US sports compact Next Draisaitl show in the NHL – Lakers before showdown against Clippers
Dusseldorf · While most Europeans are asleep, the North American professional leagues are buzzing. What Happened That Night in American Football, Basketball, and Ice Hockey.
Ice hockey: Draisaitl still in top form
Ice hockey star Leon Draisaitl is still the key man for the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL. Born in Cologne, he led his team with a goal and two assists to a 3-1 win against the Los Angeles Kings, with the win allowing the Canadians, who had already qualified for the play-offs, to overtake the Kings in the table. Draisaitl scored his 51st goal of the season in the 53rd minute.
The 27-year-old now has a total of 123 scorer points. The Oilers have four major round games to go, and it was Edmonton’s fifth straight win in the North American professional league. The Kings could be the Oilers’ first opponent in the knockout stages.
Forward John-Jason Peterka conceded a loss with the Buffalo Sabers after two wins before, after the 2-1 loss at the Florida Panthers, the Sabers’ playoff hopes are slowly fading. Peterka remained inconspicuous.
The Ottawa Senators around attacker Tim Stützle and the Detroit Red Wings around defender Moritz Seider are also running out of time in the play-off race. After the 2-3 overtime defeat at the Carolina Hurricanes, Ottawa is six points behind a wildcard spot with four main round games remaining, while the Red Wings are nine points short of a 5-0 win at the Montreal Canadiens. Stützle and Seider each remained without a scorer point.
Nico Sturm lost with the San Jose Sharks 4-3 after overtime against defending champion Colorado Avalanche, goalie Philipp Grubauer was not used in the 5-2 win of his Seattle Kraken at the Vancouver Canucks.
Basketball: Lakers before showdown
The Los Angeles Lakers have drastically increased the tension in the final stretch of the NBA and can climb to a direct playoff spot for the first time this season with a win in the upcoming city duel. In the fourth to last game of the main round in the best basketball league in the world, the team around superstar LeBron James and national team captain Dennis Schröder scored 135:133 at the Utah Jazz on Tuesday evening (local time) after extra time.
Both teams go into the duel with the Clippers on Thursday night with a record of 41 wins and 38 losses. The Clippers are sixth and the Lakers seventh. Defending champions Golden State Warriors climbed to fifth with a 136-125 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the hard-fought Western Conference with 42 wins and 38 losses.
The Lakers could have saved themselves the five extra minutes of extra time. The team gave up a double-digit lead twice in the second half, with James missing a shot from close range as the clock ran out. The 38-year-old was the best thrower of the game with 37 points. Austin Reaves had 28 points, Schröder contributed 18 points and was on the floor for a total of 42 minutes before returning from Utah to Los Angeles.
The success was the Lakers’ fourth win in a row, only the Phoenix Suns have an even better streak in the NBA at the moment. The team around superstar Kevin Durant got a 115:94 against the San Antonio Spurs and thus made the entry into the playoffs perfect.
In the Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks recorded a 140-128 and consolidated their first place ahead of the Boston Celtics. Another win in the remaining three games ensures the team around star player Giannis Antetokounmpo home advantage in all playoff games up to the conference finals.
The Celtics, on the other hand, lost to the Philadelphia 76ers 101:103. Joel Embiid topped the game with 52 points and gave Philadelphia the chance to overtake the Celtics and move into second place before the end of the main round on Sunday.
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