By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks were triumphant in one of the NBA’s biggest Euro-watch clashes to take down Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets with a 103-89 victory on Monday.
Doncic paced the Mavericks to victory with a double-double of 21 points, 15 assists, to go along with 8 rebounds and 4 steals in 34 minutes.
The Mavs played without Kristaps Porzingis, who entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols Monday, and picked up 15 points by big man Dwight Powell and forward Reggie Bullock.
Jokic posted a double-double of his own with 27 points, 16 rebounds for the Nuggets, Aaron Gordon had 15 and Facu Campazzo contributed 8 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists as a starter.
Trae Young’s NBA season-high and personal career-high of 56 points wasn’t enough to lift the Atlanta Hawks over the Portland Trail Blazers, as the latter got away with a 136-131 victory.
Young shot 17 for 26 from the field, 7 for 12 threes along with 14 assists for the shortstaffed Hawks, while Clint Capela added a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Portland’s Anfernee Simons stole the show in the end, with a new career-high performance of 43 points to help his team bounce back from a four-game skid.
Norman Powell added 26 points for the winning side, and Jusuf Nurkic left the court with a double-double of 21 points, 12 rebounds.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had a double-double of 31 points, 10 rebounds and dished 7 assists, though his efforts fell short for the Milwaukee Bucks, who got edged by the Detroit Pistons 106-115.
Saddiq Bey tapped a game-high of 34 points for the Pistons in their second straight win and Cade Cunningham followed with 19 points.
Donovan Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovic combined 50 points and Utah Jazz beat the New Orleans Pelicans 115-104 to extend their road winning streak to 9 games. Mitchell led all scorers with 29 points, Bogdanovic added 21, and Mike Conley was added to the list of top scorers with 22 points.
Jonas Valanciunas paced the Pelicans with 25 points and 9 rebounds, though the team slipped its second straight game.
The Chicago Bulls held on to beat the Orlando Magic 102-98 at home for their eighth straight victory. DeMar DeRozan led the way with 29 points for the Bulls, Zach LaVine had 27 points, and Nikola Vucevic contributed 13 points and 17 rebounds for the winners.
Magic slipped their sixth game in a row, and had Franz Wagner posting 22 points.
Joel Embiid signed off with a triple-double of 31 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists to lift the Philadelphia 76ers to a 133-113 victory over the Houston Rockets at home. This marks his third career triple-double.
Furkan Korkmaz followed with a double-double of his own with 24 points, 11 rebounds, along with 6 assists, while Garrison Matthews had 23 points to lead all scorers for the Rockets.
Anthony Edwards tallied 28 points to lead six players in double figures as the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 122-104 on the road to snap a three-game losing streak. Adding up to Edwards’ efforts, Jaden McDaniels tapped 18 points, Taurean Prince followed with 17, Naz Reid had 13, while Patrick Beverley and Malik Beasley dropped 11 points apiece.
Serge Ibaka tied his season-high with 17 points for the Clippers, who have now lost four of their last six games.
Jordan Poole took on a starring role to help the Golden State Warriors defeat the Miami Heat 115-108 for their second straight victory. Wiggins posted 32 points for the Warriors, Andrew Wiggins had 22 points, while Steph Curry was more active on the creative end with 9 points and 10 assists.
Jimmy Butler led the way for the Heat with 22 points, Caleb Martin posted 18, while big man Omer Yurtseven grabbed 17 rebounds to go along with 5 points.
Ja Morant had 36 points and five more Grizzlies scored in double figures as the team outlasted the Brooklyn Nets 118-104 to extend its winning streak to five games. Desmond Bane tapped 29 points, Brandon Clarke scored 16, and Jarrett Culver and Tyus Jones had 12 points each.
Kevin Durant led the Nets with 26 points, while James Harden had 19 points.
Kyle Kuzma and Bradley Beal helped the Washington Wizards snap back and beat the Charlotte Hornets 124-121 at home. Kuzma dropped 36 points, 14 rebounds for the Wizards and Beal had 35 points and 8 assists. Devi Avdija contributed 7 points, 8 assists, 4 steals and 4 rebounds in 40 total minutes as a starter.
On the other end, Gordon Hayward finished the game with 27 points for the Hornets and Terry Rozier followed with 25.
