The Grizzlies keep receiving bad news. The last one, the defeat against the Boston Celtics (100-102) -the tenth of the season- that not even Santi Aldama’s best scoring record could avoid. 28 points, six assists, 12 rebounds and two steals. These were the statistics of the Canarian power forward this Sunday, improving the 24 points scored last November 14 in the defeat against the Lakers. It was not enough.
Aldama had the winning shot for the Memphis conference at the end of the game with the score at 100-102, in the fourth quarter. But the rim got in the way of the Spaniard from the perimeter. However, the Las Palmas player’s first start with the Grizzlies was up to par, despite this setback. “Without him we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to win tonight,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins acknowledged about the forward after the game.
The Grizzlies are not going through their best moment. They are currently second to last in the West with a balance of 3-10. Only the Portland Trail Blazers and the last-place Wembanyama Spurs are behind them in the standings. Furthermore, the loss of Ja Morant, suspended, added to other important players on the Memphis roster, hampers the team’s play: Steven Adams, Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard are some of them.
Santi was Memphis’ second top scorer this morning with 28 points, behind Desmond Bane’s 30. Still, it was not enough to overcome the challenge that the Grizzlies had ahead of them: beating the fittest best team in the NBA so far. The Celtics have 11 wins and are the leaders of the Conference, thanks to Kristaps Porzingis who once again shone on the court.
The Latvian center was the player who scored the most points for Boston (26), in addition to getting an assist and eight rebounds in 34 minutes. American forward Jayson Tatum also buried Porzingis’ great performance, thanks to his notable numbers: 20 points, five assists and nine rebounds.
LeBron James’ performance against the Houston Rockets with his 37 points was the highlight last morning. ‘King James’ achieved an agonizing victory for the Angelenos who finished the match one point ahead of their rival (105-104). Anthony Davis had an outstanding performance with a double-double (27 points and 10 rebounds), although he ended up being sent off for fouls.
Likewise, Kevin Durant’s 39 points and 10 assists with the Phoenix Suns against the Utah Jazz to lift his team to a new victory (137-140), as well as the 32 that Joel Embiid achieved with the 76ers in the field of the Nets (99-121) has been the most popular in this last day of the NBA.
