By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Nikola Jokic banked his 34th NBA triple-double, sixth of the current season, second in a stretch of four days with 22 points, 12 boards and ten assists to go along with one steal in 31 minutes for the Denver Nuggets that overpowered the Phoenix Suns, 113-111, at the Talking Stick Resort Arena. Fellow Europeans Vlatko Cancar and Juan Hernangomez were part of the squad, but did not gain any playing time. As for the hosts, Ricky Rubio went for 21 points, nine dimes, seven rebounds and one steal, and Dario Saric for 13 points, six boards and two assists, but Elie Okobo did not get on the board in three minutes.
Latest double-double performance powered by Domantas Sabonis came in the form of 12 points and 17 boards for the Indiana Pacers in the 120-115 overtime victory against the Toronto Raptors at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Lithuanian big had three assists and one rejection as well. However Goga Bitadze did not get into the action and Naz Mitrou-Long (right ankle) stayed on the injury list. Serge Ibaka’s 23 points, nine rebounds, two dimes and one block went to waste, so did the 15 points, 12 rebounds, two steals and one rejection from OG Anunoby. Fellow Old Continent representative Marc Gasol (left hamstring) remained sidelined.
Fresh face Anzejs Pasecniks notched 14 points from the bench with 6/7 twos, also grabbed three rebounds for the Washington Wizards in the 121-115 victory over the New York Knicks at the Madison Square Garden. Ian Mahinmi added eight points, nine rebounds, a couple of assists, one interception and one rejection, and fellow European starter Isaac Bonga four points, two dimes and a pair of rebounds, but Davis Bertans (right quad) and Moritz Wagner (left ankle) were out. As for the losing side, Frank Ntilikina had five points, three boards and one block, but Ignas Brazdeikis did not play.
Nikola Vucevic went for 21 points, seven rebounds, a pair of blocks and a couple of dimes for the Orlando Magic in the 103-95 win over the Chicago Bulls at the Amway Center on Monday evening. Evan Fournier chipped in with eight points, four boards, a couple of dimes and two steals. On the opposite side, Tomas Satoransky posted 20 points, six rebounds, three assists and one steal, and Lauri Markkanen had ten points, three boards, a pair of dimes and one rejection, but Adam Mokoka remained on his G League assignment.
Clint Capela added on the Houston Rockets’ 113-104 win versus the Sacramento Kings at the Golden 1 Center with a 15-point, 14-rebound double-double, also blocked a couple of shots and dished a pair of helpers. Isaiah Hartenstein did not play and Thabo Sefolosha (illness) was ruled out for the night. Nemanja Bjelica had ten points, two assists, a pair of boards and a couple of blocks from the bench for the losing side with Bogdan Bogdanovic (right ankle) sidelined.
Career-high 21 points by Furkan Korkmaz with 6/9 inside the rainbow and 3/7 three-pointers in 22 minutes of work. Brett Brown’s reserve also tallied four rebounds and three interceptions as the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Detroit Pistons, 125-109, at the Little Caesars Arena and improved to 22-10 for the 2019-20 Regular Season. Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk put up 13 points, four dimes and two rebounds in losing effort, while Sekou Doumbouya had one point and one board in limited action.
Cedi Osman banked three shots beyond the arc for 18 points alongside his three assists, two boards and one steal for the Cleveland Cavaliers that beat the Atlanta Hawks, 121-118, at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Ante Zizic did not leave the bench though. Lone European of the hosts, Alex Len only pulled down a couple of rebounds, dished one helper and blocked one shot before exiting with a left ankle injury.
At the FedExForum, the San Antonio Spurs beat the Memphis Grizzlies, 145-115. Marco Belinelli contributed with ten points and two boards, and Jakob Poeltl with two rebounds and one dime, but assigned Luka Samanic was inactive. Jonas Valanciunas posted an 18-point, 12-rebound double-double, also dished three assists in losing effort, but Marko Guduric did not leave the bench.
Goran Dragic with 15 points, six boards, one assist and one interception helped the Miami Heat past the Utah Jazz, 107-104, at the AmericanAirlines Arena. The winning side overcame the 19 points, four rebounds and three assists from Bojan Bogdanovic, also the 18 point, 20-rebound double-double by Rudy Gobert who blocked five shots as well.
Two points, one board and one rejection in six minutes for Nicolo Melli as the New Orleans Pelicans took down the Portland Trail Blazers, 102-94, at the Moda Center. Mario Hezonja did not play for the home team, Jaylen Hoard was inactive alongside long-term injured star Jusuf Nurkic (left leg).
The only European of the other game, Alen Smailagic did not leave the bench as his Golden State Warriors beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 113-104, at the Chase Center.
Standings:
Eastern Conference
1. Milwaukee Bucks 27-4
2. Boston Celtics 20-7
3. Miami Heat 22-8
4. Toronto Raptors 21-9
5. Philadelphia 76ers 22-10
6. Indiana Pacers 21-10
7. Brooklyn Nets 16-13
8. Orlando Magic 13-17
9. Charlotte Hornets 13-20
10. Chicago Bulls 12-20
11. Detroit Pistons 11-20
12. Washington Wizards 9-20
13. Cleveland Cavaliers 9-21
14. New York Knicks 7-24
15. Atlanta Hawks 6-25
Western Conference
1. Los Angeles Lakers 24-6
2. Denver Nuggets 21-8
3. Houston Rockets 21-9
4. Los Angeles Clippers 22-10
5. Dallas Mavericks 19-10
6. Utah Jazz 18-12
7. Oklahoma City Thunder 15-14
8. Portland Trail Blazers 14-17
9. San Antonio Spurs 12-17
10. Sacramento Kings 12-18
11. Phoenix Suns 11-19
12. Memphis Grizzlies 11-20
13. Minnesota Timberwolves 10-19
14. New Orleans Pelicans 8-23
15. Golden State Warriors 7-24
Photo Credit: Getty Images