By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
After scoring 43 points leading the Milwaukee Bucks past the Atlanta Hawks, 124-115, Wednesday, Giannis Antetokounmpo rounded up 82 points in back-to-back wins. The Greek Freak added 12 rebounds, five assists, and one steal in the latest victory, sixth in a row in the 2021-22 NBA Regular Season. Teammate Serge Ibaka put in two points, five rebounds, and two steals, but Thanasis Antetokounmpo and Sandro Mamukelashvili did not enter the court. For the visitors, Italian Danilo Gallinari had 14 points, Swiss Clint Capela 11 points and Serbian Bogdan Bogdanovic nine points, but French Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot did not play.
Nikola Jokic went for 38 points, 18 rebounds, seven assists, two blocks, and one steal for the Denver Nuggets in the road win, 106-100, versus the Sacramento Kings. The Serbian superstar has produced 38.7 points per contest over three games the last four days. Slovenian teammate Vlatko Cancar (right foot) is still on the injury list. On the opposite end, Ukrainian Alex Len faced foul trouble in a rare start tallying four points and two rebounds in 11 minutes. Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis served his one-game suspension and Portuguese Neemias Queta stayed on the bench.
Slovenian Luka Doncic produced 31 points, six rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block in a disappointing loss for the Dallas Mavericks, 107-77, to the New York Knicks. German Maxi Kleber sank a couple of free throws, but Latvian Davis Bertans did not score, Serbian Boban Marjanovic did not play, and French Frank Ntilikina (illness) remained out. French Evan Fournier chipped in ten points in 25 minutes for the winning side. Croatian teammate Luka Samanic, on a two-way contract, was kept on his G League assignment.
Turkish Alperen Sengun set his NBA-high at 21 points and the Houston Rockets outlasted the Los Angeles Lakers, 139-130, in overtime. The promising upstart, selected with the 16th overall pick of the 2021 draft, also contributed 14 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks. Coming off the bench, German teammate Dennis Schroder threw in 12 points, six assists, and one rebound. Spanish Usman Garuba (left wrist) remained on the injury list. LeBron James logged a 23-point, 14-rebound, 12-assist triple-double but to no avail for the Lakers.
French Nicolas Batum made the go-ahead three-pointer as the Los Angeles Clippers rallied past the Washington Wizards, 115-109. He ended up with eight points, five rebounds, three assists, and one block. Croatian Ivica Zubac added ten points, nine rebounds, and two assists, while German Isaiah Hartenstein tipped in four more points alongside three blocks and three rebounds. For the losing side, Latvian Kristaps Porzingis registered a team-high 19 points, but Israeli Deni Avdija and Czech Tomas Satoransky failed to score coming off the bench.
Croatian Bojan Bogdanovic poured a game-high 27 points behind 9/14 field goals, including 6/9 from beyond the arc. He added four rebounds and two assists for the Utah Jazz in the comfortable win, 123-85, opposite the Portland Trail Blazers. French Rudy Gobert chipped in nine points, ten rebounds, and one assist. Spanish Juancho Hernangomez added five points, two rebounds, one assist, and one block. For the struggling Blazers, Bosnian Jusuf Nurkic remained among the multiple players forced to the sidelines.
Montenegrin Nikola Vucevic went for 21 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 29 minutes aiding the Chicago Bulls to snap a five-game losing streak and secure the away win, 114-108, versus the Detroit Pistons. DeMar DeRozan tucked in 16 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter. Montenegrin Marko Simonovic was on a G League assignment by the Bulls. As for the hosts, French Killian Hayes (right adductor) was ruled out for the game.
German Franz Wagner finished with 15 points and six rebounds helping the Orlando Magic beat the New Orleans Pelicans, 108-102, on the road. His brother Moritz Wagner added nine points, nine rebounds, and three assists. Lithuanian Ignas Brazdeikis was held to G League action. The visitors overcame Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas posting a 30-point, 15-rebound double-double plus three assists, two steals, and two blocks. Spanish Willy Hernangomez pulled down three rebounds in four minutes for the Pels.
British OG Anunoby (hand) missing his eighth straight game did not prevent the Toronto Raptors from taking down the San Antonio Spurs, 119-104. In brief showings, German Isaac Bonga recorded one point and one steal, but Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk did not get on the board. Austrian Jakob Poeltl posted an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double to go along with two assists and one block but Gregg Popovich becoming the winningest coach in NBA history was delayed.
Malik Beasley connected 11 triples sending the Minnesota Timberwolves to the blowout win, 132-102, against the Oklahoma City Thunder. French Theo Maledon paired 12 points with seven rebounds and Serbian Aleksej Pokusevski generated 11 points, four rebounds, and one assist in the losing effort, while Czech Vit Krejci had nine points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal. French Olivier Sarr ended up with four rebounds and one assist.
Croatian Dario Saric (right knee) has yet to be cleared for action but the Phoenix Suns prevailing, 111-90, over the Miami Heat became the first team to clinch a berth in the 2022 Playoffs. Turkish Omer Yurtseven registered seven points, three rebounds, and one assist for the team coached by Erik Spoelstra in the battle of conference-leading sides.
German Daniel Theis put in two points, one rebound, one assist, and one block for the Boston Celtics in the 115-101 victory versus the Charlotte Hornets. The hosts kept Lithuanian two-way forward Arnoldas Kulboka on a G League assignment.
Wednesday results:
Charlotte Hornets – Boston Celtics 101-115
Detroit Pistons – Chicago Bulls 108-114
Miami Heat – Phoenix Suns 90-111
Milwaukee Bucks – Atlanta Hawks 124-115
Houston Rockets – Los Angeles Lakers 139-130 OT (120-120)
Minnesota Timberwolves – Oklahoma City Thunder 132-102
New Orleans Pelicans – Orlando Magic 102-108
Dallas Mavericks – New York Knicks 77-107
San Antonio Spurs – Toronto Raptors 104-119
Sacramento Kings – Denver Nuggets 100-106
Utah Jazz – Portland Trail Blazers 123-85
Los Angeles Clippers – Washington Wizards 115-109
Standings:
Eastern Conference
1. Miami Heat 44-23
2. Milwaukee Bucks 42-25
3. Philadelphia 76ers 40-24
4. Chicago Bulls 40-26
5. Boston Celtics 40-27
6. Cleveland Cavaliers 38-27
7. Toronto Raptors 35-30
8. Brooklyn Nets 33-33
9. Charlotte Hornets 32-35
10. Atlanta Hawks 31-34
11. Washington Wizards 29-35
12. New York Knicks 28-38
13. Indiana Pacers 22-45
14. Detroit Pistons 18-48
15. Orlando Magic 17-50
Western Conference
1. y-Phoenix Suns 53-13
2. Memphis Grizzlies 45-22
3. Golden State Warriors 44-22
4. Utah Jazz 41-24
5. Dallas Mavericks 40-26
6. Denver Nuggets 40-26
7. Minnesota Timberwolves 38-29
8. Los Angeles Clippers 35-33
9. Los Angeles Lakers 28-37
10. New Orleans Pelicans 27-39
11. Portland Trail Blazers 25-40
12. San Antonio Spurs 25-41
13. Sacramento Kings 24-44
14. Oklahoma City Thunder 20-46
15. Houston Rockets 17-49
y-clinched Playoff berth
Photo Credit: Getty Images