Basketball – Sun and heat on “Martin Luther King Day”

The Suns took the lead at the summit of the Western Conference and the Heat East held a grand performance during the “Martin Luther King Day” in the NBA on Monday, celebrating the saint’s birthday every January Monday. .

In San Antonio, where the annual parade of about 300,000 participants is the busiest in the country, the Suns were able to count Devin Booker (48 points) as Spurs (121-107), according to its organizers. Phoenix, widening the Golden State gap, made a difference in the last quarter (34-16) thanks to Chris Paul (15 points, 12 assists).

In Los Angeles, the MLK spirits calmed down after the Watts riots of 1965, when the Lakers, humiliated Saturday in Denver, consolidated themselves by defeating Utah (101-95). LeBron James decisive (25 points, 7 assists, 7 rebounds), Russell Westbrook (15 points) reached the action of the evening with a wild dunk on Rudy Cobert, but still undefeated (19 points, 16 rebounds, 3 volumes). LA returns to 7th place, and Jazz concedes 3rd place to Chicago’s winners Chris Lees (119-106).

At Memphis, where the MLK was assassinated on April 4, 1968, the Tennessee team showed Saturday that they had well digested the defeat against Dallas, which ended a series of eleven consecutive wins by Desmond Payne (25 points, 10 /). 16 in shots) and Ja Morant (16 points). In the absence of Zach LaVine (knee), Chicago will not have an attacking impact like DeMar DeRozan (16 points), and this fourth defeat will weaken its leadership in the East.

Because in 1977, in Miami, the first city in the country to pay homage to the MLK, the Heat won (104-99) against Toronto, led by Jimmy Butler in a triple-double (19 points, 10 assists, 10 rbds). ) Tyler Hero (23 points) and Pam Adebayo (14 points, 9 rebounds), in their first match after six weeks, were beaten by Brooklyn (114-107), Caves, for their second contribution to the Floridians.

In Cleveland, where the MLK was most popular, the procession estimated that between 10,000 and 14,000 people took him in a car to deliver a sermon to a church in 1963, distinguished by the young leader Darius Garland (22 points, 12 aids). Without Kevin Durant (knee), Kyrie Irving (27 points, 9 assists) and James Horton (22 points, 10 assists) were active, but the Nets pair stumbled at a crucial last minute. With the defeat of Milwaukee (121-114) in Atlanta, the birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr. on January 15, 1929, the Guards suddenly climbed to 4th place.

Trey Young Hawks (30 points, 11 assists), still without Geneva pivot Clint Cabela (ankle injury), ended a series of five defeats, with Giannis defending Antodogunpo (27 points, 8/20) hard against Onega Okong. At the time of cash. Side Bucks hired Chris Middleton (34 points) in vain.

In New York, Martin Luther King delivered a famous speech against the Vietnam War in 1967, with Charlotte (7th) aiming for victory at Miles Bridge (38 points, 14/20 shots, 12 rebounds) (97-87) and Nix (11th).

In Washington, D.C., a civil rights activist pronounced his famous “I have a dream”, on August 28, 1963, the Wizards (9th) easily ousted Philadelphia (6th) (117-98). Kyle Guzma’s dunk (15 points, 16 rbds) at Joel Empide, the only one to float on the 76ers’ side (32 points), was the most aggressive of the capital’s players.

Finally in Boston, he received his PhD in MLK Theology in 1955, his second consecutive victory over the Celtics (10th) against New Orleans (104-92).