Markkanen drops 30, Avdija and Camara make their mark despite Portland loss

By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net

A busy night in the NBA brought plenty of action, with European players taking center stage despite the absence of Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama.

Lauri Markkanen led the way in Utah Jazz’s 131-129 win over the Detroit Pistons in Salt Lake City, scoring 30 points for the hosts.

Still, it was Keyonte George who stole the spotlight, finishing with 31 points and knocking down the game-winning shot with two seconds left on the clock. Jusuf Nurkic also had a strong outing for the Jazz, posting 16 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, while Svi Mykhailiuk added nine points.

In Los Angeles, Deni Avdija delivered another impressive performance, narrowly missing a triple-double with 29 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. However, it wasn’t enough to prevent the Portland Trail Blazers from falling 119-103 to the Clippers.

Toumani Camara followed with 20 points, while Rayan Rupert added five, but Portland couldn’t overcome the Clippers. Nicolas Batum scored three points for the winning side, while Bogdan Bogdanovic went scoreless in under two minutes on the floor.

Swedish international Pelle Larsson was among the standouts in Miami Heat’s 126-111 road win over the Atlanta Hawks, finishing with 21 points, six rebounds and five assists. Nikola Jovic contributed 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Kasparas Jakucionis added eight points and two rebounds. For Atlanta, Vit Krejci scored 11 points, with Zaccharie Risacher adding five.

Boston Celtics dominated the Indiana Pacers on the road, cruising to a 140-122 victory. Luka Garza scored 15 points for the winners, while Neemias Queta added eight points and seven rebounds. Hugo Gonzalez went scoreless in just over 12 minutes of playing time.

Bilal Coulibaly scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Alex Sarr added 15 points in the Washington Wizards’ dominant 138–117 win over Darko Rajaković’s Toronto Raptors. Tristan Vukčević did not score for the winning team, while Sandro Mamukelashvili recorded a double-double for the visitors with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Eastern Conference

1. Detroit Pistons 24–7
2. New York Knicks 21–9
3. Boston Celtics 19–11
4. Toronto Raptors 18–14
5. Philadelphia 76ers 16–13
6. Orlando Magic 17–14
7. Cleveland Cavaliers 17–15
8. Miami Heat 16–15
9. Chicago Bulls 15–15
10. Atlanta Hawks 15–17
11. Milwaukee Bucks 12–19
12. Charlotte Hornets 11–20
13. Brooklyn Nets 9–19
14. Washington Wizards 6–23
15. Indiana Pacers 6–25

Western Conference

1. Oklahoma City Thunder 26–5
2. San Antonio Spurs 23–7
3. Denver Nuggets 22–8
4. Los Angeles Lakers 19–10
5. Minnesota Timberwolves 20–11
6. Houston Rockets 18–10
7. Phoenix Suns 17–13
8. Golden State Warriors 16–15
9. Memphis Grizzlies 15–16
10. Portland Trail Blazers 12–19
11. Dallas Mavericks 12–20
12. Utah Jazz 11–19
13. LA Clippers 9–21
14. New Orleans Pelicans 8–24
15. Sacramento Kings 7–23