basketball
NBA defending champion Denver defeats Lakers to start playoffs
Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (M.) goes up for a dunk. photo
© Jack Dempsey/AP/dpa
NBA champions Denver are successful at the start of the playoffs against the Lakers. While Isaiah Hartenstein wins with the Knicks, the Wagner brothers lose the first game of the finals.
Defending champion Denver Nuggets are in the playoffs of the North American Basketball League with a win NBA started. The team around star player Nikola Jokic beat the Los Angeles Lakers 114:103 (57:60). The Lakers only qualified for the final round in the play-in tournament and will go into the best-of-seven series against the runner-up in the main round as underdogs. Four successes are necessary to progress.
Led by superstar LeBron James, the Lakers were ahead 60:57 at halftime. After 19 points in the first half, James was only able to add eight points after the break. The Nuggets took a decisive lead with a 13-0 run at the end of the third period.
“I think we played pretty well. But you don’t have a lot of room for mistakes against Denver, especially at home, they’re the defending champions,” said James about only the fourth playoff defeat of his career. Jokic stood out for the Nuggets with 32 points, twelve rebounds and seven assists.
Victory for German Knicks professional
The German professional Isaiah Hartenstein and the New York Knicks won the first playoff duel with the Philadelphia 76ers with 111:104 (58:46). In 18 minutes, the center contributed six points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks to the success. The Knicks hit three three-pointers in the final two minutes. Josh Hart scored two of them and had 22 points and 13 rebounds.
However, basketball world champions Franz and Moritz Wagner suffered a clear 83:97 (41:53) away defeat at the Cleveland Cavaliers. As a team, the Orlando Magic only converted 32.7 percent of their throws from the field, and the guests never took the lead. After a weak start, Franz Wagner still managed 18 points, Moritz Wagner scored ten points.
The Minnesota Timberwolves had no problems with the Phoenix Suns and won 120:95 (61:51) after losing all three duels with the Suns in the main round. Anthony Edwards scored 18 of his 33 points in the third quarter as the Timberwolves pulled away.