By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Alperen Sengun clinched a 117-116 victory for the Houston Rockets at Chase Center by sinking a go-ahead floater with 11.1 seconds remaining, successfully overcoming a late surge by the Golden State Warriors despite a 29-point performance from a returning Stephen Curry, who missed a potential game-winner at the buzzer. The 23-year-old Turkish center finished with 24 points, seven assists, six rebounds, and two blocks to lead his side, while Swiss backup Clint Capela went scoreless but secured two rebounds during his limited minutes on the floor. For the hosts, Latvian starter Kristaps Porzingis contributed nine points. However, the lineup was thinned by the absence of Dutch Quinten Post, who remained sidelined due to injury management, with fellow Dutch option Malevy Leons staying on the bench and Turkish Omer Yurtseven being released shortly before tipoff.
The Charlotte Hornets secured a 122-108 road win against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center, prompting a frustrated response from French center Rudy Gobert regarding his team’s execution. “Rebounds, turnovers. They feed off that. It just gave them life,” he reacted after recording a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double. Fellow starter, Italy’s Donte DiVincenzo, and French reserve Joan Beringer finished with six and four points, respectively. Returning from a left ankle sprain and starting on the winning side, France’s Moussa Diabate got eight points, with fellow French option Tidjane Salaun and British Tosan Evbuomwan assigned to the Greensboro Swarm.
Elsewhere in the 2025-26 NBA Regular Season, French combo guard Nolan Traore seized his opportunity at Barclays Center by delivering a personal NBA-best 23 points to guide Spanish head coach Jordi Fernandez and the Brooklyn Nets to a 121-115 win over the Washington Wizards. The rotation was heavily impacted by injuries as Israeli Ben Saraf, Russian Egor Demin, and Israeli Danny Wolf were all unavailable for selection. The visitors faced similar struggles with their European contingent, missing French trio Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr alongside Serbian Tristan Vukcevic due to various lower-body ailments.
French starter Maxime Raynaud provided a bright spot for the Sacramento Kings with an 11-point, 15-rebound double-double at Golden 1 Center, though they suffered a lopsided 138-109 defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers. Lithuania’s Domantas Sabonis remained out for the hosts, who also saw two points from France’s Killian Hayes. For the Clippers, Serbia’s Bogdan Bogdanovic saw limited action, while France’s Nicolas Batum and Switzerland’s Yanic Konan Niederhauser were both absent.
The Orlando Magic overcame a 15-point deficit at Smoothie King Center to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans 112-108, including 11 points from German starter Franz Wagner. Supporting roles from Georgia’s Goga Bitadze and Germany’s Tristan da Silva amounted to six and two points, respectively, while Germany’s Moritz Wagner and France’s Noah Penda did not play. The Pelicans continued without Croatian Karlo Matkovic, who remained sidelined with back spasms.
German starter Isaiah Hartenstein tallied ten points as the Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the Utah Jazz 146-111 at Paycom Center, with Belgian Ajay Mitchell and Serbian Nikola Topic at seven and two points, respectively, off the bench. Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk provided 17 points for the visitors in his return to the rotation, but his side missed Finland’s Lauri Markkanen and Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Jusuf Nurkic.
Finally, Donovan Mitchell scored 38 points at Rocket Arena to help the Cleveland Cavaliers overpower the Indiana Pacers 117-108, with German reserve Dennis Schroder adding six points. The Cavs did not feature France’s Olivier Sarr and the Netherlands’ Tristan Enaruna, while the Pacers lacked Croatian Ivica Zubac.
Sunday results
Boston Celtics – Toronto Raptors 115-101
Brooklyn Nets – Washington Wizards 121-115
Chicago Bulls – Phoenix Suns 110-120
Milwaukee Bucks – Memphis Grizzlies 131-115
Cleveland Cavaliers – Indiana Pacers 117-108
Minnesota Timberwolves -Charlotte Hornets 108-122
New Orleans Pelicans – Orlando Magic 108-112
Oklahoma City Thunder – Utah Jazz 146-111
Dallas Mavericks – Los Angeles Lakers 134-128
Sacramento Kings – Los Angeles Clippers 109-138
Golden State Warriors – Houston Rockets 116-117
Standings
Eastern Conference
1. x-Detroit Pistons 57-21
2. x-Boston Celtics 53-25
3. x-New York Knicks 50-28
4. x-Cleveland Cavaliers 49-29
5. Atlanta Hawks 45-33
6. Toronto Raptors 43-35
7. Philadelphia 76ers 43-35
8. Charlotte Hornets 43-36
9. Orlando Magic 42-36
10. Miami Heat 41-37
11. o-Milwaukee Bucks 31-47
12. o-Chicago Bulls 29-49
13. o-Brooklyn Nets 19-59
14. o-Indiana Pacers 18-60
15. o-Washington Wizards 17-61
Western Conference
1. x-Oklahoma City Thunder 62-16
2. x-San Antonio Spurs 59-19
3. x-Denver Nuggets 50-28
4. x-Los Angeles Lakers 50-28
5. x-Houston Rockets 49-29
6. Minnesota Timberwolves 46-32
7. Phoenix Suns 43-35
8. y-Los Angeles Clippers 40-38
9. y-Portland Trail Blazers 40-38
10. y-Golden State Warriors 36-42
11. o-Memphis Grizzlies 25-53
12. o-Dallas Mavericks 25-53
13. o-New Orleans Pelicans 25-54
14. o-Utah Jazz 21-58
15. o-Sacramento Kings 21-58
-Top six teams from each conference advance directly to the Playoffs
-Teams seventh through tenth from each conference enter the Play-Ins
x-clinched playoff berth
y-clinched play-in berth
o-eliminated