By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
“I try to set the tone every night, be the best defender of the world every night, and help the team win,” stressed French center Rudy Gobert in a postgame interview after posting an 18-point, 12-rebound double-double to go with five assists, three blocks, and one steal, leading Minnesota Timberwolves to a 115–107 win against the Toronto Raptors at Target Center. Fellow starter, Italian Donte DiVincenzo, threw in 16 points, but Frenchman Joan Beringer saw limited action. For the team coached by Serbian Darko Rajakovic, Austrian starter Jakob Poeltl finished with nine points, and Georgian Sandro Mamukelashvili reached 11.
In a 126–110 victory over the Brooklyn Nets at Kaseya Center, Swedish starter Pelle Larsson put in 16 points and Lithuanian Kasparas Jakucionis added 11 for the Miami Heat. The hosts were without Italian Simone Fontecchio (left groin strain), Serbian Nikola Jovic (low back injury management), and Russian Vladislav Goldin (G League assignment). For the team coached by Spanish Jordi Fernandez, French starter Nolan Traore had nine points, while Israelis Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf got six and zero points, respectively, with Russian Egor Demin (left plantar fascia injury management) out.
Despite being questionable with an illness, Turkish center Alperen Sengun recorded 17 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds in the Houston Rockets’ 115–113 overtime loss to the Golden State Warriors at Toyota Center, with Swiss backup Clint Capela at four points. With Latvian Kristaps Porzingis (general illness) missing his sixth straight game in the 2025-26 NBA Regular Season, the visitors featured Dutch reserves Quinten Post, tallying three points, and Malevy Leons falling shy of scoring on Thursday.
The Utah Jazz spoiled Trae Young’s debut with a 122–112 win over the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. French starter Bilal Coulibaly scored 17 points for the hosts, who were missing Frenchman Alex Sarr (right hamstring strain) and Serbian Tristan Vukcevic (left thigh contusion). For Utah, Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk did not play, while Finnish star Lauri Markkanen (right hip impingement) and Bosnian Jusuf Nurkic (nose injury recovery) were sidelined.
At Kia Center, German Tristan da Silva led the Orlando Magic with 19 points in a 115–114 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Other European contributors were Georgian Goga Bitadze’s eight points, German Moritz Wagner’s six points, and Frenchman Noah Penda’s four points, though German Franz Wagner (left high ankle sprain injury management) remained out. On the Mavs, Greek John Poulakidas was sent to the G League.
In the New Orleans Pelicans’ 133–123 victory over the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center, Croatian Karlo Matkovic contributed nine points, nine rebounds, and three blocks. On the wrong end, the French duo of starter Maxime Raynaud and reserve Killian Hayes had ten and four points, respectively, but Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis (left knee meniscus repair) remained unavailable.
Finally, at Mortgage Matchup Center, French starter Guerschon Yabusele powered up the Chicago Bulls in a 105–103 win over the Phoenix Suns with 16 points. However, Lithuanian Matas Buzelis (right ankle sprain) joined Frenchman Noa Essengue (left shoulder surgery) on the injury report.
Thursday results
Orlando Magic – Dallas Mavericks 115-114
Washington Wizards – Utah Jazz 112-122
Miami Heat – Brooklyn Nets 126-110
Houston Rockets – Golden State Warriors 113-115 OT (101-101)
Minnesota Timberwolves – Toronto Raptors 115-107
San Antonio Spurs – Detroit Pistons 121-106
Phoenix Suns – Chicago Bulls 103-105
Denver Nuggets – Los Angeles Lakers 120-113
Sacramento Kings – New Orleans Pelicans 123-133
Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Detroit Pistons 45-16
2. Boston Celtics 41-21
3. New York Knicks 40-23
4. Cleveland Cavaliers 39-24
5. Toronto Raptors 35-27
6. Philadelphia 76ers 34-28
7. Orlando Magic 33-28
8. Miami Heat 34-29
9. Charlotte Hornets 32-31
10. Atlanta Hawks 32-31
11. Milwaukee Bucks 26-35
12. Chicago Bulls 26-37
13. Washington Wizards 16-46
14. Indiana Pacers 15-47
15. Brooklyn Nets 15-47
Western Conference
1. Oklahoma City Thunder 49-15
2. San Antonio Spurs 45-17
3. Minnesota Timberwolves 40-23
4. Houston Rockets 38-23
5. Denver Nuggets 39-24
6. Los Angeles Lakers 37-25
7. Phoenix Suns 35-27
8. Golden State Warriors 32-30
9. Los Angeles Clippers 30-31
10. Portland Trail Blazers 30-33
11. Memphis Grizzlies 23-38
12. Dallas Mavericks 21-41
13. New Orleans Pelicans 20-44
14. Utah Jazz 19-44
15. Sacramento Kings 14-50
-Top 6 teams from each conference advance directly to the Playoffs
-Teams seventh through tenth from each conference advance to the Play-Ins