By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Kristaps Porzingis did his best in front of his fans, going close to a double-double with 27 points and 9 rebounds, but the Washington Wizards found the 130-119 loss against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The main reason why the purple-and-yellow team had the upper hand was Anthony Davis, who had one of his best NBA games ever: 55 points and 17 rebounds with 22/30 FG and 9/9 FT.
LeBron James added 29 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists, while Russell Westbrook contributed 15 assists. On the losing side, Deni Avdija had 7 points and 8 rebounds.
Nikola Jokic flirted with a triple-double in Denver’s loss against New Orleans. The Serbian superstar had 32 points, 16 rebounds, and 9 assists.
Jose Alvarado was decisive for the Pelicans, scoring 38 points, the most ever scored by an undrafted player coming off the bench in an NBA game since starters were first tracked in 1970-71, according to ESPN. Jonas Valanciunas contributed to the 121-106 victory with 13 points.
Domantas Sabonis, unlike Jokic, found both a triple-double and the win. The Kings beat Chicago 110-101, and the Lithuanian big had 11 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists against Nikola Vucevic, who had 12 points and 6 rebounds.
Another European big was victorious on the NBA night. Jusuf Nurkic had 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in Portland’s 116-100 victory against the Indiana Pacers.
The Phoenix Suns destroyed the San Antonio Spurs 133-95, and Dario Saric had an important role in his team’s win, scoring 17 points with 4/5 from the arc in 21 minutes on the court.
Elsewhere in the league, Santi Aldama had 5 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists off the bench in Memphis’ 122-112 victory against the Pistons. Bogdan Bogdanovic (18 p) and Killian Hayes (13 p, 6 a) weren’t enough.
Cedi Osman scored 10 points, adding 4 rebounds and 4 assists, but the Cleveland Cavaliers lost 92-81 to the New York Knicks.
Results and the best European performances:
New Orleans Pelicans – Denver Nuggets 121-106 (Jokic 32 p, 16 r, 9 a; Valanciunas 13 p)
San Antonio Spurs – Phoenix Suns 95-133 (Saric 17 p)
Brooklyn Nets – Boston Celtics 92-103
Detroit Pistons – Memphis Grizzlies 112-122 (Aldama 5 p, 7 r, 5 a; Bogdanovic 18 p; Hayes 13 p, 6 a)
New York Knicks – Cleveland Cavaliers 92-81 (Osman 10 p, 4 r, 4 a)
Washington Wizards – Los Angeles Lakers 119-130 (Porzingis 27 p, 9 r; Schroder 4 p, 8 a)
Sacramento Kings – Chicago Bulls 110-101 (Sabonis 11 p, 17 r, 10 a; Vucevic 12 p, 6 r)
Portland Trail Blazers – Indiana Pacers 116-100 (Nurkic 19 p, 6 r, 4 a)
Standings:
Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics 19-5
2. Milwaukee Bucks 16-6
3. Cleveland Cavaliers 15-9
4. Atlanta Hawks 13-10
5. Philadelphia 76ers 12-11
6. Indiana Pacers 12-11
7. Toronto Raptors 12-11
8. Brooklyn Nets 13-12
9. Miami Heat 11-12
10. New York Knicks 11-13
11. Washington Wizards 11-13
12. Chicago Bulls 9-14
13. Charlotte Hornets 7-16
14. Detroit Pistons 6-19
15. Orlando Magic 5-19
Western Conference
1. Phoenix Suns 16-7
2. New Orleans Pelicans 15-8
3. Denver Nuggets 14-9
4. Memphis Grizzlies 14-9
5. Sacramento Kings 13-9
6. Golden State Warriors 13-11
7. Los Angeles Clippers 13-11
8. Portland Trail Blazers 13-11
9. Utah Jazz 14-12
10. Dallas Mavericks 11-11
11. Minnesota Timberwolves 11-12
12. Los Angeles Lakers 10-12
13. Oklahoma City Thunder 10-13
14. Houston Rockets 6-17
15. San Antonio Spurs 6-18
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images