A masked Embiid returns inspired and the Cavaliers abuse the champions Bucks

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, the new NBA Cup champion, this Friday 121-101, the Oklahoma City Thunder won 104-97 against the Miami Heat that lost Jimmy Butler and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Charlotte Hornets 108-98 with 34 Joel Embiid points.

Cleveland Cavaliers (24-4) won the duel between the best team in the NBA and the brand new winner of the NBA Cup, Milwaukee Bucks (14-12). Perhaps the Bucks were feeling the hangover from the title they won three days ago, but in Cleveland they failed and were down 36 during the fourth quarter.

Donovan Mitchell led the ‘Cavs’ victory with 27 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Darius Garland scored 16, Evan Mobley and Dean Wade 15 each and Jarrett Allen had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

For the Bucks, only Giannis Antetokounmpo showed his face, with 33 points and 14 rebounds. Khris Middleton scored 14 and Brook Lopez 10. Cavaliers continue to lead the Eastern Conference with the best win-loss balance in the NBA.

Joel Embiid had a great game with 34 points, 9 assists and 5 rebounds for the victory of his Philadelphia 76ers (9-16), who breathe a sigh of relief with the return of the Cameroonian. Embiid, suffering from a broken nose, played with a protective mask. He had the support of Tyrese Maxey with 23 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. with 22.

For the Charlotte Hornets (7-21), Vasilije Micic had 20 points and Miles Bridges 15. The 76ers are just one victory away from climbing into the postseason spots after having won 6 of their last 10 games.

Oklahoma City Thunder (22-5) won their second game in 24 hours after falling in the NBA Cup final against the Bucks on Tuesday in a night to forget. Jalen Williams led Oklahoma City with 33 points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 and Isaiah Hartenstein had a double-double with 13 points and 17 rebounds.

For the Miami Heat (13-12), Jimmy Butler left the court after just over 7 minutes of play in the first quarter and without having attempted a single basket. Without Butler, Tyler Herro took the reins of Miami’s attack with 28 points. Bam Adebayo had a double-double, with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Thunder leads the Western Conference with the second best balance in the league