By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
In a clash between Euro-bigs that took place in Memphis, Jonas Valanciunas posted a double-double of 23 points and 12 rebounds as the Grizzlies beat the Denver Nuggets 104 – 96 to capture their third straight win.
Nikola Jokic had his 22nd double-double this season by scoring 25 points and getting 13 rebounds. The Serbian center also dished out five assists.
Juancho Hernangomez had five points for the Nuggets while Marko Guduric finished with five points and four rebounds for the Grizzlies.
Serge Ibaka dropped a team-high-tying 24 points and grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench to push the Toronto Raptors to a 130 – 114 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
Marco Gasol added 10 points for the Raptors that logged their eighth straight victory.
The Charlotte Hornets defeated the New York Knicks 87 – 82 with the help of Willy Hernangomez. The Spanish center registered his first double-double of the season thanks to the 12 points and 10 rebounds he had in 17 minutes off the bench. It was his seventh consecutive match in double figures.
Frank Ntilikina didn’t get much playing time. The Knicks’ French guard played three minutes and took and made one 3-pointer.
Luka Doncic and Goran Dragic couldn’t combine their 20+ performances with wins.
The Phoenix Suns overpowered the Dallas Mavericks 133 – 104 in a match where Doncic finished with 21 points and six rebounds. He sat out the last eight minutes since the Suns were up by 36 points.
Ricky Rubio contributed six points, seven assists and six rebounds for the Suns and Dario Saric had eight points. For the Mavericks, Kristaps Porzingis had nine points, Maxi Kleber six points plus five rebounds and Boban Marjanovic five points.
In Miami, Dragic scored a team-high 23 points in the Heat’s 101 – 109 loss to the Boston Celtics. Daniel Theis notched a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds in the 30 minutes he stayed on the court for Boston.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was out with a shoulder injury but Khris Middleton stepped up big time for the Milwaukee Bucks with a career-high 51 points in the 151 – 131 rout over the Washington Wizards. He dedicated his performance to Kobe Bryant.
Ersan Ilyasova had nine points and five rebounds for the Bucks. From the Wizards, Davis Bertans dropped 15 points on 4/4 3-pointers. Ian Mahinmi added four points and five rebounds and Anzejs Pasecniks four points.
The rest of Tuesday’s results plus Euro-scorers:
Philadelphia 76ers – Golden State Warriors 115 – 104 (Furkan Korkmaz 9 points)
Cleveland Cavaliers – New Orleans Pelicans 111 – 125 (Cedi Osman 9 points, Nikolo Melli 11 points)