NBA January 3 results:
Philadelphia 76ers – Houston Rockets 133-113
Washington Wizards – Charlotte Hornets 124-121
Brooklyn Nets – Memphis Grizzlies 104-118
Chicago Bulls – Orlando Magic 102-98
Milwaukee Bucks – Detroit Pistons 106-115
New Orleans Pelicans – Utah Jazz 104-115
Dallas Mavericks – Denver Nuggets 103-89
Golden State Warriors – Miami Heat 115-108
Portland Trail Blazers – Atlanta Hawks 136-131
LA Clippers – Minnesota Timberwolves 104-122
Standings:
Eastern Conference
| TEAM | W | L | WIN% | GB | CONF | DIV | HOME | ROAD | OT | LAST 10 | STREAK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. Chicago Bulls |
25 | 10 | .714 | — | 16-7 | 4-2 | 13-4 | 12-6 | 0-0 | 8-2 | W 8 |
|
2. Brooklyn Nets |
23 | 12 | .657 | 2 | 17-7 | 6-1 | 10-9 | 13-3 | 1-0 | 6-4 | L 3 |
|
3. Milwaukee Bucks |
25 | 14 | .641 | 2 | 17-10 | 6-2 | 13-6 | 12-8 | 0-2 | 7-3 | L 1 |
|
4. Miami Heat |
23 | 15 | .605 | 3.5 | 16-7 | 6-1 | 12-4 | 11-11 | 0-2 | 7-3 | L 2 |
| 21 | 16 | .568 | 5 | 14-9 | 4-1 | 11-8 | 10-8 | 0-0 | 6-4 | W 1 | |
|
6. Philadelphia 76ers |
20 | 16 | .556 | 5.5 | 13-10 | 3-6 | 7-8 | 13-8 | 1-1 | 6-4 | W 4 |
|
7. Washington Wizards |
19 | 18 | .514 | 7 | 13-12 | 4-5 | 10-6 | 9-12 | 3-0 | 4-6 | W 1 |
|
8. Charlotte Hornets |
19 | 19 | .500 | 7.5 | 11-9 | 5-3 | 9-5 | 10-14 | 0-4 | 4-6 | L 2 |
| 18 | 19 | .486 | 8 | 12-10 | 4-4 | 11-7 | 7-12 | 3-2 | 5-5 | W 2 | |
|
10. Toronto Raptors |
16 | 17 | .485 | 8 | 11-11 | 5-5 | 9-10 | 7-7 | 0-1 | 6-4 | W 2 |
|
11. New York Knicks |
17 | 20 | .459 | 9 | 11-16 | 3-5 | 7-11 | 10-9 | 1-0 | 5-5 | L 2 |
|
12. Atlanta Hawks |
16 | 20 | .444 | 9.5 | 10-12 | 4-3 | 8-9 | 8-11 | 0-0 | 3-7 | L 1 |
|
13. Indiana Pacers |
14 | 23 | .378 | 12 | 8-18 | 2-7 | 11-9 | 3-14 | 1-2 | 3-7 | L 4 |
|
14. Detroit Pistons |
7 | 28 | .200 | 18 | 5-17 | 2-6 | 4-13 | 3-15 | 1-1 | 3-7 | W 2 |
|
15. Orlando Magic |
7 | 31 | .184 | 19.5 | 4-23 | 1-8 | 2-13 | 5-18 | 0-1 | 2-8 | L 6 |
Western Conference
| TEAM | W | L | WIN% | GB | CONF | DIV | HOME | ROAD | OT | LAST 10 | STREAK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. Golden State Warriors |
29 | 7 | .806 | — | 16-4 | 7-1 | 17-3 | 12-4 | 0-1 | 8-2 | W 2 |
|
2. Phoenix Suns |
28 | 8 | .778 | 1 | 18-7 | 4-4 | 16-4 | 12-4 | 1-0 | 7-3 | W 1 |
|
3. Utah Jazz |
27 | 10 | .730 | 2.5 | 17-4 | 8-0 | 14-7 | 13-3 | 0-0 | 7-3 | W 1 |
|
4. Memphis Grizzlies |
24 | 14 | .632 | 6 | 19-9 | 4-2 | 13-8 | 11-6 | 2-0 | 7-3 | W 5 |
|
5. Denver Nuggets |
18 | 17 | .514 | 10.5 | 11-10 | 2-4 | 8-6 | 10-11 | 1-0 | 6-4 | L 1 |
|
6. Dallas Mavericks |
19 | 18 | .514 | 10.5 | 16-10 | 7-2 | 9-8 | 10-10 | 1-1 | 5-5 | W 3 |
|
7. LA Clippers |
19 | 19 | .500 | 11 | 12-15 | 3-4 | 12-11 | 7-8 | 0-1 | 3-7 | L 1 |
| 19 | 19 | .500 | 11 | 11-13 | 1-5 | 12-10 | 7-9 | 5-1 | 4-6 | W 2 | |
|
9. Minnesota Timberwolves |
17 | 20 | .459 | 12.5 | 12-13 | 2-4 | 10-10 | 7-10 | 1-1 | 5-5 | W 1 |
|
10. Sacramento Kings |
16 | 22 | .421 | 14 | 11-16 | 4-5 | 10-12 | 6-10 | 1-0 | 5-5 | W 1 |
| 14 | 21 | .400 | 14.5 | 8-15 | 1-4 | 7-10 | 7-11 | 0-2 | 5-5 | L 3 | |
|
12. Portland Trail Blazers |
14 | 22 | .389 | 15 | 7-18 | 1-4 | 12-9 | 2-13 | 0-1 | 3-7 | W 1 |
| 13 | 23 | .361 | 16 | 10-16 | 1-2 | 8-11 | 5-12 | 0-0 | 5-5 | L 1 | |
|
14. New Orleans Pelicans |
13 | 24 | .351 | 16.5 | 8-15 | 2-4 | 7-10 | 6-14 | 1-1 | 6-4 | L 2 |
|
15. Houston Rockets |
10 | 28 | .263 | 20 | 4-15 | 1-3 | 7-10 | 3-18 | 1-0 | 1-9 | L 8 |
Photo: Getty Images