By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Los Angeles Lakers emerged victorious to headline a packed 15-game NBA schedule on Monday, defeating the Miami Heat 138–117 at crypto.com Arena. Slovenian playmaker Luka Doncic paved the way with 42 points, 13 assists, seven rebounds, and two steals. Georgian reserve Sandro Mamukelashvili provided support from the bench, contributing 13 points. Despite a 30-point, 12-rebound, 7-assist, 2-block, and 1-steal performance from Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, the visitors fell short. Swedish Pelle Larsson had nine points, and Serbian Nikola Jovic finished with two, while Italy’s Simone Fontecchio and Russia’s Vladislav Goldin did not play.
At Ball Arena, the Denver Nuggets collapsed late, relinquishing a 14-point advantage to fall 118–110 against the Portland Trail Blazers. Serbian leader Nikola Jokic neared a triple-double with 26 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, four steals, and one block, but his efforts could not halt the visitors. Israeli Deni Avdija led Portland with 28 points, while Belgian fellow starter Toumani Camara added nine. From the bench, French Sidy Cissoko and Czech Vit Krejci shot a perfect 4-of-4 combined from the field to score eight and two points, respectively.
Meanwhile, French superstar Victor Wembanyama controlled the interior with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks, steering the San Antonio Spurs to a comfortable 119–97 win against the Utah Jazz. The visitors struggled to find a rhythm outside of Finnish starter Lauri Markkanen, who netted a game-high 22 points. Ukrainian reserve Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk endured a difficult shooting night, converting just one of his seven attempts to finish with three points.
Sengun posts 26-point double-double
At Toyota Center, the Houston Rockets dismantled the Boston Celtics 109–93. Turkish starter Alperen Sengun finished with 26 points, ten assists, seven rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. However, Swiss Clint Capela sat out with a right ankle sprain, and Serbian Bogdan Bogdanovic went scoreless. Boston’s starting lineup featured Portuguese Neemias Queta and Spanish Hugo Gonzalez, who recorded 16 and six points, respectively. Bosnian reserve Luka Garza added 14 points, but Great Britain’s Amari Williams did not suit up.
A tight game unfolded at FedExForum, where the New Orleans Pelicans edged out the Memphis Grizzlies 135–134 in overtime. The defeat marked the first loss of the 2026–27 Regular Season for the team coached by Finnish Tuomas Iisalo, despite a 40-point night from Ty Jerome. They had ruled out Dutch Quinten Post, who recently sustained an ankle injury. For the Pels, Croatian starter Karlo Matkovic matched Zion Williamson with a team-high 25 points.
An equally competitive battle occurred at Rocket Arena, where Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 43 points to guide the Oklahoma City Thunder past the Cleveland Cavaliers 117–112. Belgian starter Ajay Mitchell stepped up with 20 points, while German starter Isaiah Hartenstein grabbed 14 rebounds to go with his five points. Spanish rookie Aday Mara also provided a spark with ten points off the bench. Croatian veteran Mario Hezonja logged 12 points for the Cavs, but Dutch Tristan Enaruna did not see game time.
Anunoby, Wagner, Gobert
The New York Knicks pulled away in the final frame to secure a 103–90 victory over the Brooklyn Nets at Madison Square Garden. British starter OG Anunoby put in 18 points, but French teammates Mohamed Diawara and Pacome Dadiet ranged from a brief scoreless showing to staying on the bench. For the team coached by Spanish Jordi Fernandez, French starter Nolan Traore finished with 17 points and five triples, and German reserve Moritz Wagner ended up with six points, but Israeli Danny Wolf did not play.
“There’s a lot of positive in this game to just throw everything out of the window and just don’t think that we did good things. It hurts because you wanted to win the game, and we’re all competitive,” reacted 43-year-old Fernandez in his postgame press conference. “If we keep playing as hard as we played in the last two games, there’s going to be a lot of good things and a lot of growth.”
Down in Florida, the Washington Wizards upset the Orlando Magic 103–94 at Kia Center. German starter Franz Wagner poured in 24 points for the hosts, while fellow countryman Tristan da Silva added ten and Montenegrin center Nikola Vucevic posted seven off the bench, but Georgian Goga Bitadze did not check in. The Wizards prevailed despite missing French Alex Sarr due to knee soreness, relying instead on fellow Frenchman Bilal Coulibaly, who chipped in seven points.
