Giannis shined against the Lakers, Jokic’s double-double not enough vs Orlando

By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net

Milwaukee Bucks recorded their ninth straight win, defeating Los Angeles Lakers 115-106 with Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the way.

The Greek Freak scored 23 points in the second half and finished the game with 38 points, ten rebounds, and six assists, shooting 14-23 from the field.

He’s been in great shape lately, averaging 39,2 points, 14,7 rebounds, and 5,8 assists on a 62,8 field goal percentage in the last six games.

So far, Giannis has been averaging 32,2 points, 12,4 rebounds, and 5,3 assists and is the first player to average 30/10/5 on 50+ FG% in a season since Wilt Chamberlain.

Lebron James sat out to rest his sore ankle two nights after he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s career scoring leader, and Dennis Schroder set the scoring charts for the Lakers with 25 points. He also recorded 12 assists.

The LA team made many changes during the trade deadline day and hosted Bucks without Juan Toscano Anderson, Russell Westbrook, and Damian Jones, who left for Utah Jazz, Patrick Beverley, who left for Orlando, and Thomas Bryant, who left for Denver Nuggets.

Newcomers Malik Beasly and Jarred Vanderbilt arrived from Salt Lake City, D’Angelo Russel from Minnesota, Davon Reed from Denver, and Mo Bamba from Orlando, still need to debut for the new team.

Denver Nuggets lost to Orlando Magic at Florida 115-104, as Nikola Jokic recorded yet another double-double with 29 points and 12 rebounds, with six assists.

The Serbian big man had another great night and great help from Aaron Gordon, who scored 37 points and 13 rebounds but couldn’t lead the Nuggets to the win as Jamal Murray sat out.

Moritz Wagner had 12 points for the winning side, Paolo Banchero recorded a double-double with 11 points and ten rebounds, and Franz Wagner finished the game with 10 points.

After a big trade for Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns couldn’t cope with Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena, as the hosts grabbed a 116-107 victory.

The Suns played without Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, and Jae Crowder, who they gave for KD to the Brooklyn Nets on the trade deadline day, and Dario Saric, who left for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Durant and returnee TJ Warren are yet to debut.

Clint Capela scored seven points with 17 rebounds for the winning side, while Bogdan Bogdanovic added six points with two assists.

Brooklyn Nets recorded a 116-105 win against Chicago Bulls after they traded two big stars, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, in a couple of days.

Returnee Spencer Dinwiddie led the way with 25 points, and a newcomer from Dallas, Dorian Finney Smith, scored nine with nine rebounds as the Nets cruised past the Bulls.

Nikola Vucevic had another excellent game for Chicago with 15 points and 17 rebounds, while Goran Dragic added five points, but the Bulls were left empty-handed.

NBA results:

Orlando Magic – Denver Nuggets 115-104 (M. Wagner 12p, Banchero 11p, 10r, F. Wagner 10p – Jokic 29p, 12r, Cancar 3p)
Atlanta Hawks – Phoenix Suns 116-107 (Capela 7p, 17r, Bogdanovic 6p)
Brooklyn Nets – Chicago Bulls 116-105 (Vucevic 15p, 17r, Dragic 5p)
LA Lakers – Milwaukee Bucks 106-115 (Schroder 25p, 12a – Antetokounmpo 38p, 10r, Mamukelashvili 6p)

2022-23 STANDINGS

EAST

TEAM	W	L	LAST 10
1 BOSTON	39	16	6-4
2 MILWAUKEE	38	17	9-1
3 PHILADELPHIA	34	19	7-3
4 CLEVELAND	35	22	7-3
5 BROOKLYN	33	22	5-5
6 MIAMI	30	25	6-4
7 NEW YORK	30	26	5-5
8 ATLANTA	28	28	4-6
9 CHICAGO	26	29	5-5
10 TORONTO	26	30	2-8
11 WASHINGTON	25	29	7-3
12 INDIANA	25	31	2-8
13 ORLANDO	23	33	6-4
14 CHARLOTTE	15	41	3-7
15 DETROIT	14	42	2-8

WEST

TEAM	W	L	LAST 10
1 DENVER	38	18	5-5
2 MEMPHIS	33	21	2-8
3 SACRAMENTO	31	23	5-5
4 DALLAS	30	26	6-4
5 LA CLIPPERS	31	27	7-3
6 PHOENIX	30	27	7-3
7 NEW ORLEANS	29	27	3-7
8 MINNESOTA	30	28	6-4
9 GOLDEN STATE	28	27	6-4
10 PORTLAND	27	28	6-4
11 UTAH	27	29	5-5
12 OKLAHOMA CITY	26	28	5-5
13 LA LAKERS	25	31	4-6
14 SAN ANTONIO	14	41	0-10
15 HOUSTON	13	42	3-7