The Phoenix Suns continue to be a resurgent club here in the NBA bubble. With six straight wins, their NBA 2020 odds of making it to the final playoff spot in the Western Conference is looking good by the day.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks stunned the Jazz in a comeback effort while the Raptors and the Heat won in their respective Eastern Conference showdowns.
To cap off the evening, the Lakers got a much-needed win against the Nuggets, thanks to the heroics of Kyle Kuzma in the game’s last few seconds.
Here are today’s NBA 2020 results brought to you by SBOBET.
Phoenix Suns 128-101 Oklahoma City Thunder
The Suns are in great shape to force a play-in for the final playoff berth. By going 6-0, Phoenix are only 1 1/2 games behind the eight-seeded Memphis team.
While the scoreboard looked to be an easy victory for the Suns, it was the exact opposite particularly in the first quarter.
They were outscored 37-23 in large part due to the absence of Deandre Ayton, who sat out since he missed his compulsory COVID-19 test last Sunday morning. Good thing for them that he tested negative and he came in during the second period.
His arrival was the difference maker for Phoenix as he led his team to a second quarter push to take a slim lead at halftime. Ayton notched 10 points and six rebounds in 17 minutes of playing time.
After the break, the Suns opened the second half with a 11-2 run and they never looked back from there.
Devin Booker remains as hot as ever by scoring 35 points, while Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridges had 18 each.
The Thunder were missing several key players. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, Nerlens Noel, and Steven Adams were out due to lingering injuries while Dennis Schroder is absent as he attended the birth of his child.
Rookie Darius Bazley continues to shine for Oklahoma City. He had 22 points and 10 rebounds in the losing effort.
Dallas Mavericks 122-114 Utah Jazz
The Mavericks came in short-handed, but that didn’t stop them from securing this win against the Jazz.
Dallas were playing without their stars in Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic because they have been dealing with their nagging injuries.
Tim Hardaway Jr. led the Mavericks with 27 points while Seth Curry chipped in 22. Boban Marjanovic almost had a double-double with 20 markers and nine rebounds.
Utah’s lead ballooned to as high as 22 points midway through the third period, but Dallas slowly clawed their way back.
They then scored the first 13 points in the final frame to retake the lead for good. Through their stifling defence and torrid shooting, Dallas outscored Utah 34-14 in the final period.
Toronto Raptors 114-106 Milwaukee Bucks
Two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference went at it despite missing some of their key players and having little to gain from this match.
The Bucks were missing Giannis Antetokounmpo, who sat out after he had undergone oral surgery while the Raptors missed Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, and Fred VanVleet.
In the end, it was the defending champs who were rolling as they were led by Chris Boucher who scored 25 points. He was supported by rookie sharpshooter Matt Thomas who added a season-high of 22 points.
Kyle Korver and Khris Middleton had 19 and 17 for the Bucks, who are now 2-4 since the restart.
Miami Heat 114-92 Indiana Pacers
The main story of this matchup was the brewing rivalry between Jimmy Butler and TJ Warren, but the former got the last laugh by leading the Heat to a resounding win.
Butler returned from a foot injury and dropped 19 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and four steals to lead Miami at the cusp of securing the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Derrick Jones Jr., Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, and Jae Crowder also scored in double digits for the Heat. But more importantly, their defence stifled the Pacers, who are being led by TJ Warren.
TJ Warren came into this game with a league-leading average of 34.8 points per game on 61-per cent shooting, but he never got it going against the Heat. He only scored 12 markers on 5-for-14 shooting in 29 minutes of playing time.
Jimmy Butler had the lion’s share of possessions guarding TJ Warren. In those 25 possessions, Warren only scored two points in 1-for-3 shooting.
The game was pretty even in the first half. However, the Heat unleashed a 35-17 blast to open the third quarter and they took control from there.
Los Angeles Lakers 124-121 Denver Nuggets
Kyle Kuzma emerged as the hero for the Lakers by hitting the game-winning three to snap their three-game skid.
He finished with 25 points while LeBron James and Anthony Davis added 29 and 27 in what was a high-scoring shootout against the Nuggets.
Los Angeles had a seven-point lead late in the third period, but the Nuggets went on an 8-1 run to draw level And then in the fourth period, the two teams exchanged blows down the stretch.
James had given the Lakers a two-point advantage when he finished an and-one with less than a minute to go, but the Nuggets drew level with free throws from PJ Dozier and Monte Morris.
In the final possession, the Lakers ran a misdirection play through LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and that gave Kyle Kuzma a wide open look in the right wing for the game-winner.
Eight Nuggets scored in double digits in the losing effort. PJ Dozier led the way with 18 points off the bench.
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