By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
A late rally by the Atlanta Hawks led to Caris LeVert beating the buzzer and setting up a win, 132-130, against the Memphis Grizzlies in FedExForum and the team coached by Quin Snyder climbing to 28-33 in the 2024-25 NBA Regular Season. French Zaccharie Risacher tallied a team-high 27 points with 11/13 field goals, including five three-pointers, four steals, one block, and one rebound over 32 minutes. Swiss reserve Clint Capela banked in 11 points, four rebounds, one block, one steal, and one assist. Czech Vit Krejci (lumbar fracture) remained sidelined. Out for the hosts, Spanish Santi Aldama (right calf soreness), was scratched for the game on Monday.
With Serbian Nikola Jovic (right hand fracture) among sidelined teammates, Swedish Pelle Larsson chipped in 16 points plus five assists and four rebounds for the Miami Heat in a win, 106-90, over the Washington Wizards in Kaseya Center. “Going into it, I didn’t really know what to expect. So, I didn’t really set a target like that,” he recounted the start of his first NBA campaign, “I know that I am very willing to learn and ready for the experience. I want to experience what it is like to be on a high-level NBA team. And I think we are heading in that direction.”
The second pick of the most recent draft, Alex Sarr, starting for the Wizards, went into nine points with 3/12 from the field, in addition to four rebounds and three assists. Fellow French starter Bilal Coulibaly ended up with three points, three rebounds, and one steal. Serbian Tristan Vukcevic checked in for two minutes and tucked in one three-pointer.
Coming off his first NBA triple-double, Israeli Deni Avdija added nine points, six rebounds, and four assists, helping the Portland Trail Blazers top the Philadelphia 76ers, 119-102, in Wells Fargo Center. Belgian Toumani Camara threw in 11 points, nine rebounds, and one assist, while French imports Rayan Rupert and Sidy Cissoko logged 64 seconds without getting on the board. Playing with protective glasses due to an eye injury, French Guerschon Yabusele paired nine points with three rebounds and three rebounds for the Sixers with Turkish teammate Adem Bona at six points, two rebounds, and one block.
With Domantas Sabonis set to miss at least one week with a grade 1 left hamstring strain, fellow Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas entered the starting lineup of the Sacramento Kings, helping his side cruise past the Dallas Mavericks, 122-98, in the American Airlines Center. The experienced center went for 14 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and two blocks, lasting 23 minutes through three quarters. The game was marked by Kyrie Irving being helped off the court after an injury to his left knee.
Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 51 points, powering the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 137-128 victory versus the Houston Rockets in Paycom Center. German Isaiah Hartenstein put in eight points, six assists, five rebounds, one block, and one steal, but French Ousmane Dieng stayed on the bench with Belgian Ajay Mitchell (right great toe surgery) and Serbian Nikola Topic (left knee surgery) on the injury list. Turkish Alperen Sengun (lower back soreness) was ruled out by the Rockets.
Playing through a right ankle sprain, Dutch Quinten Post tallied six points, three rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block as the Golden State Warriors rocked the Charlotte Hornets, 119-101, in Spectrum Center. Three European reserves on the losing end included French Tidjane Salaun dropping ten points with 3/3 triples, while Bosnian Jusuf Nurkic settled at five points, five rebounds, two assists, and one block, and French Moussa Diabate was held to 115 fruitless seconds.
In Delta Center, the Detroit Pistons overpowered the Utah Jazz, 134-106. Seventeen European points off the bench, spread between Italian Simone Fontecchio packing ten points, four rebounds, two steals, one block, and one assist, and German Dennis Schroder drawing seven points, four assists, three rebounds, and one block. For the hosts, Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk had eight points, four assists, and two rebounds, with Finnish Lauri Markkanen (low back injury management) sitting out.
Monday results
Charlotte Hornets – Golden State Warriors 101-119
Philadelphia 76ers – Portland Trail Blazers 102-119
Miami Heat – Washington Wizards 106-90
Memphis Grizzlies – Atlanta Hawks 130-132
Oklahoma City Thunder – Houston Rockets 137-128
Dallas Mavericks – Sacramento Kings 98-122
Utah Jazz – Detroit Pistons 106-134
Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Cleveland Cavaliers 50-10
2. Boston Celtics 43-18
3. New York Knicks 40-20
4. Milwaukee Bucks 34-25
5. Indiana Pacers 34-25
6. Detroit Pistons 35-27
7. Miami Heat 29-31
8. Orlando Magic 29-33
9. Atlanta Hawks 28-33
10. Chicago Bulls 24-37
11. Philadelphia 76ers 21-39
12. Brooklyn Nets 21-39
13. Toronto Raptors 19-42
14. Charlotte Hornets 14-46
15. Washington Wizards 11-49
Western Conference
1. Oklahoma City Thunder 50-11
2. Los Angeles Lakers 38-21
3. Denver Nuggets 39-22
4. Memphis Grizzlies 38-23
5. Houston Rockets 37-24
6. Golden State Warriors 33-28
7. Los Angeles Clippers 32-28
8. Sacramento Kings 32-28
9. Minnesota Timberwolves 33-29
10. Dallas Mavericks 32-30
11. Phoenix Suns 28-33
12. Portland Trail Blazers 28-34
13. San Antonio Spurs 25-34
14. New Orleans Pelicans 17-44
15. Utah Jazz 15-46
-The top six teams from each conference clinch a berth in the Playoffs
-Teams ranking seventh to tenth advance to the Play-Ins