The Denver Nuggets won Game 1 of the North American Professional Basketball League. The Western Conference leader beat the Eastern Conference leaders, the Boston Celtics, 123-111 at home on Sunday. The game was stopped for 35 minutes midway through the last quarter. The reason: With a dunk crash from Celtics center Robert Williams III, the circuit bent and had to be realigned.
The scene was rather strange. It took six workers, two ladders, a spirit level, and frantic phone calls to get the basket back up and running. Celtics star Jaylen Brown, who scored 30 points, criticized the gameplay. “There was no connection, it wasn’t good,” the 26-year-old said of the long wait. The players didn’t know how long they had to warm up. “It all has an effect. Fortunately no one was hurt.”
Ultimately, the MVP was Nuggets quarterback Nikola Jokic, who recorded his ninth triple-double of the season with 30 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists. The Serb thus cemented his ambitions for a third consecutive title as the league’s Most Valuable Player (“MVP”). Celtics player Jason Tatum is also eligible for the award. Boston remains the team with the best season record with a 26:11 win. Denver holds a record of 24 wins and 12 losses.
The Nuggets’ first followers in the West are the Memphis Grizzlies, not least thanks to 35 points from their top scorer Ja Morant with a 118:108 lead against the Sacramento Kings, their third straight win. Their record is like that of the New Orleans Pelicans at 23:13. Weak Milwaukee Bucks lost to the Washington Wizards 95: 118. Star Giannis Antetokounmpo was temporarily suspended due to minor knee problems.
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