At Target Center, the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Milwaukee Bucks 112–100. French starter Rudy Gobert posted a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double, with fellow Frenchman Joan Beringer at two points. Prior to the game, Milwaukee locked in the rookie option for Lithuanian guard Kasparas Jakucionis, who finished with seven points. Italian Nate Ament had four, but French Ousmane Dieng and Serbian Bogoljub Markovic were left out of the rotation.
First Kings win
The Sacramento Kings secured their first win by downing the Dallas Mavericks 115–100 at American Airlines Center. Lithuanian starter Domantas Sabonis was efficient, tallying nine points on a perfect 4-of-4 inside the arc, while Israeli reserve Emanuel Sharp matched him with nine points on three triples, but Ukrainian-Belarusian forward Alex Karaban did not feature. For the Mavs, British Tobi Lawal managed two points, but French Zaccharie Risacher went scoreless.
At Spectrum Center, the Detroit Pistons routed the Charlotte Hornets 124–91. Starting for the hosts, French Moussa Diabate got seven points. With three German imports off the bench, Christian Anderson Jr. at eight points, Dennis Schroder at five, and Hannes Steinbach at two, European action extended to France’s Tidjane Salaun registering one point.
Serbian head coach Darko Rajakovic guided the Toronto Raptors to a 125–118 comeback win against the Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome, despite Austrian starter Jakob Poeltl sitting out a second consecutive game due to shoulder bursitis. For the hosts, Spanish Baba Miller got four points, but Italian Nick Martinelli saw no playing time.
At Xfinity Mobile Arena, the Philadelphia 76ers handled the Chicago Bulls 126–107, receiving minor contributions from Turkiye’s Adem Bona and France’s Rayan Rupert, with three and two points, respectively. On the wrong end, Lithuanian starter Matas Buzelis had four points and French reserve Noa Essengue settled at eight.
“Every one of my beginning of my seasons, first and second, they were tough. It was difficult. New guys coming in. This year, it’s even harder. There’s challenges all the time, and I can achieve anything I want,” mentioned 22-year-old Buzelis, commenting on his slow start to the new season. “It’s a process. I promise you I’ll figure it out.”
Lastly, the Golden State Warriors beat the Phoenix Suns 116–113 with Dutch Malevy Leons remaining on the bench, and the Atlanta Hawks squeezed past a six-man Indiana Pacers rotation 108–104 in a game missing its European talent due to injuries.
Monday games
Cleveland Cavaliers – Oklahoma City Thunder 112-117
Orlando Magic – Washington Wizards 94-103
Indiana Pacers – Atlanta Hawks 104-108
Philadelphia 76ers – Chicago Bulls 126-107
Charlotte Hornets – Detroit Pistons 91-124
New York Knicks – Brooklyn Nets 103-90
Minnesota Timberwolves – Milwaukee Bucks 112-100
Dallas Mavericks – Sacramento Kings 100-115
Memphis Grizzlies – New Orleans Pelicans 134-135 OT (124-124)
Houston Rockets – Boston Celtics 109-93
San Antonio Spurs – Utah Jazz 119-97
Denver Nuggets – Portland Trail Blazers 110-118
Los Angeles Lakers – Miami Heat 138-117
Golden State Warriors – Phoenix Suns 116-113
Los Angeles Clippers – Toronto Raptors 118-125
Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Philadelphia 76ers 7-1
2. Detroit Pistons 6-1
3. Boston Celtics 5-2
4. Cleveland Cavaliers 4-3
5. Washington Wizards 4-3
6. Toronto Raptors 4-3
7. Atlanta Hawks 4-4
8. New York Knicks 3-4
9. Charlotte Hornets 3-5
10. Miami Heat 2-5
11. Orlando Magic 2-5
12. Indiana Pacers 2-6
13. Chicago Bulls 1-6
14. Milwaukee Bucks 1-6
15. Brooklyn Nets 1-6
Western Conference
1. Houston Rockets 7-1
2. Memphis Grizzlies 6-1
3. Portland Trail Blazers 5-1
4. Los Angeles Lakers 6-2
5. Oklahoma City Thunder 5-2
6. San Antonio Spurs 5-2
7. Minnesota Timberwolves 5-3
8. Golden State Warriors 5-3
9. Dallas Mavericks 4-3
10. Denver Nuggets 3-3
11. New Orleans Pelicans 3-4
12. Phoenix Suns 1-4
13. Los Angeles Clippers 1-6
14. Sacramento Kings 1-6
15. Utah Jazz 1-6
-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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