By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Giannis Antetokounmpo registered 30 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the New York Knicks 119 – 108 at home to extend their winning record to 4-0 and remain the only undefeated team in the NBA.
While the Bucks weren’t particularly accurate and shot 38.5 percent from the field, they committed few turnovers (6) and got 19 offensive rebounds against the Knicks‘ 12. Giannis was pleased with the defensive effort he and his teammates put on the floor.
“We have the personnel that can defend on any given night,” Antetokounmpo said. “At the end of the day, as long as we defend, we put ourselves in position to win. That’s our identity moving forward. We cannot go away from that.”
Evan Fournier had 11 points (on 4-12 shots) and four rebounds for the Knicks over 20 minutes. Isaiah Hartenstein scored six points and grabbed eight boards off the bench.
Rudy Gobert was one of the main responsible behind the Los Angeles Lakers‘ fifth loss in five games so far this season. The French center produced 22 points and 21 rebounds as the Timberwolves shut down the Lakers 111 – 102.
With Gobert as the anchor, the Timberwolves‘ defense provided several problems to the Anthony Davis-less Lakers who continue to struggle. “I think our offense is harming us right now,” LeBron James said after finishing with a team-high 28 points, seven rebounds and five assists. “Defensively, once again, we had a great game plan. We went out and competed, gave ourself a chance. Couple possessions here, couple possessions there didn’t go our way, but just keep hammering on.”
Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves overall with 29 points.
The Portland Trail Blazers bounced back to form and so did Jusuf Nurkic. After a team loss to the Miami Heat and a lackluster individual performance, the Bosnian center delivered his top performance this season with 27 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks to push the Blazers past the Houston Rockets 125 – 111.
In his first season game as a starter and after missing the last two matches, Rockets big man Alperen Sengun had 14 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.
Paolo Banchero keeps leading the early race for Rookie of the Year, after now posting 27 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists as the Orlando Magic defeated the Charlotte Hornets 113 – 93 to capture their first win this season.
Theo Maledon scored eight points and got five rebounds for the Hornets.
The rest of the results and notable Euro-Scorers:
Detroit Pistons – Atlanta Hawks 112 – 136 (Bojan Bogdanovic 22 points)
Boston Celtics – Cleveland Cavaliers 132 – 123
Toronto Raptors – Philadelphia 76ers 90 – 112
Washington Wizards – Indiana Pacers 117 – 127 (Kristaps Porzingis 22 points, six rebounds)
San Antonio Spurs – Chicago Bulls 129 – 124 (Jakob Poeltl 21 points, 13 rebounds)
Denver Nuggets – Utah Jazz 117 – 101 (Nikola Jokic 12 points, 10 rebounds, six assists – Lauri Markkanen 17 points, 10 rebounds)
Phoenix Suns – New Orleans Pelicans 124 – 11
Standings
EAST
| TEAM | W | L | LAST 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Bucks | 4 | 0 | |
| 4 | 1 | ||
| 4 | 1 | ||
| 3 | 2 | ||
| 3 | 2 | ||
| 3 | 2 | ||
| 3 | 3 | ||
| 3 | 3 | ||
| 2 | 3 | ||
| 2 | 4 | ||
| 2 | 4 | ||
| 2 | 4 | ||
| 1 | 4 | ||
| 1 | 5 | ||
| 1 | 5 |
WEST
| TEAM | W | L | LAST 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | ||
| 4 | 1 | ||
| 4 | 1 | ||
| 4 | 2 | ||
| 4 | 2 | ||
| 4 | 2 | ||
| 4 | 2 | ||
| 3 | 2 | ||
| 3 | 2 | ||
| 2 | 2 | ||
| 2 | 3 | ||
| 2 | 3 | ||
| 1 | 5 | ||
| 0 | 4 | ||
| 0 | 5 |