By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Nemanja Bjelica had a career high performance in his first start with Minnesota Timberwolves and their win over the Lakers with 99–125.
The Serbian forward scored 24 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and handed out 3 assists. Spanish teammate Ricky Rubio reached a double double with 10 points and 10 assists, while he also had 4 rebounds. For the Lakers, Sudanese-born British forward Luol Deng had 13 points and 3 rebounds, while Russian center Timofey Mozgov added 4 points, Spanish guard Jose Calderon grabbed 3 rebounds and Croatian center Ivica Zubac had 2 rebounds and 1 point.
French guard Nicolas Batum had 15 points and 9 rebounds in Charlotte Hornets’ loss to Cleveland Cavaliers with 93–100. In the same game, Italian Marco Belinelli added 9 points for the Hornets.
Orlando Magic prevailed over Oklahoma City Thunder with 119–117. For the winners, Congolese-Spanish forward Serge Ibaka hit the game winning shot in a career high night with 31 points, while Montenegrin center Nikola Vucevic scored 4 with 7 rebounds and French guard Evan Fournier had 21 points and 5 assists. For the Thunder, Lithuanian forward Domantas Sabonis stayed low with 3 points and 2 rebounds, while Turkish center Enes Kanter had 16 points and 8 rebounds and Spanish guard Alex Abrines contributed 7 points and 3 rebounds.
Portland Trail Blazers beat Denver Nuggets 105–112. For the Nuggets, Italian forward Danilo Gallinari scored 19 points and had 7 rebounds, Bosnian center Jusuf Nurkic had 8 points and 9 rebounds, Serbian forward Nikola Jokic added 5 rebounds and 3 assists, while Spanish forward Juan Hernangomez scored 8 points and 6 rebounds.
Finally, Zaza Pachulia added 4 points and 6 rebounds in Golden State Warriors’ 120–133 win over the Phoenix Suns.
Standings
Eastern Conference
Cavaliers 8–1
Hawks 7–2
Raptors 7–2
Hornets 6–3
Bulls 6–4
Celtics 5–4
Bucks 5–4
Pistons 5–5
Nets 4–5
Magic 4–6
Pacers 4–6
Knicks 3–6
Heat 2–6
Wizards 2–7
76ers 1–8
Western conference
Clippers 9–1
Warriors 8–2
Spurs 7–3
Trail Blazers 7–4
Jazz 7–4
Thunder 6–4
Rockets 5–4
Lakers 6–5
Grizzles 4–5
Kings 4–7
Timberwolves 3–6
Nuggets 3–7
Suns 3–8
Mavericks 2–6
Pelicans 1–9