By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Golden State Warriors pulled away in the second half to beat the Denver Nuggets 134–114 at Ball Arena, earning their first win of the 2026–27 NBA Regular Season on Monday. Serbian superstar Nikola Jokic put up 19 points on 8/18 shooting, adding 11 assists, seven rebounds, three blocks, and one steal, but his effort wasn’t enough for the hosts. The Warriors countered with a spectacular night from rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, who led everyone with 31 points, with European contribution limited to Dutch Malevy Leons grabbing one rebound in garbage time.
After ruling out both Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace indefinitely, the Oklahoma City Thunder improved to 4–0 by defeating the Phoenix Suns 125–114 at Paycom Center. Belgian starter Ajay Mitchell stepped up with 10/16 from the field to secure a career-high 30 points, alongside five assists and two rebounds. German fellow starter Isaiah Hartenstein helped control the glass with a 15-point, 13-rebound double-double. Off the bench, Spanish Aday Mara added 11 points and 10 rebounds. The night wasn’t entirely perfect for the thin roster, though, as Alex Caruso left early with a right ankle sprain.
A late run at the Toyota Center carried the Houston Rockets past the Atlanta Hawks 120–110. Turkish starter Alperen Sengun was the best player on the floor, notching 29 points on 11/15 shooting, missing a triple-double by just one rebound and one assist while forcing six steals. Serbian Bogdan Bogdanovic provided five points, while Swiss Clint Capela finished with two points and two rebounds in a brief appearance.
Diabate shines, Iisalo keeps Grizzlies perfect
At Spectrum Center, Brandon Miller poured in 39 points to guide the Charlotte Hornets past the Washington Wizards 110–103. French starter Moussa Diabate dominated inside, clearing 17 rebounds to go with his 11 points and three blocks. “That’s just something I kind of figured out just as we were playing, like the first two years. The first year I got here, really. From the first year I got here, the main way that I got a chance to get in the rotation was because I was rebounding the ball and playing hard, and I just stuck with it,” 24-year-old Diabate replied to a question about his 11 offensive boards.
Furthemore, German starter Dennis Schroder organized the backcourt for the team coached by Charles Lee with eight points and five assists. In bench contributions, French Tidjane Salaun and German Christian Anderson Jr., added five and three points, respectively, but German Hannes Steinbach stayed on the bench. Starting for Washington, French Alex Sarr scored 12 points, and countryman Bilal Coulibaly had three.
Finnish Tuomas Iisalo has the Memphis Grizzlies off to a 4–0 start after a 110–105 win over the Utah Jazz at Delta Center. Six players scored in double figures, including Dutch Quinten Post with 12 points in just 12 minutes off the bench. “Our guys played really well, especially the group off the bench,” the 44-year-old play-caller said after the game, praising their energy on the second night of a back-to-back. The hosts struggled after Finnish star Lauri Markkanen left with a right wrist injury after six minutes, while Ukrainian reserve Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk went scoreless over 13 minutes.
Cavs outlast Edwards’ 47 points in OT
An overtime thriller at Rocket Arena ended with the Cleveland Cavaliers edging out the Minnesota Timberwolves 127–125. The Cavs managed to survive a 47-point explosion from Anthony Edwards. Croatian Mario Hezonja gave them three points off the bench, but Dutch Tristan Enaruna did not see action. Starting for the Wolves, Rudy Gobert had 0/9 from the floor but still impacted the game with 20 rebounds, with French reserve Joan Beringer at 12 points.
At TD Garden, the Boston Celtics dismantled the Chicago Bulls 134–99. “We have a great group, and that always helps us play connected,” mentioned Spanish Hugo Gonzalez after leading the secondary unit with 13 points and five rebounds. Portuguese Neemias Queta and Bosnian Luka Garza combined for 13 points inside. For the Bulls, Lithuanian starter Matas Buzelis tallied 11 points, and French reserve Noa Essengue was cleared from a head contusion to log 16 scoreless minutes.
Finally, the Milwaukee Bucks protected their home floor with a 110–102 win against the Indiana Pacers. Lithuanian Kasparas Jakucionis recorded seven points and five assists, matching Italian Nate Ament’s scoring output off the bench, but French Ousmane Dieng went scoreless, and Bogoljub Markovic did not check in. For Indiana, Croatian Ivica Zubac was formally sidelined indefinitely with a left ankle sprain.
Monday games
Charlotte Hornets – Washington Wizards 110-103
Cleveland Cavaliers – Minnesota Timberwolves 127-125 OT (113-113)
Boston Celtics – Chicago Bulls 134-99
Miami Heat – Dallas Mavericks 109-113
Milwaukee Bucks – Indiana Pacers 110-102
Oklahoma City Thunder – Phoenix Suns 125-114
Houston Rockets – Atlanta Hawks 120-110
Utah Jazz – Memphis Grizzlies 105-110
Denver Nuggets – Golden State Warriors 114-134
Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Detroit Pistons 3-0
2. Philadelphia 76ers 3-1
3. Charlotte Hornets 3-1
4. Toronto Raptors 2-1
5. Boston Celtics 2-1
6. Cleveland Cavaliers 2-1
7. Atlanta Hawks 2-2
8. Washington Wizards 2-2
9. Indiana Pacers 2-2
10. Orlando Magic 1-2
11. Chicago Bulls 1-3
12. Milwaukee Bucks 1-3
13. New York Knicks 0-3
14. Brooklyn Nets 0-3
15. Miami Heat 0-4
Western Conference
1. Houston Rockets 4-0
2. Oklahoma City Thunder 4-0
3. Memphis Grizzlies 4-0
4. Los Angeles Lakers 3-0
5. Portland Trail Blazers 2-0
6. Minnesota Timberwolves 3-1
7. Dallas Mavericks 2-2
8. San Antonio Spurs 1-2
9. Los Angeles Clippers 1-2
10. Denver Nuggets 1-2
11. Phoenix Suns 1-2
12. Golden State Warriors 1-3
13. Utah Jazz 1-3
14. New Orleans Pelicans 0-3
15. Sacramento Kings 0-3
-Top 6 teams in each conference advance directly to the Playoffs
-7th through 10th place teams in each conference qualify for the Play-In tournament
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