By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
French starting center Rudy Gobert recorded a double-double with 22 points and 17 rebounds, while Anthony Edwards scored 40 as the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Dallas Mavericks 122–111 at Target Center on Friday. Despite his performance, 33-year-old Gobert faces a one-game suspension following a second-quarter flagrant foul. Italian starter Donte DiVincenzo added nine points, and French Joan Beringer chipped in two. “It’s a tough team. They play hard. They have talent. We knew it was going to be a test, and they gave us a big test,” recapped Gobert in a postgame interview. “I’m proud of the way we played in the fourth.”
“I am kind of getting back the feel for the game again. I was out for a while, and it was so weird coming back,” said Serbian Nikola Topic after throwing in nine points as the Oklahoma City Thunder topped the Brooklyn Nets 105–86. German starter Isaiah Hartenstein recorded 10 points, but Belgian Ajay Mitchell (abdominal strain / left ankle sprain) remained out. For Spanish Jordi Fernandez’s Nets, Frenchman Nolan Traore reached 17 points, while Russian fellow starter Egor Demin and Israeli Danny Wolf were limited to three and eight points, respectively. Israeli Ben Saraf remained with the G League’s Long Island Nets.
Elsewhere in the 2025-26 NBA Regular Season, the Milwaukee Bucks overcame the latest absence of Greek superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo (right calf strain) to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 139–118. France’s Ousmane Dieng scored 10 off the bench in Smoothie King Center, and Thanasis Antetokounmpo added two, while his brother Alex was with the affiliate Wisconsin Herd. Croatian Karlo Matkovic scored nine for the Pelicans.
Finnish play-caller Tuomas Iisalo led the Memphis Grizzlies to a 123–114 win over the Utah Jazz, despite missing Spain’s Santi Aldama (right knee injury management). The Jazz were short-handed as Finnish Lauri Markkanen and Bosnian Jusuf Nurkic both missed the game due to illness and injury management, with Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk staying on the bench.
In Spectrum Center, Donovan Mitchell’s 32 points led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 118–113 win over the Charlotte Hornets. German Dennis Schroder added eight points, but Dutch Tristan Enaruna stayed on the bench. France’s Tidjane Salaun scored three for Charlotte, but the team sat out French Moussa Diabate (league suspension) and British Tosan Evbuomwan.
In State Farm Arena, the Miami Heat dominated the Atlanta Hawks 128–97. Sweden’s Pelle Larsson scored 12, while Kasparas Jakucionis, Simone Fontecchio, and Nikola Jovic contributed four, three, and one points, respectively, and Russian Vladislav Goldin was assigned to the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Starting for the Hawks, France’s Zaccharie Risacher got four points.
Finally, Serbian Tristan Vukcevic scored 14 points before exiting with a hand injury in the Washington Wizards‘ 131–118 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Fellow European starter, France’s Bilal Coulibaly, added 13, though French teammate Alex Sarr remained sidelined. The Pacers played without Croatian Ivica Zubac.
Friday results
Charlotte Hornets – Cleveland Cavaliers 113-118
Washington Wizards – Indiana Pacers 131-118
Memphis Grizzlies – Utah Jazz 123-114
Atlanta Hawks – Miami Heat 97-128
Minnesota Timberwolves – Dallas Mavericks 122-111
New Orleans Pelicans – Milwaukee Bucks 118-139
Oklahoma City Thunder – Brooklyn Nets 105-86
Portland Trail Blazers – Denver Nuggets 103-157
Los Angeles Lakers – Los Angeles Clippers 125-122
Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Detroit Pistons 41-13
2. Boston Celtics 36-19
3. Cleveland Cavaliers 36-21
4. New York Knicks 35-21
5. Toronto Raptors 33-23
6. Philadelphia 76ers 30-26
7. Orlando Magic 29-25
8. Miami Heat 30-27
9. Atlanta Hawks 27-31
10. Charlotte Hornets 26-31
11. Milwaukee Bucks 24-30
12. Chicago Bulls 24-32
13. Washington Wizards 16-39
14. Brooklyn Nets 15-40
15. Indiana Pacers 15-42
Western Conference
1. Oklahoma City Thunder 43-14
2. San Antonio Spurs 39-16
3. Denver Nuggets 36-21
4. Houston Rockets 34-20
5. Los Angeles Lakers 34-21
6. Minnesota Timberwolves 35-22
7. Phoenix Suns 32-24
8. Golden State Warriors 29-27
9. Los Angeles Clippers 27-29
10. Portland Trail Blazers 27-30
11. Memphis Grizzlies 21-33
12. Dallas Mavericks 19-36
13. Utah Jazz 18-39
14. New Orleans Pelicans 15-42
15. Sacramento Kings 12-45
-Top 6 teams from each conference advance directly to the Playoffs
-Teams seventh through tenth from each conference advance to the Play-Ins