By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
NBA action returned Friday after the Thanksgiving break with plenty of contests and Euro-watch action.
Nikola Vucevic returned to Orlando for the first time since leaving the Magic to join the Chicago Bulls this season and helped his team grab a 123-88 win on the road to bounce back from a two-game skid.
The Montenegrin big man posted 16 points and 8 rebounds and the Bulls had their way in the second half. DeMar DeRozan led all scorers with 23 points and Zach LaVine added 21.
On the other end, Wendell Carter Jr. tapped a double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Magic.
The Milwaukee Bucks prevailed over the Denver Nuggets 120-109 to win their sixth straight game, led once again by star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who posted a double-double with 24 points and 13 rebounds to go along with 7 assists.
Nuggets lacked reigning MVP Nikola Jokic who is sidelined with an injury and Aaron Gordon paced the squad with 18 points, while Facu Campazzo had a season-high performance with 16 points and 2 assists coming off the bench.
Domantas Sabonis had another dominant performance for the Indiana Pacers as they came back in the second quarter and never looked back, to defeat the Toronto Raptors at home 114-97.
Sabonis posted a team-high of 23 points and 18 rebounds for his team and Caris LeVert followed 19 points for the Pacers, who had seven players scoring in double digits.
Fred VanVleet added 26 points for the Raptors while Svi Mykhailiuk produced 2 points in 17 minutes from the bench.
Clint Capela had 23 points and 17 rebounds as the Atlanta Hawks cruised to a 132-100 win over Memphis Grizzlies, for their seventh straight win, while they also scored their most points in a game this season.
Trae Young had a double-double with 31 points and 10 assists, Danilo Gallinari dropped 9 points coming from the bench and Bogdan Bogdanovic had 8 points and 7 rebounds for the Hawks.
In the wake of Ja Morant’s injury, Grizzlies‘ John Konchar paced the team with 17 points off the bench.
Devonte Graham hit a game-winning three for the New Orleans Pelicans with 1.9 seconds remaining and they got past the Utah Jazz 98-97. Graham had just 9 points, all coming from threes, Jonas Valanciunas posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds and Brandon Ingram led the Pelicans with 21 points.
Bojan Bogdanovic had 23 points for the Jazz, Donovan Mitchell followed with 16 and Rudy Gobert posted 9 points and 10 rebounds.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored a season-high of 20 points and Bradley Beal also tapped 20 to help the Washington Wizards bounce back from a two-game skid and beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 101-99.
It was also a meeting for two 2020 draft selectees; Deni Avdija and Aleksej Pokusevski, who both enjoyed significant minutes on the court. Avdija added 9 points and 4 rebounds in 22 minutes for the winners and Pokusevski produced 7 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists in 17 minutes.
The LA Clippers protected their homecourt and beat the Detroit Pistons 107-96. Reggie Jackson posted 21 points for the winning side, Ivica Zubac had a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds and Isaiah Hartenstein dropped 10 points and 5 rebounds coming from the bench.
Jerami Grant led the Pistons with 20 points, 10 rebounds and Trey Lyles added 13 points.
Friday action was concluded with an epic showdown that went down in three overtime periods, with the Sacramento Kings prevailing over the Los Angeles Lakers 141-137, in their first OT since 2009.
De’Aaron Fox scored 34 points and Buddy Hield had 13 of his 25 points in OT for the Kings, who have now won their second straight game after dropping eight of nine. Tyrese Haliburton followed with 19 points and Alex Len dropped 12 points and 8 rebounds.
Russell Westbrook’s triple-double performance with 29 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds wasn’t enough to lift the Lakers, while LeBron James also had a double-double with 30 points and 11 assists and Anthony Davis followed with 23 points.
