Porzingis leads Celtics without Tatum and Brown, Zubac lifts Clippers over Cavaliers

The Boston Celtics defeated the Brooklyn Nets 104-96 at TD Garden for their third straight win. The reigning NBA champions solidified their position in second place in the Eastern Conference, with a comfortable lead over the New York Knicks. However, they are unlikely to climb any higher, with the Cleveland Cavaliers well ahead.

The Celtics went into the duel with two significant absences: their main star, Jayson Tatum, and the second in command, Jaylen Brown, did not play a single minute after being ruled out due to injury. In the face of these losses, Kristaps Porzingis was the star of the Celtics' victory.

The Latvian center, who recovered from an injury just a few days ago, disguised himself as a leader and ended up registering a double-double (25 points and 13 rebounds). In addition, he had 3 blocks and 3 assists.

Besides Porzingis, four other players on Joe Mazzulla's squad scored at least 10 points: Baylor Scheierman (20), Derrick White (18), Jrue Holiday (12) and Payton Pritchard (10).

On the visiting side, there was little to highlight, only D'Angelo Russell's 18 points. The Nets, under Jordi Fernandez, have lost eight of their last 10 games, placing them in second-to-last place in the Eastern Conference.

Zubac dominates, Cavaliers fall again

The current Eastern Conference leaders, the Cleveland Cavaliers, lost for the second consecutive game, this time to the Los Angeles Clippers, 132-119, at the Intuit Dome. The Cavs are, so far, the only franchise that has clinched a spot in the postseason, which will begin on April 19.

Evan Mobley had just 17 points, the same as Darius Garland and De'Andre Hunter. Max Strus (24 points) and Donovan Mitchell (18 points and 11 assists) put up solid performances, but their efforts were in vain.

On the home side, Ivica Zubac was a colossus under the hoop. Before leaving the arena, the Croatian center, one of the best defenders in the league this season, sealed a double-double (28 points and 20 rebounds). Kawhi Leonard was the top scorer of the duel (33 points), and James Harden (22 points) and Bogdan Bogdanovic (20 points) contributed enough to certify the win for the Clippers.

Warriors get back on track

The Golden State Warriors have turned around their season since the trade deadline. Perhaps the most successful team in the NBA in the last decade earned the eighth victory in their last 10 games by defeating the Milwaukee Bucks 104-93 at the Chase Center.

Despite the fact that they are far from guaranteed a spot in the Playoffs, if they continue this way, they will almost surely earn a postseason bid. In this duel, the Warriors were without their star, Stephen Curry. That leadership was supplied by the latest arrival to the roster, Jimmy Butler, who responded to the confidence that Steve Kerr placed in him with a double-double (24 points and 10 assists).

On the Bucks' side, their leader, Giannis Antetokounmpo, scored 20 points. Kyle Kuzma was the team's top scorer with 22 points, and Damian Lillard had 16 points of his own.