By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a game-high 38 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the New Orleans Pelicans 129 – 125 to capture their fourth win in a row. Thanks to this victory, Milwaukee completed the first leg of the regular season at the third spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
Antetokounmpo also dropped four straight points with the Bucks down 124 – 125 and two minutes to play. Both sides missed attempts and the Greek Freak added a free throw in the last two seconds to secure his team’s win.
Willy Hernangomez had 10 points and five rebounds for New Orleans.
Nikola Jokic had 24 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in the Denver Nuggets‘ 110 – 112 loss to the Washington Wizards. Denver had a chance to win or tie the game at the buzzer but Facu Campazzo missed in a 3-point attempt at the buzzer.
Jamal Murray, who scored 34 points on 6-11 3-pointers, took blame for the loss, saying “I just should have shot it. It’s a 4-on-1. We’ve got to score.”
Deni Avdija scored two points on one attempt he took during the 20 minutes he spent on the court.
In Memphis, Jonas Valanciunas posted a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds as the Grizzlies bounced back to wins by shutting down the Los Angeles Clippers 122 – 94.
Ivica Zubac finished with seven points and six rebounds for the Clippers while Nicolas Batum had four points.
The Orlando Magic were no match for the Brooklyn Nets. Despite Nikola Vucevic’s efforts of 28 points and 12 rebounds, Kevin Durant (27 points, nine assists) and company prevailed 129 – 92 to capture their eighth straight win.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot had five points in an off shooting night (1-7 from the field).
Luka Doncic struggled against Ben Simmons’ defense, finishing with 19 points on 6-13 shots in the Dallas Mavericks‘ 97 – 111 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. It was the Mavs‘ first defeat after two straight wins.
Boban Marjanovic grabbed 12 rebounds to go with his seven points (3-11 shots) during 17 minutes. Maxi Kleber finished with six points.
The rest of Thursday’s results and Euro-scorers:
New York Knicks – Sacramento Kings 140 – 121 (Frank Ntilikina seven points)