By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Complementing a 39-point effort by Kevin Durant, Turkish Alperen Sengun posted a 25-point, 14-rebound double-double alongside three assists, one block, and one steal, with the Houston Rockets taking over in the fourth quarter and holding on down the stretch to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 110-105, in Toyota Center. The 23-year-old center dominated his matchup opposite French Rudy Gobert, from dazzling individual efforts to combining scoring with creativity. Swiss backup Clint Capela chipped in four points, three rebounds, one steal, and one assist. For the visitors, 33-year-old Gobert combined a 10-point, 13-rebound double-double with two blocks, two steals, and one assist. Fellow starter, Italian Donte DiVincenzo reached eight points, eight rebounds, four assists, one block, and one steal. French reserve, Joan Beringer, was limited to one rebound in a brief showing.
Returning from a left knee partial meniscus tear on Friday, Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis logged 21:14 off the bench, helping the Sacramento Kings overpower the Washington Wizards, 128-115, in Golden 1 Center. The 29-year-old forward/center ended up with 13 points, six rebounds, five assists, one block, and one steal. Back from a three-game league suspension, German Dennis Schroder went for 15 points, five assists, and one rebound. French starter, Maxime Raynaud, got four points, eight rebounds, five assists, and one steal, but Croatian Dario Saric did not play. On the opposite side, French Alex Sarr recorded 19 points, four rebounds, three assists, and one block, with fellow French import Bilal Coulibaly (lower back stiffness) and Serbian Tristan Vukcevic (left knee soreness) on the inactive list.
After missing the previous game with a left ankle sprain, Croatian Ivica Zubac posted a 16-point, 14-rebound double-double and dished two assists, pushing the Los Angeles Clippers to an overtime win, 121-117, against the Toronto Raptors in Scotiabank Arena. “In the first half, they were kind of jumping us, pressuring, firing at James [Harden], doing all different kinds of stuff. Once we figured out what they wanted to do and how they do it, we got to our spots, we kept the good spacing, and we got any shots we wanted to,” the 28-year-old center described his side overcoming a slow start and an early 14-point hole.
Fellow starter, French Nicolas Batum, was limited to just over six minutes, packing one rebound and one block, with Swiss reserve Yanic Konan Niederhauser registering five points and two rebounds, but Serbian Bogdan Bogdanovic (left hamstring injury management) stayed on the injury list. For the team coached by Serbian Darko Rajakovic, Austrian Jakob Poeltl (lower back strain) remained out, but Georgian Sandro Mamukelashvili put up 13 points, two rebounds, and one assist, lasting 22:10, despite dealing with an illness.
Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets edged out the Chicago Bulls, 112-109. Israeli Danny Wolf reached 13 points, four assists, four rebounds, one block, and one steal, and French Nolan Traore tallied eight points, seven assists, two rebounds, and one steal, with Russian starter Egor Demin at five points, two assists, and one block for the team coached by Spanish Jordi Fernandez. In contrast, Israeli Ben Saraf remained on his G League assignment with affiliate, Long Island Nets.
Settling on the wrong end at Barclays Center, despite coming back from a 20-point deficit, the Bulls featured two European starters in Montenegrin Nikola Vucevic and Lithuanian Matas Buzelis. They went from 19 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two blocks, to 15 points, six rebounds, four blocks, three assists, and one steal, respectively. French Noa Essengue (left shoulder surgery) has been ruled out for the remainder of the 2025-26 NBA Regular Season.
Logging just under 15 minutes off the bench, Turkish Adem Bona registered four points, four rebounds, and three blocks for the Philadelphia 76ers in a narrow loss, 117-115, to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Xfinity Mobile Arena.
With Croatian Karlo Matkovic also lasting nearly 15 minutes for three points and two rebounds, the New Orleans Pelicans fell, 127-119, to the Indiana Pacers in Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Friday results
Indiana Pacers – New Orleans Pelicans 127-119
Philadelphia 76ers – Cleveland Cavaliers 115-117
Brooklyn Nets – Chicago Bulls 112-109
Toronto Raptors – Los Angeles Clippers 117-121 OT (109-109)
Houston Rockets – Minnesota Timberwolves 110-105
Sacramento Kings – Washington Wizards 128-115
Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Detroit Pistons 29-10
2. Boston Celtics 25-15
3. New York Knicks 25-16
4. Toronto Raptors 25-18
5. Orlando Magic 23-18
6. Cleveland Cavaliers 24-19
7. Philadelphia 76ers 22-18
8. Miami Heat 21-20
9. Atlanta Hawks 20-23
10. Chicago Bulls 19-22
11. Milwaukee Bucks 17-24
12. Charlotte Hornets 15-26
13. Brooklyn Nets 12-27
14. Washington Wizards 10-30
15. Indiana Pacers 10-32
Western Conference
1. Oklahoma City Thunder 35-7
2. Denver Nuggets 28-13
3. San Antonio Spurs 28-13
4. Minnesota Timberwolves 27-15
5. Houston Rockets 24-15
6. Los Angeles Lakers 24-15
7. Phoenix Suns 24-17
8. Golden State Warriors 23-19
9. Portland Trail Blazers 20-22
10. Los Angeles Clippers 18-23
11. Memphis Grizzlies 17-23
12. Dallas Mavericks 16-26
13. Utah Jazz 14-27
14. Sacramento Kings 12-30
15. New Orleans Pelicans 10-34
-Top 6 teams from each conference advance directly to the Playoffs
-Teams seventh through tenth from each conference advance to the Play-Ins