Gregg Popovich became the third coach in NBA history to win 1,300 games in the regular stage. The San Antonio Spurs beat the Chicago Bulls 120-104.
Gregg Popovich became the third coach in NBA history to win 1,300 games during the regular season. Popovich (72) counts 35 victories less than Don Nelson who appears on the first sparkle Lenny Wilkens is second on the all-time list with 1,332 victories. Popovich already holds the record for the most wins “All Time” including playoffs, as he has 170 more in the final round.
Popovich, three-time NBA Coach of the Year and four-time All-Star Coach, has spent his entire career as head coach with the Spurs. He made his debut at the Texas club in 1996, so has been with the Spurs for 25 years and became NBA champion five times with icons such as David Robinson, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and last but not least Tim Duncan. So he needs 36 more wins to do better than Don Nelson. With 23 out of 43, San Antonio Spurs currently ranks seventh in the Western Conference.
Popovich has also been Team USA’s sporting boss since 2016 and will finish his first Olympic Games as head coach in Tokyo / Japan in July. America, including LeBron James in the pre-selection, is looking for a fourth consecutive gold medal.
Utah continues to win, Philadelphia falls
Utah Jazz took a fifth consecutive victory in the NBA on Saturday night. The leader in the Western Conference beat Memphis 126-110. It was the second game in as many days between the two teams. Just like Friday, Donovan Mitchell was the stronghold at Utah. He scored 35 points and gave out seven assists.
With a 34th win in 45 games, Utah solidified its first place in the west for Phoenix and the LA Clippers. The Californians set aside Philadelphia, number one in the Eastern Conference, on Saturday night. Kawhi Leonard had a large share in the 122-112 victory against the 76ers with 28 points, who had to do without their injured star player Joel Embiid (knee).
The best shooter of the evening was Zion Williamson. The twenty-year-old top talent made 38 points for New Orleans in the home game won against Dallas (112-103).
Meanwhile, several US media outlets reported that LaMarcus Aldridge will bolster Brooklyn’s ranks. The seven-time All-Star had his contract with San Antonio canceled earlier this month. He would play with the Nets alongside other top players such as James Harden, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Blake Griffin. Brooklyn is second in the Eastern Conference behind Philadelphia.
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