By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Nikola Jokic had another triple-double and the Nuggets held off the Spurs 90-86 in Game 7 of their Western Conference first-round playoffs to advance in the postseason for the first time in a decade.
The Serb big man finished with 21 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists, among them the pass that created Jamal Murray’s floater that decided the game. Austrian center Jakob Poeltl started for the Spurs but finished the night with two points and eight rebounds, while Italian sharpshooter Marco Belinelli went scoreless in 16 minutes of action.
With the game on the line, the Spurs didn’t hear coach Gregg Popovich who was asking for a foul.
At Toronto, the Raptors got the easy 108-95 win over the Sixers in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series with Kawhi Leonard scoring a career playoff-high 45 points. The Spanish front line duo of Marc Gasol (8 p. 4 as. 2 r.) and Serge Ibaka (7 p. 6 r.) did their part.
For the Sixers who were simply outgunned, Serbian center Boban Marjanovic (2 p. 1 r.) and Turk forward Furkan Korkmaz (5 p. 4 r. 3 as.) couldn’t change much.