The Orlando Magic dealt a major blow to the Boston Celtics’ NBA season tournament hopes Friday as the Houston Rockets eliminated defending champions Denver from the new competition.
Houston’s Jalen Green scored 25 points and Alperen Sengun added 21 points and 15 rebounds for the Rockets, who held off another monster game from Denver’s two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic to win 105-86 .
Jokic scored a game-high 38 points with 19 rebounds and eight assists for Denver. But the reeling Nuggets, still feeling the absence of injured Jamal Murray, shot just a perfect 34 from the floor and slumped to their fifth loss in seven games.
Aaron Gordon epitomized Denver’s offensive woes, going 0 for 12 from the field and accumulating just two points.
The Nuggets were eliminated in a bracket that saw the New Orleans Pelicans solidify their hold on first place with a 116-106 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone was more concerned with getting his team back on track after a 1-4 road trip.
“We have to win,” Malone said. “We started out 9-2, everything was great, now…we can’t win a game on the road. We’re kind of getting away from what we are in terms of defense and toughness.”
The Magic, who beat the Nuggets two days ago, intimidated the league-leading Celtics in the second half en route to a 113-96 victory that extended Orlando’s winning streak to six games .
Moritz Wagner scored 27 points off the bench to lead the Magic and Paolo Banchero added 23 with seven rebounds.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 26 points and Jaylen Brown scored 18-12 in the first quarter.
Brown made just two of 17 shots over the final three quarters as the Magic tightened up their defensive defense to hand the Celtics their biggest loss of the season.
“That’s what we’re proud of,” Banchero said of the Magic’s defensive efforts. “It’s our business card.”
The Celtics led by 12 early in the third quarter when Orlando went on a 17-0 run. Orlando opened Game 4 on a 10-0 run — capped by a Moritz Wagner layup — and rolled from there.
The result saw the Magic wrap up the new tournament group at 3-1.
The Celtics, who could have secured their spot in the knockout stage, fell to 2-1, tied with the Brooklyn Nets and each with one game remaining at the end of group play on Tuesday.
The six group winners and the two wild card teams advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament which concludes with semifinals and the final in Las Vegas in December.
The Minnesota Timberwolves also gave up a chance to reach the quarters with a victory, losing 124-111 to the Sacramento Kings.
De’Aaron Fox scored 36 points and dished out 12 assists for the Kings, who improved to 3-0 in group play.
They lead the Timberwolves, with Golden State still alive after a 118-112 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
Stephen Curry made seven three-pointers en route to 35 points for the Warriors, who handed star rookie Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs an 11th straight loss.
Devin Vassell led the Spurs with 24 points coming off the bench. Wembanyama and Keldon Johnson scored 22 points each.
– The Knicks stun the Heat –
In New York, the Knicks came back from a 21-point third-quarter deficit to stun the Miami Heat 100-98 in a must-win tournament game.
Jalen Brunson scored 24 points and Immanuel Quickley scored 20 off the bench for the Knicks, who outscored the Heat 29-11 in the fourth quarter.
Jimmy Butler scored 23 points for Miami, but missed a potential game-winning three-pointer with two-tenths of a second remaining.
On Tuesday, the Heat will face group leader Milwaukee, who improved to 3-0 with a 131-128 victory over the Washington Wizards.
Brook Lopez scored a career-high 39 points for Milwaukee. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard each scored 31 points, the first time in franchise history that three Bucks players scored 30 points in the same game.
The Phoenix Suns, fueled by Devin Booker’s 40 points, maintained their bid to become a wild card in the West with a 110-89 victory over the Grizzlies in Memphis despite the absence of superstar Kevin Durant who was nursing a sore neck. right foot. .
