Hugo González back to back double record for Larry Bird
Hugo Gonzalez leads is team “Celtics” to victory over the Bucks with 18 points and 12 rebounds, overcoming the return of Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was coming back from injury for long.
The Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday with 18 points and 12 rebounds from Hugo Gonzalez , overshadowing the return of Giannis Antetokounmpo , while Trae Young was ejected in the Houston Rockets ‘ victory in Washington without having yet made his debut with the Wizards .
González played his third game as a starter this season (his first since January) and recorded his second double-double in the NBA , in a display of offensive and defensive play by the Madrid native, for whom the court seemed too small in the Bucks 81-108 Celtics .
Joe Mazzulla entrusted him with the defense of Antetokounmpo , and the Madrid rookie responded brilliantly: 18 points, 16 rebounds – 11 defensive and 5 offensive – three steals, two blocks and one assist for only one turnover.
“The work ethic is there. I just try to keep doing what I do and keep believing. Obviously, not every day is going to be like today, but I trust in the work. I appreciate my teammates who played great defense and allowed me to grab some rebounds,” González said in a post-court interview.
Furthermore, González ‘s defense on Antetokounmpo paid off: the Greek star finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds, but shot just 38.9% from the field, making only 7 of his 18 attempts, far from his 64.5% average this season. It’s worth noting, however, that Antetokounmpo was returning more than five weeks after injuring his right calf and clearly lacked match fitness.
Trae Young, expelled
On the same day that it was leaked that the Wizards intend to debut Trae Young this coming Thursday in a game against the Utah Jazz , the point guard, traded on January 7, was ejected for entering the court to protest to the referees.
“Don’t think I’m going to get ejected many more times, DC, but when I come back to my brothers, I’ll bring that same energy and competitiveness,” Young said on social media after the game, which the Rockets won 118-123.
Kevin Durant finished with 30 points, in the midst of a race against time to surpass Michael Jordan this season and snatch fifth place on the NBA ‘s all-time scoring list . ‘KD’ has 32,068 points, just 224 shy of the legend.
Beyond Durant ‘s 30 points, three Rockets players recorded double-doubles: Alperen Sengun (32 points and 13 rebounds), Amen Thompson (22 points and 12 rebounds) and Reed Sheppard (19 points and 10 assists).
The Nuggets are not convincing
The Denver Nuggets have plummeted from third to fifth place in the Western Conference in a matter of days. The Utah Jazz , who are prioritizing the NBA draft and are missing several of their key players, gave Nikola Jokic and company a tough time. The Nuggets prevailed 128-125, regaining the lead with 32 seconds remaining thanks to free throws by Jamal Murray , who finished with 45 points and 8 assists.
Murray ‘s impressive numbers compensated for a lackluster performance from Jokic , who finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists, far from the triple-double he’s averaging for the second consecutive NBA season . Keyonte George added 36 points to make the game exciting in Salt Lake City.
In addition to these games, on Monday in San Francisco, the Golden State Warriors fell 101-114 to the Clippers after the Los Angeles team rallied from a 17-point deficit in Darius Garland ‘s debut . Garland , traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers to Los Angeles in exchange for James Harden , came off the bench and finished with 12 points.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
