By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Luka Doncic had 40 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists while playing only three periods and recorded the first first-half triple-double of his career in the Dallas Mavericks‘ 147-97 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.
The Slovenian star had his 60th career triple-double to move past Larry Bird and into sole possession of ninth place overall on the career list.
“Pretty amazing,” said Doncic “I don’t know what to say, honestly. We all know who Larry Bird was, so it’s pretty special.”
Doncic shot 14-of-25 from the floor, 6-of-12 on 3-pointers. He played 32 minutes, slightly above his per-game average.
For the Jazz, Turkish center Omer Yurtseven had eight points and nine rebounds, Italian Simone Fontecchio added seven points and Croatian Luka Samanic added two points.
Serbian defending champion Nikola Jokic also had a triple-double with 22 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. However, he shot 9 of 32 and the Clippers beat the Nuggets 111-102.
Croatian center Ivica Zubac had 10 points and nine rebounds for the winners, while German big man Daniel Theis added eight points and 11 rebounds.
French Rudy Gobert had 16 points and 21 rebounds and the NBA-leading Minnesota Timberwolves held on to beat San Antonio 102-94 for the Spurs‘ 15th loss in a row.
French rookie Victor Wembanyama struggled against Minnesota’s height with Gobert, Towns, and Reid, scoring just 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting. He had 10 rebounds.
Turkish swingman Cedi Osman who was a starter for the Spurs had six points, six assists and eight rebounds, while Polish forward Jeremy Sochan came off the bench for six points.
The rest of today’s results and the euro-scorers are the following.
RESULTS
Cleveland – Orlando 121-111 (F.Wagner 14 p. 9 as., Bitadze 6 p. 3 r., M.Wagner 11 p. 4 r.)
Detroit – Memphis 102-116 (Bogdanovic 22 p. 7 as. Hayes 12 p. 4 as. – Aldama 7 p.)
Washington – Philadelphia 126-131 (Avdija 8 p. 8 r. 8 as. Gallinari 7 p. 6 r. 2 as. Coulibaly 14 p. – Batum 9 p.)
Toronto – Miami 103-112 (Anunoby 23 p. 8 r. 6 as. Poeltl 2 p. 6 r. Schroder 9 p. 5 r. 5 as. – Jovic 2 r.)
Atlanta – Brooklyn 113-114 (Capela 9 p. 12 r. Bogdanovic 20 p. 4 r.)
Chicago – Charlotte 111-100 (Vucevic 20 p. 12 r.)
Houston – Oklahoma City 110-101 (Sengun 21 p. 6 r. 7 as.)
Golden State – Portland 110-106 (Saric 13 p. 6 r. – Camara 6 p. 13 r.)
Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics 15-5
2. Milwaukee Bucks 15-6
3. Orlando Magic 14-7
4. Philadelphia 76ers 13-7
5. New York Knicks 12-8
6. Indiana Pacers 11-8
7. Miami Heat 12-9
8. Cleveland Cavaliers 12-9
9. Brooklyn Nets 11-9
10. Atlanta Hawks 9-11
11. Toronto Raptors 9-12
12. Chicago Bulls 8-14
13. Charlotte Hornets 6-13
14. Washington Wizards 3-17
15. Detroit Pistons 2-19
Western Conference
1. Minnesota Timberwolves 16-4
2. Oklahoma City Thunder 13-7
3. Denver Nuggets 14-8
4. Dallas Mavericks 12-8
5. Los Angeles Lakers 13-9
6. Sacramento Kings 11-8
7. Phoenix Suns 12-9
8. New Orleans Pelicans 12-10
9. Los Angeles Clippers 10-10
10. Houston Rockets 9-9
11. Golden State Warriors 10-11
12. Utah Jazz 7-14
13. Memphis Grizzlies 6-14
13. Portland Trail Blazers 6-14
15. San Antonio Spurs 3-17
-Teams ranking first through sixth advance directly to the Playoffs
-Teams ranking seventh through tenth compete in the Play-Ins