NBA regular season action continues, with several intense matchups taking place in the West. In the key battles: Edwards hits a buzzer-beater, the Timberwolves come back to defeat the Rockets; the Clippers beat the Warriors, with Kuminga scoring an empty 34 points and 10 rebounds; the Mavericks win against the Suns, with a full-scale brawl on the court, thus the Western Conference standings are in chaos once again: the Grizzlies surpass the Rockets, the Clippers surpass the Lakers, and the Warriors drop out of the play-in tournament area!
In the playoff zone, the Thunder continue to occupy the top spot with a nine-game winning streak. The Grizzlies surpass the Rockets after defeating the Pelicans 132-124. Morant is in explosive form, shooting 8 for 11 and scoring 25 points with 7 assists, but he was hit again on his old injury, hopefully without serious consequences. Jaren Jackson scores 33 points with 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists, and 3 blocks; Bane scores 18 points with 8 assists, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals; Eddy scores 14 points with 9 rebounds and 2 blocks; and Little Pippen scores 13 points with 5 rebounds and 4 assists. On the other hand, the Rockets were tragically defeated by Edwards' buzzer-beater, experiencing a scoring drought while leading by double digits, being hit with a 10-0 run and ultimately losing by a three-pointer from Edwards, missing out on a four-game winning streak. Shen Jing scores 38 points with 12 rebounds, Jalen Green scores 14 points with 6 assists, VanVleet scores 18 points with 6 rebounds and 7 assists, Amen scores 20 points with 11 rebounds, and Smith scores 12 points with 7 rebounds.
The Mavericks regroup and defeat the Suns 98-89. Doncic is absent, and in the third quarter, Nurkic gets into a conflict with Marshall and Washington, resulting in all three being ejected. The Suns once found an opportunity to reverse the game, but Irving and Clay work together to secure the victory. Irving scores 20 points with 4 rebounds and 5 assists; Gafford scores 16 points with 5 rebounds; Kleber scores 15 points with 7 rebounds; Dinwiddie scores 15 points with 3 rebounds; and Clay scores 11 points with 6 rebounds and 5 assists.
The Clippers easily defeat the Warriors 102-92. With Draymond and Curry absent, six Clippers score in double figures. Powell scores 26 points with 3 rebounds and 2 steals; Harden scores 18 points with 3 rebounds and 7 assists; Xiaoqiong scores 14 points with 6 rebounds; Zubac scores 17 points with 11 rebounds and 5 blocks; Dunn scores 13 points with 7 rebounds and 4 assists; and Coffey scores 11 points with 2 rebounds. This victory propels the Clippers past the Lakers to fifth place, while the Lakers drop to sixth.
The Nuggets suffer two consecutive losses. Facing the Cavaliers, both teams display ultra-high offensive efficiency, but the Cavaliers, with four players scoring over 20 points, come out on top. The Nuggets have seven players scoring in double figures, with Jokic scoring 27 points with 14 rebounds, 13 assists, and 3 steals; Westbrook scoring 11 points with 4 rebounds and 7 assists; Murray scoring 27 points with 3 rebounds, 11 assists, and 2 steals; Braun scoring 16 points with 2 rebounds; Porter scoring 18 points with 4 rebounds and 3 assists; Watson scoring 18 points with 2 assists; and Struthers scoring 11 points with 3 rebounds.
The Timberwolves, who completed a great comeback, rise to eighth place. Edwards of the Timberwolves scores 24 points with 5 rebounds and 3 assists; Randle scores 27 points with 8 rebounds and 8 assists; DiVincenzo scores 22 points with 4 rebounds and 4 assists; Reed scores 14 points with 2 rebounds; and Walker scores 11 points with 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Meanwhile, the defeated Suns rank tenth, with Booker continuing to be absent. Durant scores an empty 35 points with 3 rebounds, O'Neal scores 14 points with 5 rebounds and 4 assists, and Beal, in a slump, scores only 11 points with 4 assists and makes a crucial mistake.
Of course, the worst off has to be the Warriors, who, after suffering three consecutive losses, directly drop out of the play-in tournament area. They have been defeated three times this season by the Clippers. Kuminga scores an empty 34 points with 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals; TJD scores 15 points with 9 rebounds; Schroder continues to struggle, scoring only 7 points with 5 assists; Pojems scores 10 points with 5 assists and 3 steals; and Moody scores 11 points with 3 steals.
The bottom four are still our old acquaintances. Among them, the Kings finally could no longer tolerate it and fired Brown, the former Coach of the Year, who led the team to a resurgence. It remains to be seen whether there will be further player trades. The Pelicans suffered a ninth consecutive loss, but they played quite tenaciously today. Murphy scored 35 points with 4 assists and 3 rebounds; McCollum scored 32 points with 5 rebounds and 4 assists; and Murray scored 15 points with 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals.