By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Nikola Jokic helped the Denver Nuggets get the job done against the Orlando Magic and defend their homecourt with a 121-111 win on Monday.
Jokic led six Nuggets players in double digits with a double-double (his 45th of the season) of 26 points, 15 rebounds, to go along with 7 assists.
Jeff Green, Will Burton followed with 17 points apiece, Bryn Forbes had 16 points, Bones Hyland added 14 and Aaron Gordon was added on the top scorers’ list with 10 points for the Nuggets.
Franz Wagner emerged with 26 points, 8 rebounds for the Magic and Wendell Carter dropped 25 points and 12 rebounds, though they couldn’t help their team snap back in the end. Orlando has now suffered its third straight defeat.
DeMar DeRozan erupted with 40 points – in his seventh consecutive game where he scored at least 30 – to lead the Chicago Bulls past the San Antonio Spurs 120-109. Nikola Vucevic added up to the efforts with a double-double of 25 points and 16 rebounds along with 5 assists, Coby White had 24 points and the Bulls marched to their fourth straight win.
Lonnie Walker dropped 21 points for the Spurs while coming from the bench, Dejounte Murray and Doug McDermott had 19 points each.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined, the Portland Trail Blazers caused an upset to the Milwaukee Bucks with a 122-107 victory on the road. Anfernee Simmons paced Portland with 31 points, Josh Hart had 27 points and big man Jusuf Nurkic followed with 23 points and 16 rebounds.
Jrue Holiday led the defending champions with 23 points, Jordan Nwora and Bobby Portis tapped 17 points apiece and Khris Middleton was one assist shy of a triple-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Deni Avdija was among the top contributors in Washington Wizards‘ 103-94 victory against the Detroit Pistons at home to help his team bounce back. Avdija dropped a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds in 31 minutes while coming from the bench, while it was Kyle Kuzma who led all scorers of the Wizards with 23 points.
Saddiq Bey picked up 24 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists for the Pistons, which have suffered their eighth consecutive defeat.
CJ McCollum registered his first victory with the New Orleans Pelicans after his trade last week, leading the team to a 120-90 triumph over the Toronto Raptors at home. McCollum scored 23 points to lead all scorers of the game, while big man Jonas Valanciunas followed with 18 points and 9 rebounds for the Pelicans. Fred VanVleet had 20 points for the Raptors and Pascal Siakam added 18.
Rudy Gobert’s return has had a positive impact on the Utah Jazz, who beat the Houston Rockets 135-101 at home. Donovan Mitchell led all scorers of the Jazz with 30 points, Bojan Bogdanovic scored 22 while Gobert poured in 14 points and 7 rebounds to help their team roll to their sixth straight win.
Kenyon Martin Jr. had 16 points for the Rockets, Jaesean Tate and Eric Gordon posted 14 points each and Jalen Green added 13.
Terance Mann emerged with 25 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists to pace the LA Clippers to a 119-104 victory over the Golden State Warriors at home. Reggie Jackson came close to a triple-double with 19 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds, while Ivica Zubac added 18 points and 8 rebounds for the Clippers.
On the other end, Steph Curry scored a game-high 33 points including eight three-pointers. Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole followed with 13 points each, as the Warriors have now lost three of their last five games.
Josh Giddey posted a triple-double with a career-high 28 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds, Tre Mann also added a career-high 30 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder emerged with a 127-123 overtime win against the New York Knicks.
Julius Randle also emerged with a triple-double of 30 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, while Evan Fournier picked up 29 points for the Knicks, though their efforts couldn’t contain the Thunder in overtime.
The Brooklyn Nets beat the Sacramento Kings 109-85 to snap a long-skid amid trade deadline changes. Seth Curry emerged with 23 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in his first game with the Nets, while Bruce Brown and LaMarcus Aldridge both posted 19 points.
DeAaron Fox had a game-high with 26 points for the Kings, Davion Mitchell followed with 13 points and Donte DiVincenzo dropped 12 points and 8 rebounds.
NBA February 14 results:
Washington Wizards – Detroit Pistons 103-94
Brooklyn Nets – Sacramento Kings 109-85
New York Knicks – Oklahoma City Thunder 123-127 (OT)
Chicago Bulls – San Antonio Spurs 120-109
Milwaukee Bucks – Portland Trail Blazers 107-122
New Orleans Pelicans – Toronto Raptors 120-90
Denver Nuggets – Orlando Magic 121-111
Utah Jazz – Houston Rockets 135-101
LA Clippers – Golden State Warriors 119-104
NBA standings (via nba.com):
Eastern Conference
| TEAM | W | L | WIN% | GB | CONF | DIV | HOME | ROAD | OT | LAST 10 | STREAK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | 20 | .649 | — | 23-12 | 10-2 | 19-6 | 18-14 | 0-3 | 7-3 | W 5 | |
|
2 Chicago Bulls |
37 | 21 | .638 | 0.5 | 23-13 | 7-3 | 22-8 | 15-13 | 0-1 | 7-3 | W 4 |
| 35 | 22 | .614 | 2 | 20-12 | 7-3 | 18-9 | 17-13 | 0-0 | 7-3 | L 1 | |
| 34 | 22 | .607 | 2.5 | 19-13 | 4-6 | 16-12 | 18-10 | 2-1 | 7-3 | W 2 | |
|
5 Milwaukee Bucks |
35 | 23 | .603 | 2.5 | 21-16 | 7-3 | 19-10 | 16-13 | 0-2 | 6-4 | L 2 |
| 33 | 25 | .569 | 4.5 | 23-14 | 6-6 | 20-10 | 13-15 | 4-2 | 9-1 | W 8 | |
|
7 Toronto Raptors |
31 | 25 | .554 | 5.5 | 21-14 | 5-5 | 16-13 | 15-12 | 2-1 | 8-2 | L 2 |
|
8 Brooklyn Nets |
30 | 27 | .526 | 7 | 20-12 | 6-2 | 13-14 | 17-13 | 2-0 | 1-9 | W 1 |
| 29 | 29 | .500 | 8.5 | 19-17 | 5-6 | 14-13 | 15-16 | 0-4 | 3-7 | L 1 | |
| 26 | 30 | .464 | 10.5 | 15-18 | 6-5 | 16-13 | 10-17 | 0-0 | 5-5 | L 2 | |
|
11 Washington Wizards |
26 | 30 | .464 | 10.5 | 19-18 | 6-6 | 15-15 | 11-15 | 3-0 | 3-7 | W 1 |
|
12 New York Knicks |
25 | 33 | .431 | 12.5 | 14-21 | 4-6 | 13-16 | 12-17 | 1-2 | 2-8 | L 2 |
| 19 | 39 | .328 | 18.5 | 8-28 | 2-10 | 13-17 | 6-22 | 3-3 | 2-8 | L 6 | |
|
14 Orlando Magic |
13 | 46 | .220 | 25 | 8-30 | 2-10 | 5-20 | 8-26 | 0-1 | 4-6 | L 3 |
|
15 Detroit Pistons |
12 | 45 | .211 | 25 | 8-23 | 3-7 | 8-20 | 4-25 | 1-1 | 1-9 | L 8 |
Western Conference
| TEAM | W | L | WIN% | GB | CONF | DIV | HOME | ROAD | OT | LAST 10 | STREAK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | 10 | .821 | — | 26-7 | 5-4 | 24-5 | 22-5 | 1-0 | 9-1 | W 5 | |
|
2 Golden State Warriors |
42 | 16 | .724 | 5 | 25-10 | 9-2 | 26-5 | 16-11 | 0-2 | 7-3 | L 1 |
| 40 | 18 | .690 | 7 | 27-11 | 5-4 | 20-9 | 20-9 | 2-1 | 8-2 | W 5 | |
|
4 Utah Jazz |
36 | 21 | .632 | 10.5 | 22-11 | 11-1 | 21-10 | 15-11 | 0-0 | 6-4 | W 6 |
| 33 | 24 | .579 | 13.5 | 23-14 | 10-2 | 20-11 | 13-13 | 1-2 | 6-4 | L 1 | |
|
6 Denver Nuggets |
32 | 25 | .561 | 14.5 | 17-17 | 4-8 | 16-10 | 16-15 | 2-0 | 6-4 | W 2 |
| 30 | 27 | .526 | 16.5 | 20-18 | 7-4 | 16-10 | 14-17 | 1-1 | 6-4 | W 1 | |
|
8 LA Clippers |
29 | 30 | .492 | 18.5 | 16-22 | 5-5 | 17-13 | 12-17 | 0-2 | 5-5 | W 2 |
| 26 | 31 | .456 | 20.5 | 14-19 | 2-8 | 17-13 | 9-18 | 6-1 | 3-7 | L 3 | |
|
10 Portland Trail Blazers |
24 | 34 | .414 | 23 | 10-24 | 1-8 | 16-16 | 8-18 | 0-1 | 4-6 | W 3 |
|
11 New Orleans Pelicans |
23 | 34 | .404 | 23.5 | 14-18 | 4-5 | 13-15 | 10-19 | 1-1 | 5-5 | W 1 |
|
12 San Antonio Spurs |
22 | 36 | .379 | 25 | 13-20 | 4-6 | 11-18 | 11-18 | 0-3 | 4-6 | L 1 |
|
13 Sacramento Kings |
22 | 37 | .373 | 25.5 | 15-22 | 5-7 | 15-17 | 7-20 | 1-0 | 4-6 | L 1 |
|
14 Oklahoma City Thunder |
18 | 39 | .316 | 28.5 | 13-23 | 3-5 | 9-18 | 9-21 | 2-1 | 4-6 | W 1 |
|
15 Houston Rockets |
15 | 41 | .268 | 31 | 7-26 | 2-8 | 8-18 | 7-23 | 1-0 | 1-9 | L 5 |
Photo credit: Getty Images