US sports compact
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Kleber strong again – Mavericks win for first time since 2016 in Utah
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: Kleber strong again – Mavericks win for the first time since 2016 in Utah
In the third playoff game without their star Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks got their second win and in the NBA every chance of entering the next round. More than six years after the last success in Salt Lake City, the Mavericks with national basketball player Maxi Kleber won on Thursday evening (local time) after a remarkable performance 126:118 against the Utah Jazz. Doncic is out with a calf injury.
Like the win on Monday in Dallas, Kleber had a strong evening and contributed 17 points. He hit four of his five three-point attempts. The Mavericks now lead 2-1 in the series. In best-of-seven mode, whoever has four wins first advances to the next round.
“It definitely feels good, especially in the playoffs. It’s very difficult to play here, the fans are very loud,” Kleber told the German Press Agency. “When they’re on a roll, it’s easy to be intimidated, but we showed strength today and had a few players who eventually took over.”
Jalen Brunson was the Mavericks’ top pitcher with 31 points. “Being 2-1 ahead in the playoffs is extremely good, but we also know that they are very hungry now and will come out on Saturday and of course play a bit more physically,” said Kleber. “So it won’t be any easier, but a second win in Utah would of course also be nice,” he added.
“We have a lot of character in this dressing room. We just kept playing. This group believes in itself, we talk a lot about defense and we had stops when we needed them,” said coach Jason Kidd. “In a hostile environment against a good team that’s being trained well, we put ourselves in a position to win.” After an even first quarter, the Mavs pulled away and never fell behind. Kidd left open whether Doncic can play on Saturday.
Basketball: Memphis with an epic comeback
The Memphis Grizzlies put on a spectacular comeback with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Grizzlies were already 26 points behind in the second quarter (21:47) before they started to catch up and won the game with 104:95. Memphis tied the series 2-1 with the fourth-biggest comeback in NBA playoff history.
The Grizzlies turned up the heat, especially in the fourth quarter. With a 21:0 run, they equalized the game eight minutes before the end and won the final section 37:12 (!).
In the third game of the night, the Golden State Warriors set a clear course for the next round. The San Francisco team won 118-113 at the Denver Nuggets and faces a sweep with their third win in three games. Stephen Curry and Jordan Poole scored 27 points, with Klay Thompson contributing 26 points. With the Nuggets, the 37 points of last year’s MVP Nikola Jokic could not prevent the next defeat.
Ice hockey: Dampeners for Seider and Detroit
The German national ice hockey player Moritz Seider suffered another setback in the North American professional league NHL. The 21-year-old lost with the Detroit Red Wings against title candidate Florida Panthers 2:5 despite an initial lead, it was the third bankruptcy in the past four games.
While his German teammate Thomas Greiss was not used, Seider received the second most ice time in his team with 21:39 minutes. However, the defender was not involved in a goal, so before the last four games of the main round he still has 48 points.
Detroit is already out of the playoff race and will miss the knockout stages for the sixth straight year. The traditional team had previously made the play-offs from 1991 to 2015. The Panthers, for their part, secured first place in the Eastern Conference ahead of time and thus secured home field advantage for the playoffs.
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