The transfers led by the Cleveland Cavaliers to strengthen their team to maintain their aspirations to the league title were answered by the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics with two wins that consolidated their respective leaders.
Forward Kevin Durant scored 24 points and topped a list of five players, including four Warriors starters, who had double-digit numbers in the game that won 121-103 to the Dallas Mavericks, the team with the worst record of the league, tied with the Atlanta Hawks.
Durant also contributed nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks, which allowed the Warriors (42-13) to break out of two consecutive losses and consolidate the best record in the league.
Base Stephen Curry had 20 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, while guard Klay Thompson celebrated his 27th birthday with the contribution of 18 goals, including two triples of six attempts.
Curry, in the first quarter, surpassed veteran guard Vince Carter of the Sacramento Kings, in seventh place on the all-time triple list by reaching 2,982.
Power forward Draymond Green forgot another new fine of $ 50,000 imposed by the NBA for what the disciplinary committee considered had been an offensive language to the referees in the previous game they played against the Oklahoma City Thunder, of which He was sent off, he managed a double-double of 12 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and two recoveries.
Base Kyrie Irving once again emerged as the key player in the Celtics’ attack by scoring 28 points, including 12 of the last 17 his team won in the final game that they won in overtime by 104-110. the Wizards of Washington, in duel of division leaders.
The escort Jaylen Brown was also decisive in the victory of the Celtics (40-16), who remain leaders of the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference, after he contributed 18 points, including five in overtime.
Power forward Marcus Morris had 15 points and eight rebounds, which left him as the sixth player of the Celtics, while the center pivot Al Horford and reserve base Terry Rozier scored another 12 points each.
The other good news for the Celtics was the debut of power forward Greg Monroe, who last week bought his contract from the Phoenix Suns and became a free agent.
Monroe accepted the offer of the Celtics on the one of the Pelicans of New Orleans, the equipment of his native city, but that does not have possibilities of fighting by the title of league.
Forward Otto Porter was in charge of leading the Wizards ‘attack with a double-double of 27 points and 11 rebounds that did not prevent the Wizards’ second straight loss (31-24) after winning five straight, still leaders in the Southeast Division.
The Lithuanian pivot Jonas Valanciunas got a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds that left him in charge of the Toronto Raptors attack that beat the 113-88 locals to the devalued New York Knicks and won the fourth consecutive victory.
The reserve power forward, the Cameroonian Pascal Siakam scored 14 points and six assists, his best mark as a professional, and emerged as the sixth player who also helped the victory.
While two other tall men, the Spanish Congolese power forward Serge Ibaka and the Austrian center Jakob Poeltl scored 13 goals apiece.
The Raptors (38-16), who won the sixth game of the last seven they have played, maintain the best record in the home league (23-4), while remaining second in the Eastern Conference.
The forward Michael Beasley, who started in the post of the Latvian power forward Kristaps Porzingis, low for the remainder of the season with serious left knee injury since Tuesday, finished as the top scorer of Knicks (23-33) to get 21 points, which did not prevent the fifth consecutive defeat.
The Los Angeles Lakers were the least bad of a game without any quality that won 106-81 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who came to the Staples Center without their star holders base Russell Westbrook and forward Carmelo Anthony.
Only forward Paul George, who may be a future player of the Lakers, completed by scoring 29 points, while the Angels team received the contribution of escort Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with 20 points, in what was his eighth successive win in The Staples Center.
The Bosnian center Jusuf Nurkic contributed a double-double of 24 points and 14 rebounds that helped the Trail Blazers to win in extra time 109-103 to the Hornets of Charlotte, the new team of the Spanish pivot Willy Hernangómez, transferred on Wednesday by the Knicks.
French forward Evan Fournier scored 22 points and base D.J. Augustin contributed another 16 and nine assists that left them in charge of the Orlando Magic attack that beat the Atlanta Hawks 100-98 in the Eastern Conference losing teams duel and won the third straight win.
