The Los Angeles Lakers are still without victory this season after falling last night to the Phoenix Suns in a tense game with several incidents, including a heated argument between Anthony Davis and his teammate Dwight Howard.
In the other outstanding game of the day, the Brooklyn Nets released their winning record 114-109 against the Philadelphia 76ers, whose figures sent messages of support to the rebel Ben Simmons.
In Los Angeles, the Lakers could not avenge their elimination from the first round of the past playoffs and lost 115-105 to the Phoenix Suns.
The team of LeBron James, who had 25 points, and Anthony Davis, who had 22 points and 14 rebounds, has accumulated two losses in two games this season.
Adding the preseason, the Lakers have lost all eight games with their new squad, plagued by veteran signings such as Russell Westbrook (15 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists) and Carmelo Anthony (16 points).
The crash at Staples Center saw several moments of high tension, especially when Anthony Davis faced a timeout with Dwight Howard, who was sitting on the bench.
When the veteran center rose from his chair, Davis grabbed his right arm and the two had to be separated by their teammates.
“We had a disagreement about something on the track. We are both very passionate about victory, we wanted to win, “said Howard. “We have already spoken and there are no problems between us.”
Near the end of the third quarter, a fan sitting in the front row was sent off after slapping Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo with play stopped.
The Suns, last season’s runners-up, took their first win of the season from Los Angeles, led by Chris Paul (23 points and 14 assists) and Devin Booker (22 and 4).
At 36, Paul became the first player in history to accumulate at least 20,000 points and 10,000 assists.
– Support for Ben Simmons –
With a triple-double by Kevin Durant, the Brooklyn Nets sealed their first win of this season on Friday while visiting the Philadelphia 76ers court, where Joel Embiid asked fans to support teammate Ben Simmons.
“A lot has happened in the last few months,” but I ask you to continue supporting us and also Simmons, who “is still our brother,” Sixers star Embiid said from the court in a brief kickoff message from the team. Bell.
Simmons, the center of criticism for the failure of the Sixers in the past playoffs, has spent months demanding that the franchise transfer him to another team.
After committing several acts of indiscipline, the Australian also did not play the second game of the season against the Nets and this Friday he told the team that he is not “mentally prepared” to play, according to media reports.
Without the Australian All-Star point guard, the Sixers fell 114-109 to the Nets in a game they dominated until the stretch, when the Brooklyn superstars turned the score around.
Durant finished with 29 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists and James Harden with 20-7-8 for the Nets, who still do not have Kyrie Irving, removed from the team for his refusal to be vaccinated against covid-19.
With his three triples, Harden overtook Kyle Korver in fourth place among the best triples in history (2,452 scored).
For the Sixers, power forward Tobias Harris and guard Seth Curry scored 23 points each on a low-key night in attack from Embiid, who played with physical problems and stayed at 19 points with a 6/15 shooting stat. countryside.
– Knicks second win –
In other results, the Denver Nuggets beat the San Antonio Spurs 102-96 with a display of Nikola Jokic, the current MVP (Most Valuable Player).
The Serbian center finished with 32 points, 16 rebounds and 7 assists while Argentine guard Facundo Campazzo had 8 points and 4 assists in 19 minutes.
Also Argentine Gabriel Deck did not score in the 9 minutes he was on the court in the bloody 124-91 defeat of the Oklahoma City Thunder against the Houston Rockets, in which Christian Wood shone with 31 points and 14 rebounds.
For their part, the New York Knicks achieved their second victory in a row with a 121-96 thrashing of the Orlando Magic and the Boston Celtics suffered their second defeat of the season, being swept away on their court by the Toronto Raptors 115-83. (AFP)
Results of Friday’s day in the NBA:
Cleveland Cavaliers 112-123 Charlotte Hornets
Orlando Magic – New York Knicks 96-121
Washington Wizards – Indiana Pacers 135-134
Boston Celtics 83-115 Toronto Raptors
Philadelphia 76ers – Brooklyn Nets 109-114
Houston Rockets 124-91 Oklahoma City Thunder
Chicago Bulls 128-112 New Orleans Pelicans
Denver Nuggets 102-96 San Antonio Spurs
LA Lakers 105-115 Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings – Utah Jazz 101-110