Los Angeles Lakers returned to form and clinched the top spot in the NBA Western Conference, with star Anthony Davis scoring 42 points and 12 rebounds to beat the Utah Jazz. Zion Williamson and his team, New Orleans Pelicans got their first win of the NBA season restart as they beat the Memphis Grizzlies. Philadelphia 76ers managed to hold the San Antonio Spurs in a tight game and look to confirm a playoff berth by next week.
Denver Nuggets beat Oklahoma City Thunder in overtime, with Nikola Jokic dropping his 13th triple-double of the season and stay above the Houston Rockets at 3rd place. The first week of the NBA restart has been completed and the seeds for the upcoming playoffs are set to be confirmed in the next few weeks.
Utah Jazz 106 – 118 Los Angeles Lakers
Defensive Player of the Year favourite Anthony Davis put in one of the best performances of the season with 42 points to get back to winning ways vs Utah Jazz. The win guarantees the Lakers the first seed in the Western Conference for the first time since 2010 when they won their last NBA title.
This is the 12th time, the Lakers have secured the number 1 seed in the West since 1984 and have gone on to win 6 titles in that position. LeBron James also scored 22 points in the win and now look to continue their winning form into the playoffs.
"It's been a long time coming for Laker Nation." @AntDavis23 speaks postgame with @LakersReporter about what was working for him in his 42-point performance vs. Utah and clinching the No. 1 spot in the West. pic.twitter.com/KgIe07EJfC
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) August 4, 2020
Philadelphia 76ers 132 – 130 San Antonio Spurs
Despite the Spurs holding a 4-point lead with a minute to go in the fourth quarter, Shake Milton had a night to remember by sinking in a 3 pointer in the last seconds of the game to beat the San Antonio Spurs.
The 76ers were led by star Joel Embiid with 27 points and 9 assists, while 76ers man Ben Simmons fouled out for the game in a disappointing performance. The Spurs have now lost 3 games in a row to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Spurs face a tough set of fixtures to make the playoffs and will have to shrug off their first defeat in the NBA bubble to qualify in the top 8 seeds in the Western Conference.
New Orleans Pelicans 109 – 99 Memphis Grizzlies
Zion Williamson felt “alive again” after the end of his ‘burst restriction’ period ended, allowing him to return to full fitness and scored 23 points in a comfortable win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
“I ain’t gonna lie to you, it’s just different in a bad way when I’m on the bench in the fourth quarter, and there’s nothing I can do to help my team win. So I said I felt alive — it was just great to be out there doing whatever I can to help my team win. And as for the energy part, me and my teammates can just feed off each other.”, said Williamson.
Memphis Grizzlies, are 0-3 since the NBA restart and will be hoping for a change of fortune for their next game with the battle for the 8th seed intensifying every day.
Other NBA results of the Day :
Denver Nuggets 121 – 113 Oklahoma City Thunder
Washington Wizards 100 – 111 Indiana Pacers
Miami Heat 103 – 107 Toronto Raptors
