By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Reigning champions Denver Nuggets suffered their first loss of the 2023/24 season, falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves 110-89, despite another double-double from Nikola Jokic.
The Serbian center was the only one standing up to the task against the Minneapolis team’s big lineups, scoring 25 points with 10 assists. He also took an unusually high number of shots, hitting 11 out of 23, with just one three-pointer out of six attempts.
The Timberwolves found a way to take down the champions from Colorado, with Rudy Gobert dominating on the rebounds with 12, but only managing to score four points in around 32 minutes on the court.
Darko Rajakovic’s Toronto Raptors exploited the weaknesses inside the struggling Milwaukee Bucks at the start of the season, winning 130-111 at Scotiabank Arena.
Dennis Schroder was one of the main protagonists of a great win with 24 points and 11 assists double-double, while O.G. Anunoby scored 16 points, and Jakob Poeltl had a commanding presence under the rims with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t have the best night, scoring 16 points in around 28 minutes on the court, shooting 5/11.
While the Denver Nuggets suffered their first loss, Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks are still undefeated, winning 114-105 against the Chicago Bulls at home to improve to 4-0 at the start of the new campaign.
Luka Doncic didn’t replicate his previous games, but still got to a double-double in 40 minutes, scoring 18 points with 10 assists, just three rebounds away from a new triple-double.
Nikola Vucevic gave a great effort for the losing side, finishing the match with a strong double-double of 21 points and 20 rebounds.
The only other undefeated team so far are the Boston Celtics, who crushed the Indiana Pacers 155-104 at home, with Kristaps Porzingis scoring 13 points, being one of the eight players to finish in double figures for the winning side.
The Atlanta Hawks had another great match and defeated the Washington Wizards 130-121, with Bogdan Bogdanovic scoring 12 points, and Clint Capela reaching a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. On the other side, Deni Avdija had 22 points, while Danilo Gallinari added eight.
Jonas Valanciunas finished a rebound shy of a double-double in a 106-110 victory for the New Orleans Pelicans against the Oklahoma City Thunder, scoring 19 points, while Alperen Sengun had the same amount in a 128-119 Houston Rockets win over the Charlotte Hornets, with seven boards. The Utah Jazz defeated the struggling Memphis Grizzlies 133-109, with Lauri Markkanen leading the way, also scoring 19 points, with 11 rebounds.
The Golden State and Sacramento Kings played a thrilling match, with the Warriors prevailing 102-101 in the end. Dario Saric had a strong performance for the winners with 15 points, while Domantas Sabonis was on the verge of a triple-double for the guests with 23 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists.
NBA results:
Detroit – Portland 101-110 (Camara 7p, 7r)
Toronto – Milwaukee 130-111 (Scrhoder 24p, 11as, Anunoby 16p, Poeltl 14p, 11r – G. Antetokounmpo 16p)
Atlanta – Washington 130-121 (Bogdanovic 12p, Capela 10p, 11r – Avdija 22p, Gallinari 8p, 5r, Colibaly 5p)
Boston – Indiana 155-104 (Porzingis 13p, 6r, Mykhailiuk 5p)
Miami – Brooklyn 105-109
New York – Cleveland 89-95 (Hartenstein 6r)
Oklahoma – New Orleans 106-110 (Dieng 2p, Sarr 5r – Valanciunas 19p, 9r)
Houston – Charlotte 128-119 (Sengun 19p, 7r – Maledon 5p, 6r)
Minnesota – Denver 110-89 (Gobert 4p, 12r – Jokic 25p, 10r)
Dallas – Chicago 114-105 (Doncic 18p, 10a, 7r – Vucevic 21p, 20r)
Utah – Memphis 133-109 (Markkanen 19p, 11r, Fontecchio 5p, Yurtseven 3p)
Golden State – Sacramento 102-101 (Saric 15p, 6r – Sabonis 23p, 11r, 8a, Vezenkov 2p, 5r)
LA Lakers – LA Clippers 130-125 OT (Zubac 7p, 9r)