By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Storming back from a 25-point deficit at the break, the Los Angeles Lakers recorded the win, 121-112, against the Portland Trail Blazers in Moda Center. Contributing to the most impressive comeback on the latest edition of NBA Sundays, German Dennis Schroder dropped 24 points with 6/13 field goals to go with eight assists, six rebounds, and one steal in 36 minutes. Solid double-doubles from LeBron James (37pts, 11reb) and Thomas Bryant (31pts, 14reb) paved the way. At the losing end, Bosnian Jusuf Nurkic was held to two points, three rebounds, two assists, and one steal in 16 minutes.
The opener of the NBA Sundays schedule saw the Los Angeles Clippers in a similar second-half rally to beat the Dallas Mavericks, 112-98, at American Airlines Center. Slovenian Luka Doncic went for 29 points, ten rebounds, four assists, and one steal in the losing effort. Latvian Davis Bertans had three points, two assists, and two rebounds. Enjoying the win, French Nicolas Batum paired eight points with six rebounds and Croatian Ivica Zubac tallied eight points alongside four rebounds and three assists.
Croatian Dario Saric put in 14 points, including two late free throws to seal the deal for the Phoenix Suns in the 112-110 victory versus the Memphis Grizzlies. He added eight rebounds, four assists, and three steals in 21 minutes off the bench. Spanish Santi Aldama registered two assists, one steal, and one rebound in 12 minutes for the visitors.
At Ball Arena, the Denver Nuggets fell, 101-99, to the Oklahoma City Thunder with Serbian center Nikola Jokic sitting out a second game in a row due to left hamstring tightness. Slovenian Vlatko Cancar recovered from illness but was limited to ten fruitless minutes.
More NBA Sundays and European showings:
Miami Heat – New Orleans Pelicans 100-96 (Jonas Valanciunas 14pts, 16reb)
Toronto Raptors – New York Knicks 125-116 (Juancho Hernangomez 5reb, 2ast – Evan Fournier 8pts, 3reb, 2ast, Isaiah Hartenstein 2pts, 2reb, 2stl)
Golden State Warriors – Brooklyn Nets 116-120
Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics 35-12
2. Philadelphia 76ers 30-16
3. Brooklyn Nets 29-17
4. Milwaukee Bucks 29-17
5. Cleveland Cavaliers 29-19
6. Miami Heat 26-22
7. New York Knicks 25-23
8. Atlanta Hawks 24-23
9. Indiana Pacers 23-25
10. Chicago Bulls 21-24
11. Toronto Raptors 21-27
12. Washington Wizards 20-26
13. Orlando Magic 17-29
14. Charlotte Hornets 13-34
15. Detroit Pistons 12-36
Western Conference
1. Denver Nuggets 33-14
2. Memphis Grizzlies 31-15
3. Sacramento Kings 26-19
4. New Orleans Pelicans 26-21
5. Dallas Mavericks 25-23
6. Los Angeles Clippers 25-24
7. Phoenix Suns 24-24
8. Minnesota Timberwolves 24-24
9. Utah Jazz 24-25
10. Oklahoma City Thunder 23-24
11. Golden State Warriors 23-24
12. Los Angeles Lakers 22-25
13. Portland Trail Blazers 21-25
14. San Antonio Spurs 14-32
15. Houston Rockets 10-36
-Top six teams of each conference advance directly to the Playoffs
-Teams seeded 7th to 10th will compete in Play-In tournament
Photo Credit: Getty Images