November 26 results:
Detroit Pistons – LA Clippers 96-107
Minnesota Timberwolves – Charlotte Hornets 115-133
Phoenix Suns – New York Knicks 118-97
Chicago Bulls – Orlando Magic 123-88
Toronto Raptors – Indiana Pacers 97-114
Atlanta Hawks – Memphis Grizzlies 132-100
Washington Wizards – Oklahoma City Thunder 101-99
Boston Celtics – San Antonio Spurs 88-96
Milwaukee Bucks – Denver Nuggets 120-109
New Orleans Pelicans – Utah Jazz 98-97
Portland Trail Blazers – Golden State Warriors 103-118
Sacramento Kings – Los Angeles Lakers 141-137 (3OT)
Standings:
Eastern Conference
| TEAM | W | L | WIN% | GB | CONF | DIV | HOME | ROAD | OT | LAST 10 | STREAK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 5 | .737 | — | 12-4 | 3-0 | 6-3 | 8-2 | 0-0 | 8-2 | W 4 | |
|
2. Chicago Bulls |
13 | 7 | .650 | 1.5 | 7-4 | 2-1 | 6-3 | 7-4 | 0-0 | 6-4 | W 1 |
|
3. Miami Heat |
12 | 7 | .632 | 2 | 6-3 | 3-1 | 6-1 | 6-6 | 0-2 | 5-5 | L 1 |
|
4. Washington Wizards |
12 | 7 | .632 | 2 | 9-6 | 3-4 | 7-2 | 5-5 | 2-0 | 6-4 | W 1 |
| 13 | 8 | .619 | 2 | 9-4 | 4-2 | 7-2 | 6-6 | 0-2 | 8-2 | W 3 | |
|
6. Milwaukee Bucks |
12 | 8 | .600 | 2.5 | 8-5 | 3-0 | 6-4 | 6-4 | 0-1 | 8-2 | W 6 |
|
7. Atlanta Hawks |
11 | 9 | .550 | 3.5 | 6-4 | 3-1 | 8-1 | 3-8 | 0-0 | 7-3 | W 7 |
| 10 | 9 | .526 | 4 | 7-8 | 3-1 | 5-6 | 5-3 | 1-0 | 4-6 | L 1 | |
| 10 | 9 | .526 | 4 | 5-6 | 0-4 | 4-4 | 6-5 | 0-0 | 3-7 | L 1 | |
|
10. Boston Celtics |
10 | 10 | .500 | 4.5 | 6-8 | 1-3 | 5-4 | 5-6 | 2-2 | 6-4 | L 2 |
| 9 | 10 | .474 | 5 | 6-5 | 1-0 | 4-6 | 5-4 | 0-0 | 4-6 | L 5 | |
|
12. Toronto Raptors |
9 | 11 | .450 | 5.5 | 7-7 | 3-2 | 2-6 | 7-5 | 0-0 | 3-7 | L 1 |
|
13. Indiana Pacers |
9 | 12 | .429 | 6 | 5-9 | 1-2 | 6-3 | 3-9 | 1-2 | 5-5 | W 1 |
|
14. Detroit Pistons |
4 | 15 | .211 | 10 | 3-11 | 1-5 | 2-8 | 2-7 | 0-0 | 3-7 | L 5 |
|
15. Orlando Magic |
4 | 16 | .200 | 10.5 | 2-14 | 0-5 | 1-8 | 3-8 | 0-0 | 2-8 | L 5 |
Western Conference
| TEAM | W | L | WIN% | GB | CONF | DIV | HOME | ROAD | OT | LAST 10 | STREAK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 2 | .895 | — | 9-1 | 3-0 | 11-1 | 6-1 | 0-1 | 9-1 | W 6 | |
|
2. Phoenix Suns |
16 | 3 | .842 | 1 | 12-3 | 2-1 | 8-2 | 8-1 | 0-0 | 10-0 | W 15 |
|
3. Utah Jazz |
12 | 7 | .632 | 5 | 7-2 | 3-0 | 6-4 | 6-3 | 0-0 | 5-5 | L 1 |
| 10 | 7 | .588 | 6 | 8-4 | 5-0 | 6-1 | 4-6 | 1-0 | 6-4 | W 1 | |
|
5. LA Clippers |
11 | 8 | .579 | 6 | 8-6 | 0-1 | 9-4 | 2-4 | 0-1 | 6-4 | W 1 |
| 10 | 10 | .500 | 7.5 | 6-7 | 1-1 | 9-1 | 1-9 | 0-0 | 5-5 | L 2 | |
|
7. Los Angeles Lakers |
10 | 11 | .476 | 8 | 5-7 | 0-3 | 7-6 | 3-5 | 4-1 | 4-6 | L 1 |
|
8. Memphis Grizzlies |
9 | 10 | .474 | 8 | 8-5 | 1-1 | 6-5 | 3-5 | 2-0 | 4-6 | L 2 |
|
9. Denver Nuggets |
9 | 10 | .474 | 8 | 6-6 | 2-2 | 7-4 | 2-6 | 0-0 | 4-6 | L 6 |
| 9 | 10 | .474 | 8 | 7-8 | 0-1 | 6-6 | 3-4 | 0-1 | 6-4 | L 1 | |
|
11. Sacramento Kings |
8 | 12 | .400 | 9.5 | 6-9 | 2-2 | 3-7 | 5-5 | 1-0 | 3-7 | W 2 |
|
12. Oklahoma City Thunder |
6 | 13 | .316 | 11 | 6-6 | 0-2 | 4-6 | 2-7 | 0-0 | 3-7 | L 5 |
| 5 | 13 | .278 | 11.5 | 1-10 | 0-3 | 3-6 | 2-7 | 0-1 | 3-7 | W 1 | |
|
14. New Orleans Pelicans |
5 | 16 | .238 | 13 | 4-8 | 1-1 | 3-7 | 2-9 | 0-0 | 4-6 | W 2 |
|
15. Houston Rockets |
2 | 16 | .111 | 14.5 | 1-12 | 0-2 | 2-5 | 0-11 | 0-0 | 1-9 | W 1 |
Photo: Getty Images