US sports compact
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Celtics lose to Bucks – and rank second
Dusseldorf While most Europeans are asleep, the North American professional leagues are buzzing. What Happened That Night in American Football, Basketball, and Ice Hockey.
basketball: Celtics lose to Bucks – and rank second
National basketball player Daniel Theis lost the direct duel with the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA with the Boston Celtics and had to give up second place in the Eastern Conference. The Celtcis lost 121:127 on Thursday evening (local time) and slipped to third place. Theis had a strong 22 points, but also missed an important attempt directly under the basket in the final seconds. Because the Philadelphia 76ers lost 114-119 to the Toronto Raptors, the Celtics didn’t slip any further in the scramble for the top spots in the playoffs.
The Miami Heat secured first place in the East with Thursday’s results. The record champions from Boston have one more game in the main round, the Bucks and the 76ers have two more each. The placement determines the opponent in the first round of the playoffs.
In the West, the Denver Nuggets secured their last direct playoff spot with their 122-109 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Nikola Jokic had another strong evening with 35 points, 16 rebounds and six assists and is now the first pro in league history with at least 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a single season.
The Minnesota Timberwolves also won thanks to Anthony Edwards’ strong 49 points, but the 127:121 against the San Antonio Spurs didn’t help anymore. The team, placed seventh in the so-called play-in, now has to win one more game to ensure participation in the playoffs and would face the Grizzlies in the first round.
Hockey: Draisaitls Oilers celebrate important victory in Los Angeles
National ice hockey player Leon Draisaitl won the important away game at the Los Angeles Kings with the Edmonton Oilers and took a big step towards the playoffs. With the 3:2 on Thursday evening (local time), the team from Canada consolidated second place in the Pacific Division and increased the lead over the Kings. Only the top three teams in a division are guaranteed a place in the NHL playoffs. The National Hockey League’s main round ends in three weeks.
“Maybe it wasn’t the best game, but in the end it was two very important points for us,” said Draisaitl of the German Press Agency. “We still have a couple of difficult games ahead of us that we need to be successful in, but the two points were extremely important.”
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