Milan, Apr. 11 (LaPresse) – Penultimate night of the NBA regular season with all teams on the court, with as many as 15 games played. In the East, the Detroit Pistons beat the Charlotte Hornets 118-100 and consolidate first place thanks to 20 points from Jalen Duren against 27 from LaMelo Ball. The Boston Celtics routed the New Orleans Pelicans 144-118 with 24 points from Sam Hauser and mathematically secured second place. The Miami Heat move closer to the playoffs, beating the Washington Wizards 140-117 thanks to a standout performance by Simone Fontecchio. The Italian started in the lineup, playing 26’42” with 24 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 8/10 shooting (2/2 from two, 6/8 from three, 2/2 from the line). Still in the East, wins for the Atlanta Hawks over the Cleveland Cavaliers 124-102, the Indiana Pacers over the Philadelphia 76ers 105-94, the New York Knicks over the Toronto Raptors 112-95 with 29 points from Jalen Brunson, the Orlando Magic over the Chicago Bulls 127-103 and the Milwaukee Bucks (still without Giannis Antetokounmpo) over the Brooklyn Nets 125-108. In the West, the Denver Nuggets beat the champions Oklahoma City Thunder 127-107 without the two superstars Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Victor Wembanyama put on a show, leading the San Antonio Spurs to victory over the Dallas Mavericks 139-120 with 40 points and 13 rebounds. The Los Angeles Lakers also won against the Phoenix Suns 101-73 with LeBron James recording 28 points and 12 assists. In the other games, wins for the Utah Jazz over the Memphis Grizzlies 147-101, the Minnesota Timberwolves over the Houston Rockets 136-132, the Sacramento Kings over the Golden State Warriors 124-118 and the Portland Trail Blazers over the Los Angeles Clippers 116-97. In terms of playoffs and play-in, the standings are still to be defined in both the West and the East, with the final night of games set to be decisive.
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