By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
After missing six games due to a sprained thumb, Kyrie Irving reunited with Luka Doncic and powered the Dallas Mavericks to the win, 118-102, versus the Philadelphia 76ers in Wells Fargo Center on Monday. Besides Irving’s game-high 23 points, the Slovenian sensation chipped in 19 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and one steal. Fellow starter, German Maxi Kleber added 14 points, five assists, four rebounds, and one block.
With Joel Embiid set for surgery in his left knee, French Nicolas Batum (left hamstring strain) was on the injury list of head coach Nick Nurse as well. Turkish Furkan Korkmaz played six minutes and pulled down one rebound but did not attempt a shot.
Looking to catch up with the leading teams in the Western Conference, the Mavs went up to 27-23, forcing the hosts to 30-19.
Lithuania’s Twin Towers in action
Domantas Sabonis piling up his 15th triple-double of the 2023-24 NBA Regular Season was combined with the Sacramento Kings falling, 136-110, to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The Lithuanian big ended up with 12 points, 19 rebounds, and 15 assists over 34 minutes. Lasting three minutes, Ukrainian Alex Len produced one assist. Bulgarian Sasha Vezenkov (right ankle sprain) remained on the injury list.
In Smoothie King Center, Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas posted a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double as the New Orleans Pelicans secured a win, 138-100, over the Toronto Raptors. He also dished out three assists. For the team coached by Serbian Darko Rajakovic, Austrian Jakob Poeltl recorded 14 points, nine rebounds, two blocks, one steal, and one assist. German Dennis Schroder did not score but had five assists.
More games and European showings
Charlotte Hornets – Los Angeles Lakers 118-124 (Frank Ntilikina INJ)
Atlanta Hawks – Los Angeles Clippers 144-149 (Bogdan Bogdanovic 16pts, 6ast, 3reb, 1stl, Clint Capela INJ, Vit Krejci INJ – Daniel Theis 9pts, 8reb, 2ast, Moussa Diabate INJ, Ivica Zubac INJ)
Brooklyn Nets – Golden State Warriors 98-109 (Dario Saric 3pts, 1stl, Usman Garuba INA)
Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics 38-12
2. Cleveland Cavaliers 32-16
3. Milwaukee Bucks 33-17
4. New York Knicks 32-18
5. Philadelphia 76ers 30-19
6. Indiana Pacers 28-23
7. Orlando Magic 27-23
8. Miami Heat 26-24
9. Chicago Bulls 23-27
10. Atlanta Hawks 22-28
11. Brooklyn Nets 20-29
12. Toronto Raptors 17-33
13. Charlotte Hornets 10-39
14. Washington Wizards 9-40
15. Detroit Pistons 6-43
Western Conference
1. Oklahoma City Thunder 35-15
2. Minnesota Timberwolves 35-15
3. Los Angeles Clippers 34-15
4. Denver Nuggets 35-16
5. Sacramento Kings 29-20
6. Phoenix Suns 29-21
7. New Orleans Pelicans 29-21
8. Dallas Mavericks 27-23
9. Los Angeles Lakers 27-25
10. Utah Jazz 25-26
11. Houston Rockets 23-26
12. Golden State Warriors 22-25
13. Memphis Grizzlies 18-32
14. Portland Trail Blazers 15-35
15. San Antonio Spurs 10-40
-Teams ranking first through sixth advance directly to the Playoffs
-Teams ranking seventh through tenth compete in the Play-Ins
Photo Credit: Getty Images