By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Phoenix Suns, 117-93, in Mortgage Matchup Center. Croatian starter Ivica Zubac posted a 14-point, 20-rebound double-double. “Our defense was great in the first half. We were getting stop after stop. We forced a lot of misses. We forced a lot of bad shots, so there were a lot of rebounds, and in the second half, I got a little more aggressive on the offensive glass. I was able to get a few of those,” mentioned the 28-year-old center in a postgame interview. Also, French Nicolas Batum and Swiss Yanic Konan Niederhauser generated three points apiece. Serbian Bogdan Bogdanovic was available but did not return to action in the 2025-26 NBA Regular Season.
Swedish Pelle Larsson scored 20 points, with Italian Simone Fontecchio joining him in the starting lineup for two points, and the Miami Heat got a blowout win, 134-91, over the Chicago Bulls in Kaseya Center. Russian Vladislav Goldin recorded his first NBA points with four, with Lithuanian Kasparas Jakucionis putting in four points as well, but Serbian Nikola Jovic (right hip impingement) was unavailable for Sunday’s game. On the wrong end, Montenegrin Nikola Vucevic had 12 points, and fellow starter, Lithuanian Matas Buzelis, was limited to two points, with French Noa Essengue (left shoulder surgery) stuck to the injury report.
With Jarrett Allen packing 40 points, the Cleveland Cavaliers overpowered the Portland Trail Blazers, 130-111. Debuting in the league, Dutch Tristan Enaruna got two points, but German Dennis Schroder (trade pending) was unavailable for the Cavs, similar to Czech Vit Krejci (trade pending) on the opposite side of the meeting in Moda Center. Starting for head coach Tiago Splitter, French Sidy Cissoko and Belgian Toumani Camara ended up with 15 and 12 points, respectively. Off the bench, French Rayan Rupert registered three points, but Israeli Deni Avdija (lower back strain) was ruled out.
Opening a series of five straight showings in Scotiabank Arena, the Toronto Raptors and Serbian head coach Darko Rajakovic enjoyed a 107-100 victory versus the Utah Jazz. Georgian Sandro Mamukelashvili threw in 20 points off the bench, but Austrian Jakob Poeltl (lower back strain) remained sidelined. Starting for the visitors, Finnish Lauri Markkanen produced a 27-point, 11-rebound double-double, and Bosnian Jusuf Nurkic paired 11 points with 13 rebounds, with Ukrainian reserve Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk ending up at eight points.
In Little Caesars Arena, the Detroit Pistons routed the Brooklyn Nets, 130-77, for the most lopsided win in franchise history. The Eastern Conference leaders had assigned Swedish Bobi Klintman to the G League’s Motor City Cruise. However, the team coached by Spanish Jordi Fernandez featured three European starters in Israeli Danny Wolf, French Nolan Traore, and Russian Egor Demin at six, five, and three points, and Israeli reserve Ben Saraf had four points.
After mishandling a 17-point cushion, the Washington Wizards edged out the Sacramento Kings, 116-112, in Capital One Arena. Without French Alex Sarr (right calf soreness) and Serbian Tristan Vukcevic (left hamstring strain), French Bilal Coulibaly made a contribution of 15 points. With Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis (lower back soreness) being a late scratch for the team coached by Doug Christie, French Maxime Raynaud got the start and recorded 14 points.
Sunday results
Boston Celtics – Milwaukee Bucks 107-79
Detroit Pistons – Brooklyn Nets 130-77
Miami Heat – Chicago Bulls 134-91
Toronto Raptors – Utah Jazz 107-100
Washington Wizards – Sacramento Kings 116-112
New York Knicks – Los Angeles Lakers 112-100
Phoenix Suns – Los Angeles Clippers 93-117
San Antonio Spurs – Orlando Magic 112-103
Portland Trail Blazers – Cleveland Cavaliers 111-130
Denver Nuggets – Oklahoma City Thunder 111-121
Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Detroit Pistons 36-12
2. Boston Celtics 31-18
3. New York Knicks 31-18
4. Cleveland Cavaliers 30-21
5. Toronto Raptors 30-21
6. Philadelphia 76ers 27-21
7. Miami Heat 27-24
8. Orlando Magic 25-23
9. Chicago Bulls 24-26
10. Atlanta Hawks 24-27
11. Charlotte Hornets 22-28
12. Milwaukee Bucks 18-29
13. Brooklyn Nets 13-35
14. Washington Wizards 13-35
15. Indiana Pacers 13-36
Western Conference
1. Oklahoma City Thunder 39-11
2. San Antonio Spurs 33-16
3. Denver Nuggets 33-17
4. Houston Rockets 30-17
5. Minnesota Timberwolves 31-19
6. Los Angeles Lakers 29-19
7. Phoenix Suns 30-20
8. Golden State Warriors 27-23
9. Los Angeles Clippers 23-25
10. Portland Trail Blazers 23-27
11. Dallas Mavericks 19-30
12. Memphis Grizzlies 18-29
13. Utah Jazz 15-35
14. New Orleans Pelicans 13-38
15. Sacramento Kings 12-39
-Top 6 teams from each conference advance directly to the Playoffs
-Teams seventh through tenth from each conference advance to the Play-Ins