Giannis Bucks, victorious over Jokic, Nuggets

By Eurohoops Team / info@eurohoops.net

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 36 points, 18 rebounds and five assists as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Denver Nuggets 112 – 95. It’s the second straight win for the Bucks that were previously on a 1 – 5 record since Doc Rivers took over.

Antetokounmpo was particularly pleased with the team’s collective performance on defense. “Right now, we are trying to kind of help one another defensively and just make it as tough as possible,” the Greek Freak said. “This is team defense. Nobody can do it by himself. Right now, I feel like we are buying into that philosophy as a team.”

Nikola Jokic produced 29 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists for the Nuggets. He saw Jamal Murray getting sidelined after the halftime break due to shin splints.

Luka Doncic posted his 10th triple-double this season with 26 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds to lead the Dallas Mavericks past the Washington Wizards 112 – 104 for their fifth straight win.

Doncic, fresh off being named Western Conference Player of the Week, received stitches after a charge by Corey Kispert. “With the stitches and the nose, he’s rolling with the face right now,” said Mavericks coach Jason Kidd. “He’ll be fine. He’s not soft. That’s for sure.”

Deni Avdija had 25 points and seven rebounds for the Wizards.

Victor Wembanyama got his first triple-double with blocks and second overall in the NBA. Behind 27 points, 14 rebounds and a career-high 10 blocks by the French rookie star, the San Antonio Spurs crushed the Toronto Raptors 122 – 99 to register their first victory after five consecutive defeats.

“I felt great today,” Wembanyama said. “Great rhythm, started the game strong. I guess it’s just the NBA, you know. We’ve got ups and downs in terms of shape, and today was an up day.”

Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic was displeased with the effort made by his team. “his is not the competitive spirit we want,” he commented. Jakob Poeltl contributed 12 points and six rebounds for the Raptors.

The Chicago Bulls got back on a winning track by beating the Atlanta Hawks 136 – 26. Nikola Vucevic contributed 24 points and 11 rebounds to the win.

Bogdan Bogdanovic led all Hawks scorers with 28 points off the bench but his team lacked the necessary defensive performance to counter the Bulls‘ game.

The rest of Monday’s NBA results and notable Euro performers:

Charlotte Hornets – Indiana Pacers 111 – 102

Cleveland Cavaliers – Philadelphia 76ers 121 – 123

Houston Rockets – New York Knicks 105 – 103 (Alperen Sengun 18 points – 6 rebounds, Bojan Bogdanovic 15 points)

Memphis Grizzlies – New Orleans Pelicans 87 – 96

Utah Jazz – Golden State Warriors 107 – 129 (Lauri Markkanen 19 points, five rebounds)

Los Angeles Clippers – Minnesota Timberwolves 100 – 121 (Rudy Gobert 17 points – 10 rebounds, Ivica Zubac six points – 11 rebouns)

Standings (via NBA.com):

Eastern Conference