavericks turned the situation around, notably thanks to a three-pointer from Irving that put them back in front with seven minutes remaining. They did not relinquish that advantage again.
At the end of the night, Golden State and Philadelphia confirm their ambitions, while Dallas pick up a landmark win by bringing down one of the last remaining unbeaten teams.