NBA Euro-watch: Giannis, Jokic, Dragic and Ricky shine in playoffs race

By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net

Greek All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 29 points and chased down the Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown from behind and blocked what would have been a momentum-swinging layup with 53 seconds left.

The Milwaukee Bucks held on for a 106-102 win against a short-handed opponent with no Kyrie Irving, that they could face in the first round of the playoffs.

The win improved Milwaukee to 42-36, clinching a winning record for a second straight season and creating a three-way tie between the 6th and the 8th position in the East with the Washington Wizards and the Miami Heat.

The Heat beat the Atlanta Hawks 101-98, sealed their ticket to the playoffs and Slovenian All-Star Goran Dragic led the way with 22 points and 10 rebounds.

In the West, Serb Nikola Jokic scored 30 points, Jamal Murray hit a clutch 3-pointer late – his only one of the game – and the Nuggets held off the Indiana Pacers 107-104. The victory pulled Denver within a half-game of New Orleans for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Meanwhile, in Salt Lake City, Spaniard Ricky Rubio scored 31 points on 10-of-15 shooting, and added eight assists and six rebounds, to lift the Jazz to a 117-110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, as the Jazz climbed to the fourth position of the West Standings with a 45-33 and a tie with the Spurs.

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It was an amazing night with many big games by European stars.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

TORONTO RAPTORS

112-106

Calderon 19 p. 4 r. 4 as. – Ibaka 16 p. 12 r. Valanciunas 17 p. 10 r. Poeltl 4 p.

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

BROOKLYN NETS

121-95

Ilyasvoa 11 p. 13 r. Belinelli 17 p. Korkmaz 5 p.

MIAMI HEAT

ATLANTA HAWKS

101-98

Dragic 22 p. 10 r. – Dorsey 18 p.

NEW YORK KNICKS

ORLANDO MAGIC

73-97

Ntilikina 2 p. – Hezonja 19 p. Vucevic 11 p. 10 r.

CHICAGO BULLS

CHARLOTTE HORNETS

120-114

Markkanen 24 p. 7 r,. – Batum 11 p. 4 r. 5 as. Hernangomez 11 p. 8 r.

HOUSTON ROCKETS

WASHINGTON WIZARDS

120-104

Capela 21 p. 10 r. – Gortat 4 p. Mahinmi 2 r. Satoransky 8 p. 5 as.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS

BOSTON CELTICS

106-102

Antetokounmpo 29 p. 11 r . 6 as. Yabusele 1 r.

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

107-111

Abrines 8 p. – Pachulia 2 p. 2 r.

DALLAS MAVERICKS

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

115-109

Nowitzki 14 p. Kleber 9 p. 8 r. – Nutkirc 15 p. 13 r.

DENVER NUGGETS

INDIANA PACERS

107-104

Jokic 30 p. 6 r. 7 as. 4 st. – Bogdanovic 11 p. Sabonis 14 p.

UTAH JAZZ

LOS ANGELES LAKERS

117-110

Gobert 12 p. 16 r. 5 as. Rubio 31 p. 6 r. 8 as. Jerebko 2 p. – Zubac 2 r.

PHOENIX SUNS

SACRAMENTO KINGS

97-94

Bender 8 p. 7 r. Len 17 p. 15 r. – Bogdanovic 22 p.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

SAN ANTONIO SPURS

113-110

Marjanovic 8 p. 4 r. – Gasol 6 p. 2 r. Parker 5 p.

Standings

#
TEAM
PTS
MP
W
L
POINTS
+/-
EASTERN
1
TORONTO RAPTORS
77
55
22
8639 – 8052
587
2
BOSTON CELTICS
77
53
24
8023 – 7713
310
3
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
78
48
30
8621 – 8548
73
4
PHILADELPHIA 76ers
77
47
30
8397 – 8092
305
5
INDIANA PACERS
78
46
32
8241 – 8109
132
6
MIAMI HEAT
78
42
36
8058 – 8009
49
7
WASHINGTON WIZARDS
78
42
36
8325 – 8270
55
8
MILWAUKEE BUCKS
78
42
36
8308 – 8319
-11
9
DETROIT PISTONS
77
37
40
7954 – 7975
-21
10
CHARLOTTE HORNETS
79
34
45
8501 – 8537
-36
11
CHICAGO BULLS
78
27
51
8048 – 8549
-501
12
NEW YORK KNICKS
78
27
51
8123 – 8424
-301
13
BROOKLYN NETS
78
25
53
8287 – 8626
-339
14
ORLANDO MAGIC
77
23
54
7986 – 8331
-345
15
ATLANTA HAWKS
78
22
56
8061 – 8483
-422
WESTERN
1
HOUSTON ROCKETS
78
63
15
8827 – 8121
706
2
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
78
57
21
8882 – 8343
539
3
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
78
48
30
8278 – 8055
223
4
UTAH JAZZ
78
45
33
8099 – 7814
285
5
SAN ANTONIO SPURS
78
45
33
8000 – 7753
247
6
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
79
45
34
8484 – 8246
238
7
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
78
44
34
8546 – 8401
145
8
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
77
43
34
8555 – 8538
17
9
DENVER NUGGETS
78
43
35
8592 – 8494
98
10
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
78
42
36
8527 – 8455
72
11
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
77
33
44
8333 – 8447
-114
12
SACRAMENTO KINGS
79
25
54
7829 – 8403
-574
13
DALLAS MAVERICKS
78
24
54
7990 – 8188
-198
14
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
77
21
56
7610 – 8070
-460
15
PHOENIX SUNS
79
20
59
8195 – 8954
-759
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