The escorts James Harden and DeMar DeRozan starred in spectacular performances with two double triples with their respective teams of the Rockets of Houston and the Spurs of San Antonio, who also won important victories in the last day of the NBA.
Harden shined more than ever to complete a dream day: he was named Player of the Month in the Western Conference and contributed in his match a triple double that helped the Rockets to overcome and win at home, in overtime, by 134-135 a the Golden State Warriors.
The current MVP of the league, which contributed 44 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds, scored two decisive triples that forced the extension and secured the victory of the Rockets (22-15), the sixth consecutive and eleventh in the last 12 games disputed, which keeps them prominent leaders in the Southwest Division.
The All-Star guard, who got his second triple-double so far this week, scored a three-pointer with 2.7 seconds to go until the end of the overtime that secured the Rockets’ victory and was his fifth consecutive game with 40 or more points.
Harden achieved the spectacular basket despite being marked by guard Klay Thompson and power forward Draymond Green, who even touched his hand when he made the triple winner.
Warriors forward Kevin Durant tried a three-pointer before the end of the game honked and missed what could have been the current champions’ triumph basket.
Harden, who has nine consecutive games with at least 35 points and 11 with 30, took revenge for the elimination of the Rockets in the last Western Conference finals that allowed the Warriors to win their second consecutive NBA title.
Along with Harden, the Swiss power forward Clint Capela was also decisive in providing a double-double of 29 points, 21 rebounds, gave an assist, recovered two balls and put a stopper.
The base Stephen Curry, who had put the Warriors with the partial advantage of 134-132 in the absence of 23.1 seconds for the end of the extension, finished as leader of the Golden State team to provide 35 points, including 5 triples of 15 attempts , and distributed six assists.
While Durant reached the 26 points, as second maximum encestador, and reached the mark of the 22,000 so many. It is the thirty-second that gets it in the history of the NBA.
Durant becomes the sixth active player of the NBA that has entered to comprise of the club of the 22,000 points, next to LeBron James, the German Dirk Nowitzki, Car it Anthony, Vince Carter and Dwyane Wade.
The Warriors’ forward has managed for 12 consecutive games to score at least 20 points, but could not with Harden, his former teammate with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Perfect night that lived DeRozan who got his first triple-double as a professional against his team of the Toronto Raptors, with the forward Kawhi Leonard star, which the Spurs defeated by beating 125-107.
DeRozan, who entered as a major player in the transfer that last summer “demanded” Leonard to the Spurs, proved to be far superior to his rival by contributing 21 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists and confirm that under the direction of the legendary coach Gregg Popovich He is a much better player than in Toronto.
Leonard, who had 21 points (8-13, 0-2, 5-7) and five assists, could not be the Raptors’ winning factor and was booed before, during and after the game by Spurs fans. , who gave him shouts of “traitor”, “traitor”, while DeRozan had “MVP, MVP, MVP”.
The ovations to see the video called “Thank you Danny and Kawhi” were all for Danny Green, while all the boos were dedicated in each of Leonard’s appearances.
But if the rejection of the fans was something painful and regrettable for a professional like Leonard, aspiring MVP award, more humiliating was the lesson and full basketball exhibition that gave DeRozan, the first player of the Spurs that he achieved a triple-double in San Antonio since Tim Duncan did it in 2003.
DeRozan became the first Spurs player to score at least 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in the first half since Duncan made them in 2007, as well as his first double-double in the first half as professional.
Canadian baseman Jamal Murray showed his best inspirational score by earning 36 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter, which allowed the Denver Nuggets to beat the Sacramento Kings 113-117 and win the fourth consecutive victory.
If Murray, who also grabbed seven rebounds and delivered six assists, was the deciding player in the Nuggets outside game, the pivot
