By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
After 18 consecutive losses in the NBA Regular Season, the San Antonio Spurs managed to take down the Los Angeles Lakers 129-115 at home, with Victor Wembanyama particularly shining in the clash against the purple-and-yellow franchise.
The French rookie put up a double-double of 13 points and 15 rebounds while adding 5 assists and 2 steals. “Feels like a playoff game for me. We love this feeling. This is what I’m addicted to, this is what I love”, he said in the post-game press conference. “I had no feelings about it on the court”, he added about facing LeBron James for the very first time.
Also, Jeremy Sochan went close to a double-double with 11 points and 8 rebounds, while Cedi Osman contributed to Gregg Popovich’s victory with 15 points and 6 assists off the bench. On the losing end, the Chosen One had 23 points, 14 assists, and 7 rebounds.
His former teammate Bilal Coulibaly helped the Washington Wizards with 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 6/9 from the field off the bench against the Indiana Pacers. The French rookie was joined by Deni Avdija, who had 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Danilo Gallinari scored 4 points with 5 rebounds.
The Paolo Banchero-Franz Wagner-Goga Bitadze trio wasn’t enough for Orlando to contain the Boston Celtics. The American forward had 14 points and 5 rebounds, the German had 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, while the Georgian ended with a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds. The Portuguese Neemias Queta scored 4 points and added 3 rebounds.
Elsewhere in the league, Jonas Valanciunas pushed the New Orleans Pelicans to the away win in Charlotte with an outstanding double-double of 29 points and 13 rebounds shooting 11/16 from the field. Jusuf Nurkic, instead, wasn’t enough despite posting up 21 points and 12 rebounds against New York.
They weren’t the only European center with a double-double, as Clint Capela had 18 points and 15 rebounds for Atlanta’s win over Toronto, while Bogdan Bogdanovic added 20 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists. Jacob Poeltl had 15 points and 8 rebounds in his team’s loss.
Alperen Sengun won the European duel at the four with Santi Aldama, as the Turkish player led Houston with 15 points and 7 rebounds against Memphis. The Spanish power forward, instead, had 11 points and 4 rebounds.
NBA Night Results
Charlotte Hornets – New Orleans Pelicans 107-112
Philadelphia 76ers – Detroit Pistons 124-92 (Bojan Bogdanovic 17 p; Batum 4 p, 5 r, 4 a)
Washington Wizards – Indiana Pacers 137-123
Boston Celtics – Orlando Magic 128-111
Toronto Raptors – Atlanta Hawks 104-125 (Schroder 6 p, 2 r, 4 a; Anunoby 7 p, 2 r, 4 a)
San Antonio Spurs – Los Angeles Lakers 129-115
Memphis Grizzlies – Houston Rockets 96-103
Phoenix Suns – New York Knicks 122-139 (Hartenstein 7 p, 8 r, 2 a)
Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics 19-5
2. Milwaukee Bucks 17-7
3. Philadelphia 76erts 17-7
4. Orlando Magic 16-8
5. New York Knicks 14-10
6. Indiana Pacers 13-10
7. Miami Heat 14-11
8. Brooklyn Nets 13-11
9. Cleveland Cavaliers 13-12
10. Atlanta Hawks 10-14
11. Toronto Raptors 10-15
12. Chicago Bulls 10-16
13. Charlotte Hornets 7-16
14. Washington Wizards 4-20
15. Detroit Pistons 2-23
Western Conference
1. Minnesota Timberwolves 18-5
2. Denver Nuggets 17-9
3. Oklahoma City Thunder 15-8
4. Dallas Mavericks 15-9
5. Sacramento Kings 14-9
6. Houston Rockets 13-9
7. Los Angeles Clippers 14-10
8. Los Angeles Lakers 15-11
9. New Orleans Pelicans 15-11
10. Phoenix Suns 13-12
11. Golden State Warriors 10-14
12. Utah Jazz 9-16
13. Portland Trail Blazers 6-17
14. Memphis Grizzlies 6-18
15. San Antonio Spurs 4-20
-Teams ranking first through sixth advance directly to the Playoffs
-Teams ranking seventh through tenth compete in the Play-Ins
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images