After their postponed game against Oklahoma City, Houston was able to kick off their season but lost to Portland after extra time despite James Harden’s 44 points. Rudy Gobert has been France’s most prominent player as Washington is still chasing after its first victory.
THE MATCH OF THE NIGHT
Portland – Houston was the announced shock of the night. And he kept all of his promises. It took an extra time to separate the Rockets and Trail Blazers (128-126). Victory finally went to the Oregon franchise with a 3-point shot from CJ McCollum 6 seconds from the game’s fifth buzzer.. His duet with Damian Lillard, who had missed an opportunity to kill the game just before the end of the fourth quarter, was incredible. 44 points, 3 rebounds and 8 assists for the back. 32 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists for the leader. Together, they fought off James Harden who made his comeback. With 44 points and 17 assists, the number 13 of the Rockets has responded despite the rumors of exchange surrounding him. Thanks to him, Houston had a lead of up to 12 points before being caught. Even if he failed to deliver the victory to the Texans, he has proven that he is still involved in the project of Stephen Silas losing there for his first NBA game as a head coach.
THE NIGHT FLOP
Russell Westbrook is the first player to start the season with two double-doubles since Magic Johnson in 1982-1983. Unfortunately for him and the Wizards, those two individual exploits resulted in collective defeats. This Saturday, the District of Columbia franchise was beaten by Orlando (130-120). On the floor, however, she had strengths to assert with the 15 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists compiled by her latest recruit. Bradley Beal added 39 points, but that didn’t stop Washington from being trapped for most of the game. While the individual exploits of the two stars kept the Federal Capital franchise in the game, Orlando was much more developed collectively to win the rebound battle and win. At Magic, all ten players scored and five of them passed the 12 point mark, including Evan Fournier (13 units). Washington will have to be inspired by it to unlock its counter.
THE MVP OF THE NIGHT
After two games, Trae Young is averaging 36.5 points. The leader was again resplendent last night to allow Atlanta to win in front of Memphis (122-112). In his duel with Ja Morant, the Hawks player compiled 36 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists and very spectacular actions. He notably offered the night pass. The point guard is the number one offensive solution to one of the league’s best attacking games. Thanks to him, Atlanta has yet to be beaten this season.
THE FRENCH OF THE NIGHT
This season, no one has taken more rebounds than Rudy Gobert. The French pivot chained a second consecutive game with 17 catches. He added 18 points to 70% on shots. Very fair and efficient, the French international is the cornerstone of his team’s game. But he failed to offer the victory to the Jazz. Utah was beaten by the Minnesota Timberwolves (111-116). Note that this night, Theo Maledon played his first minutes in the NBA with 4 points in 20 minutes during the victory of Oklahoma City on a shoot at the buzzer of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Charlotte (107-109).
THE DECLA OF THE NIGHT
“James Harden is really strong. No matter what he does in his spare time, he’s awfully good at playing basketball. Really. “ This is how CJ McCollum spoke of James Harden’s performance after the game between Portland and Houston. The two men scored 44 points in this meeting.
TOP 10 OF THE NIGHT
To come up…
NBA – REGULAR SEASON
Saturday December 26, 2020
Memphis – Atlanta : 112-122
>>> Killian Tillie (MEM) did not play
Charlotte – Oklahoma city : 107-109
>>> Théo Maledon (OKC): 4 points (at 2/5 on shots including 0/2 at 3 points), 2 assists, 2 steals in 20 minutes
Detroit – Cleveland : 119-128
>>> Killian Hayes (DET): 3 points (1/7 on shots including 0/3 on 3 points), 3 rebounds, 2 assists in 19 minutes
>>> Sekou Doumbouya (DET): 0 point (0/5 on shots including 0/1 on 3 points), 2 rebounds in 9 minutes
Washington – Orlando : 120-130
>>> Evan Fournier (ORL): 13 points (4/8 on shots including 1/5 3 points), 5 rebounds, 2 steals in 29 minutes
New York – Philadelphia : 89-109
>>> Frank Ntilikina (NYK): 0 point (0/1 on shots including 0/1 on 3 points) in 2 minutes
>>> Vincent Poirier (PHI) did not play
Chicago – Indiana : 106-125
>>> Adam Mokoka (CHI): 0 point (0/1 shots including 0/1 3 points) in 5 minutes
San Antonio – Toronto: 119-114
Utah – Minnesota : 111-116
>>> Rudy Gobert (UTAH): 18 points (7/10 on shots), 17 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 against in 29 minutes
Portland – Houston: 128-126
Sacramento – Phoenix: 106-103
