By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
In a 5-game New Year’s Day, Lithuanian big man Jonas Valanciunas stood out with his 11th double-double of the season (and his 88th overall with the team), as he was one of the leaders for Toronto Raptors in their 123-114 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
He scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 31 minutes. Lakers’ Russian center Timofey Mozgov had 6 points in 21 minutes.
San Antonio Spurs fell to Atlanta Hawks 112-114, yet Tony Parker and Pau Gasol shined with 22 and 18 points points each. For the winners, German guard Dennis Schroder had 16 points and 2 rebounds in 33 minutes, while Swiss forward Thabo Sefolosha had 3 points in 16 minutes.
French center Kevin Seraphin scored 6 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in Indiana Pacers’ 117-104 win over Orlando Magic. For Orlando, Montenegrin center Nikola Vucevic played for 30 minutes and had 18 points and 11 rebounds. Congolese/Spanish forward Serge Ibaka had 17 points and 6 rebounds in 32 minutes, while Spansh guard Mario Hezonja played for 4 minutes and added 5 points.
Minnesota Timberwolves lost to Portland Trail Blazers 95-89, and for the former Serbian forward Nemanja Bjelica scored 5 points and had 2 rebounds in 15 minutes, while Spanish guard Ricky Rubio had 1 point and 6 assists in 27 minutes.
In the other game of the night, Detroit Pistons beat Miami Heat 107-98.
Standings
Eastern conference
Cavaliers 25-7
Raptors 23-10
Celtics 20-14
Hornets 19-15
Hawks 18-16
Wizards 16-16
Bucks 16-16
Pacers 17-18
Knicks 16-17
Bulls 16-18
Pistons 16-20
Magic 15-20
Heat 10-25
76ers 8-24
Nets 8-24
Western conference
Warriors 29-5
Spurs 27-7
Rockets 26-9
Jazz 21-13
Thunder 21-13
Grizzles 22-14
Clippers 22-14
Kings 14-19
Nuggets 14-19
Trail Blazers 15-21
Pelicans 14-21
Lakers 12-25
Timberwolves 11-23
Mavericks 10-24
Suns 10-24