Africa-Press – Angola. The Denver Nuggets, with a historic Jokic, secured their fourth consecutive presence in the North American Basketball League (NBA) play-offs on Thursday, while the Miami Heat, without playing, secured the status of heads of series.
In the Western Conference, the Serbian center contributed to the Nuggets’ triumph (122-109) over the Memphis Grizzlies, with 35 points, 16 rebounds, six assists and five ‘steals’. Jokic thus became the first NBA player with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a single season.
In the East, the Miami Heat, runners-up in 2020, benefited from the loss of the Boston Celtics in the visit to the champions Milwakee Bucks (127-121) and the defeat of the Philadelphia 76ers against the Toronto Raptors (119-114) to remain at the top. , with its 52 wins and 28 losses.
In the Bucks, Greek-Nigerian Giannis Antetokounmpo stood out with 29 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, seconded by American teammate Jrue Holiday, also with 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
The Nets won the derby with the Knicks in another Kevin Durant magic night at Madison Square Garden. The Brooklyn team was trailing by 21 points, but Durant led the turnaround against the New York rival with a triple-double of 32 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.
A victory that keeps the Nets in the race for the best place (7th) among the teams qualified for the play-in, a tie that decides the last spots in the play-offs. They are eighth in the Eastern Conference, with 42 wins and 38 losses, behind the Cavaliers (43w,37d).
Also noteworthy are the Celtics who beat the Bulls in Chicago and could still finish the regular season in first place in the Eastern Conference.
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