NBA: The Raptors’ triumphal procession continues

Against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Toronto Raptors celebrate their 15th victory in a row. The Los Angeles Lakers have no trouble in the win against the Phoenix Suns.

The Toronto Raptors have extended their impressive series in the NBA.

The reigning champions celebrated their 15th consecutive victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 137-126 win, and remain the first chaser in the Eastern Conference for front-runners Milwaukee Bucks. For their part, they did not show any signs of weakness in their 123-11 win over the Sacramento Kings, even without the new father, Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The best thrower on the Canadian side was Pascal Siakam with 34 points, and Kyle Lowry scored a double-double with 27 points and eleven rebounds as well as Karl Anthony Towns on the Wolves’ side (23 points, 10 rebounds).

Towns and Russell, the new dream team?

D’Angelo Russell made his debut on 22 points for Minnesota on 22 points and five assists and already harmonized excellently with Karl-Anthony Towns. “It was great. I am super excited about this team. We all know what Karl does and what he brings to the field,” Russell enthused.

“This is my brother. I said to him, I don’t know if he’ll ever have a teammate who loves him as much as I do and who will have his back more than I do,” said Town, who is also excited about his future association with the 23-year-old.

For the Raptors, the 15th consecutive win meant not only the expansion of their franchise-record but also the second-longest winning streak for a team in this NBA season. Only the Bucks achieved a longer series with 18 wins in a row. Minnesota, on the other hand, suffered its 14th defeat in the last 15 games.

Lakers against Suns without effort

In the Western Conference, on the other hand, the Los Angeles Lakers remain the measure of all things.

The team around the two superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis celebrated the 40th victory of the season in the unchallenged 125:100 victory against the Phoenix Suns and thus remained at the top in the west.

Davis managed a double-double with 25 points and ten rebounds, while James just missed a triple-double with 17 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds.

Nuggets stay close to Lakers – Heat beat Warriors

The Lakers’ first pursuers are still the Denver Nuggets, who beat the San Antonio Spurs 127-120.

Top scorer of the match was Spurs star LaMarcus Aldridge with 33 points, while Jamal Murray scored 26 points in the Nuggets. Nikola Jokic scored a double-double with 19 points and 13 assists.

Back on the road to success are also the Miami Heat, who celebrated their first win after three defeats in a row in their 113-101 win over the Golden State Warriors.

While the Heat thus consolidated fourth place in the Eastern Conference and underpinned their play-off ambitions, the Warriors remain the worst team in the entire NBA with only 12 wins from 53 games.