NBA Sunday saw a high-scoring list of matches with Eastern Conference leaders, Milwaukee Bucks shocked by the dream team of Russell Westbrook and James Harden of the Houston Rockets. The Boston Celtics edged the Portland Blazers who looked on course for a stunning comeback after trailing by a huge margin.
The loss of Dallas Mavericks makes them 0-2 since the restart, but their playoff spot was confirmed on Sunday as the Grizzlies were beaten by Spurs. The matches come thick and fast to confirm the 8 seeds of the Eastern and Western Conference before the commencement of the playoffs.
Milwaukee Bucks 116 – 120 Houston Rockets
The favourites for the NBA title this year, the Milwaukee Bucks suffered a surprise loss at the hands of Houston Rockets, led by James Harden and Russell Westbrook. Westbrook delivered a masterclass scoring 31 points and maintaining his good form since the turn of the year. Bucks also became the first team in history to lose a gap after scoring 110+ points, have 25 more rebounds than their opponents and hold their opposition to below 40% in shooting.
Houston Rockets also tied the record for most 3’s attempted in a non- OT game with 61 attempts and are now tied with Utah Jazz for the 4th seed in the West. Bucks’ MVP favourite, Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered another fine performance but couldn’t prevent his team’s 13th loss of the season.
Boston Celtics 128 – 124 Portland Trail Blazers
The Boston Celtics blew a 21 point lead in the third quarter but managed to hold out for a narrow win vs the Blazers. The duo of Damian Lillard and Jusif Nurkic combined to score 60 points and tied the score after trailing by as many as 24 points. Jason Taytum made up for his disappointing start to the NBA restart finishing with 34 points and 8 assists.
The win was a crucial one for the Celtics who have the Miami Heat on their tail for the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics face the Heat in a crucial fixture while the Blazers face the Rockets on Tuesday.
Jayson Tatum bounced back in resounding fashion Sunday afternoon, as he dropped 34 points and a career-high eight assists on Portland. pic.twitter.com/MLkTcNOuix
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) August 3, 2020
Phoenix Suns 117 – 115 Dallas Mavericks
Despite suffering a narrow loss to the Suns, the Mavs qualified for the playoffs after Memphis Grizzlies lost to San Antonio Spurs. Their last win was 144 days ago before the NBA shutdown.
The last playoff appearance for the Mavs was in 2016. Young sensation, Luka Doncic continued his blistering run scoring 40 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds which wasn’t enough to beat the Suns, but would be delighted to make his first playoff appearance in his career.
Other NBA Results of the day :
Orlando Magic 132 – 116 Sacramento Kings
Memphis Grizzlies 106 – 108 San Antonio Spurs
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