By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Nikola Jokic was the highlight of the NBA night, as the Serbian superstar had 21 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds in the 126-101 win by the Denver Nuggets against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Serb center was almost perfect from the field (9/10).
Austrian big man Jakob Poeltl went close to a double-double with 14 points and 8 rebounds for the Spurs, while the Polish rookie Jeremy Sochan had only 5 points in 24 minutes on the court.
The Sacramento Kings opened the NBA Saturday night by beating the Orlando Magic 126-123 in overtime thanks to an incredible scoring performance by De’Aaron Fox, who ended the game with 37 points and the game-winning buzzer-beater.
Lithuanian star Domantas Sabonis contributed with a double-double of 25 points and 11 rebounds.
Despite losing, Italian-American Paolo Banchero wrote history for the Orlando Magic, joining Shaq as the only rookie in franchise history to record 30+ points and 10+ rebounds double-double. He also became the second teenager ever to produce 30 points and 15 rebounds in a game since LeBron James.
German guard Franz Wagner and Bol Bol respectively added 31 and 23 points, their season-highs.
The best performance of the night came in the other 124-121 OT win by the Atlanta Hawks against the New Orleans Pelicans. Trae Young dragged his team with a double-double of 34 points and 10 assists, with Dejounte Murray recording his first triple-double (22 p., 11 a., 10 r.) with the Hawks.
Kevin Durant was once again the protagonist for the Brooklyn Nets, as he scored 27 points in his team’s 98-94 win against the Charlotte Hornets.
The Milwaukee Bucks didn’t need the Greek Freak Giannis Antetokounmpo, who took some rest, to win against the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-94.
Brook Lopez scored 25 points and Thanasis Antetokounmpo went scoreless. Monstrous double-doubles by Bobby Portis (12 p., 21 r.) and Jrue Holiday (10 p., 13 a.).
The Houston Rockets couldn’t get the job done and lost 129-117 to the Minnesota Timberwolves, but Turkish center Alperen Sengun had a pretty good display of 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Spaniard Usman Garuba added 7 points off the bench.
Bosnian beast Jusuf Nurkic scored 8 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in the Trail Blazers‘ 102-82 loss against the Phoenix Suns, dragged by Devin Booker (24 p.)
Saturday’s (5/11) NBA results and notable Euro-scorers:
Orlando Magic – Sacramento Kings 123-126 OT (Domantas Sabonis 25 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists; Paolo Banchero 33 points, 16 rebounds; Franz Wagner 31 points)
Charlotte Hornets – Brooklyn Nets 94-98
Atlanta Hawks – New Orleans Pelicans 124-121 OT (Jonas Valanciunas 13 points and 17 rebounds; Clint Capela 21 points and 19 rebounds)
New York Knicks – Boston Celtics 118-133
Milwaukee Bucks – Oklahoma City Thunder 108-94 (Serge Ibaka 8 points, 6 rebounds)
Minnesota Timberwolves – Houston Rockets 129-117 (Alperen Sengun 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists)
Denver Nuggets – San Antonio Spurs 126-101 (Nikola Jokic 21 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds; Jakob Poeltl 14 points and 8 rebounds)
Phoenix Suns – Portland Trail Blazers 102-82 (Jusuf Nurkic 8 points, 7 rebounds; Dario Saric 9 points, 9 rebounds)
NBA Standings:
Eastern Conference:
- Milwaukee Bucks 9-0
- Cleveland Cavaliers 7-1
- Boston Celtics 6-3
- Atlanta Hawks 6-3
- Toronto Raptors 5-4
- Chicago Bulls 5-5
- Indiana Pacers 4-5
- Washington Wizards 4-5
- New York Knicks 4-5
- Brooklyn Nets 4-6
- Philadelphia 76ers 4-6
- Miami Heat 4-6
- Charlotte Hornets 3-7
- Detroit Pistons 2-8
- Orlando Magic 2-8
Western Conference
- Phoenix Suns 7-2
- Utah Jazz 7-3
- Memphis Grizzlies 6-3
- Portland Trail Blazers 6-3
- Denver Nuggets 6-3
- Dallas Mavericks 5-3
- New Orleans Pelicans 5-4
- LA Clippers 5-4
- San Antonio Spurs 5-5
- Minnesota Timberwolves 5-5
- Oklahoma City Thunder 4-5
- Sacramento Kings 3-5
- Golden State Warriors 3-7
- Los Angeles Lakers 2-6
- Houston Rockets 1-9
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images