By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
It could’ve been a battle between the last two NBA MVPs but one of them had to sit the game out.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was there in his second straight appearance after missing five games but Nikola Jokic didn’t play in a back-to-back night and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Denver Nuggets 107 – 99 at home.
Giannis scored 33 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. He went to the line a lot in the second half where he took 21 out of his 22 free throws, making 15 overall.
“Just tried to get to the rim, tried to be aggressive as much as I can, get downhill, play within my strength,” Antetokounmpo commented. “I tried to enjoy the game. I feel I sometimes get too locked in. I think I’ve got to enjoy the game more. Usually, when I enjoy the game more, I get to the free-throw line more, I get downhill more, I’m able to find my teammates more and just make better plays.”
Jokic (hamstring tightness) wasn’t the only absence for the Nuggets that were also missing Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr. and Kentavius Caldwell-Pope. The Bucks were without Bobby Portis.
Alperen Sengun registered his second triple-double in the NBA but couldn’t combine it with a win. Despite the Turkish center’s 21 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, the Houston Rockets fell to the Washington Wizards 103 – 108 at home.
Deni Avdija contributed 10 points plus 10 rebounds to the Wizards‘ win.
After a bit of a slump, it seems that Rudy Gobert had returned to double-double mode for good. The Minnesota Timberwolves downed the New Orleans Pelicans 111 – 102 with the French big man producing 17 points and 12 rebounds against Jonas Valanciunas.
Valanciunas had 12 points plus 10 rebounds in the Pelicans‘ sixth straight loss. New Orleans saw Brandon Ingram returning to action but once again struggled without Zion Williamson, being now 3-9 without their major star.
Second straight victory for the Orlando Magic courtesy of Paolo Banchero. The ROY favorite scored 23 points in a second straight game as his team beat the Indiana Pacers 126 – 120. Franz Wagner provided a helping hand of 13 points and a team-high seven assists.
Lauri Markkanen had 24 points but the Utah Jazz needed a lot more than that to match the ferocity of Damian Lillard and his 60 points that led the Portland Trail Blazers to a 134 – 124 win.
If the 60-point piece wasn’t enough, Lillard added eight assists and seven rebounds in one of the top performances in his career. He his 21-29 from the field, including 9-15 triples.
Jusuf Nurkic had 10 points for the Blazers.
The rest of Wednesday’s (25/1) NBA Results and notable Euro performers:
Philadelphia 76ers – Brooklyn Nets 137 – 133
Oklahoma City Thunder – Atlanta Hawks 132 – 137 (Bogdan Bogdanovic 20 points, Clint Capela 18 points/10 rebounds)
Golden State Warriors – Memphis Grizzlies 122 – 120
Sacramento Kings – Toronto Raptors 95 – 113 (Domantas Sabonis nine points/eight rebounds)
Los Angeles Lakers – San Antonio Spurs 113 – 104 (Dennis Schroder nine points/eight rebounds/five assists/four steals)