By George Efkarpides / info@eurohoops.net
Swiss center Clint Capela posted 26 points to go along with 15 rebounds in another big outing which resulted in his coaches praise.
“He’s definitely undervalued. He won’t be this summer when he gets paid, but right now he is. People kind of sleep on him a bit. He’s one of the better centers in the league”, D’Antoni said.
LeBron James scored 44 points and hit the game-winning three at the buzzer (98-95) to give Cleveland a 3-2 lead over Indiana.
Lithuanian standout Domantas Sabonis had another big outing with 22 points off the bench but his efforts fell short.
Croatian wing Bojan Bogdanovic had 11 points for the losing side.
In Toronto, Lithuanian center Jonas Valanciunas notched a double-double with 14 points and 13 boards in a 108-98 win over the Washington Wizards.
Austrian center came off the bench for 9 points, 3 boards and 2 assists for the winning side.
The “Polish hammer”, Marcin Gortat had a double-double for Washington, 10 points and 12 rebounds.
The Wizards now trail the series 2-3 and will look to bounce back with game six on their home floor.
Finally, Russell Westbrook enormous outing lifted the Thunder over the Jazz, 107-99.
The Jazz had a 25-point lead and looked like they were cruising to the second round but the reigning MVP had other ideas as he exploded for 45 points willing his team to victory.
Spanish wing Alex Abrines gave the Thunder a nice lift off the bench with 3 points and 4 boards.
French center Rudy Gobert battled foul trouble but still ended up with a double-double, 11 points and 10 rebounds while Spanish point-guard Ricky Rubio finished with 10 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists for the losing side.
Here are last night’s results and the euro-scorers:
| CLEVELAND CAVALIERS | INDIANA PACERS | 98-95 | Calderon 6 p. 2 r. 2 s. – Bogdanovic 11 p. 1 r. 4 a. 1 s., Sabonis 22 p. 5 r. 2 a. 1 s. |
| TORONTO RAPTORS | WASHINGTON WIZARDS | 108-98 | Valanciunas 14 p. 13 r. 2 a. 1 s. 2 b., Ibaka 3 p. 2 r. 1 a., Poeltl 9 p. 3 r. 2 a. 1 s. – Gortat 10 p. 12 r. 2 a. 1 b., Mahinmi 2 p. 3 r. 1 s., Satoransky 2 r. 1 a. |
| OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER | UTAH JAZZ | 107-99 | Abrines 3 p. 4 r. 1 a. 2 s. 1 b. – Rubio 10 p. 12 r. 7 a., |
| HOUSTON ROCKETS | MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES | 122-104 | Capela 26 p. 15 r. 1 a. 1 b. – Bjelica 1 r. |