By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Climbing up the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets found the 113-104 win on the road against the Toronto Raptors thanks to an offensive push in the first half.
As expected, Nikola Jokic put up a double-double of 31 points and 15 rebounds, with 6 assists and 2 blocks, commenting he felt the pressure of performing. “There’s a Serbian population here, so I’m kind of glad that we won the game”, the back-to-back NBA MVP commented.
Toronto’s head coach Darko Rajakovic also took time to comment on the Serbian superstar’s performance. “That’s Nikola Jokic. It’s nothing new in this league, it’s happening every single night”, he said about the Denver Nuggets‘ leader.
Not only did the 28-year-old player massively contribute to his team’s victory, but also marked his 400th career double-double and his NBA-leading 24th of the season. Moreover, after this performance, he has now scored at least 30 points against every NBA opponent.
On the losing end, Pascal Siakam tried his best to contain him and ended with 18 points, 5 rebounds, and a sloppy night from the three-point line (1/5). The British O.G. Anunoby also had a bad shooting night and ended with 9 points with 3 assists. Jacob Poeltl added 4 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, while Dennis Schroder had 7 points and 7 assists.
With another important game off the bench, Nikola Jokic’s countryman Bogdan Bogdanovic powered up the Atlanta Hawks with 22 points (4/8 from three), 4 rebounds, and 5 assists against the Houston Rockets. Clint Capela added 15 points and 9 rebounds, getting over Alperen Sengun; the Turkish talent ended with 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Talking about clutch players from the former Yugoslavia region, Luka Doncic went close to another triple-double with 28 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists for Dallas, but Jason Kidd’s team eventually lost to the Los Angeles Clippers, which extended their winning streak to nine games. Former Partizan’s Dante Exum had 16 points and 6 boards, while the European big duo of Ivica Zubac and Daniel Theis combined for 33 points and 11 rebounds in the win.
The European core of the Orlando Magic had another important showing in the Florida derby against the Heat but provided losing efforts as Miami won 115-106 on the road. Paolo Banchero went close to a triple-double with 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists, while Franz Wagner had 15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals. Finally, his brother Moritz added 11 points and 7 rebounds.
Lauri Markkanen had the umpteenth double-double of his Utah Jazz tenure with 26 points and 10 rebounds, but the King in the North wasn’t enough to lead his team to victory against Cleveland. Simone Fontecchio added 9 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists. Losing the clash with a monstrous Joel Embiid (51 points), Rudy Gobert had 8 points and 9 rebounds in Minnesota’s loss against Philadelphia.
NBA Results and other European performances
Cleveland Cavaliers – Utah Jazz 124-116
Indiana Pacers – Charlotte Hornets 144-113
Orlando Magic – Miami Heat 106-115 (Bitadze 4 p, 6 r)
Philadelphia 76ers – Minnesota Timberwolves 127-113
Brooklyn Nets – New York Knicks 102-121 (Hartenstein 2 p, 10 r, 3 a)
Toronto Raptors – Denver Nuggets 104-113
Chicago Bulls – Los Angeles Lakers 124-108 (Vucevic 13 p, 10 r)
Houston Rockets – Atlanta Hawks 127-134
Dallas Mavericks – Los Angeles Clippers 111-120
Sacramento Kings – Boston Celtics 119-140
Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics 21-6
2. Milwaukee Bucks 20-7
3. Philadelphia 76ers 19-8
4. Orlando Magic 16-10
5. New York Knicks 16-11
6. Cleveland Cavaliers 16-12
7. Miami Heat 16-12
8. Indiana Pacers 14-12
9. Brooklyn Nets 13-14
10. Atlanta Hawks 12-15
11. Chicago Bulls 12-17
12. Toronto Raptors 11-16
13. Charlotte Hornets 7-19
14. Washington Wizards 4-22
15. Detroit Pistons 2-25
Western Conference
1. Minnesota Timberwolves 20-6
2. Oklahoma City Thunder 17-8
3. Denver Nuggets 19-10
4. Los Angeles Clippers 17-10
5. Sacramento Kings 16-10
6. Dallas Mavericks 16-11
7. New Orleans Pelicans 16-12
8. Los Angeles Lakers 15-13
9. Houston Rockets 13-12
10. Phoenix Suns 14-13
11. Golden State Warriors 13-14
12. Utah Jazz 10-18
13. Memphis Grizzlies 7-19
14. Portland Trail Blazers 7-19
15. San Antonio Spurs 4-22
-Teams ranking first through sixth advance directly to the Playoffs
-Teams ranking seventh through tenth compete in the Play-Ins
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images