By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Despite briefly exiting due to a left hand injury, Luka Doncic posted his 13th triple-double of the 2019-20 NBA Regular Season, 21st overall with 26 points, 14 dimes and ten rebounds, also made one steal for the Dallas Mavericks in the 109-103 victory against the San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center. Fellow starter, Kristaps Porzingis, torched the opposition with a game-high 28 points summing up 12 boards, three blocks, a couple of interceptions and one assist as well. Maxi Kleber added nine points, five rebounds, and one steal off the bench, but Boban Marjanovic did not earn playing time. For the hosts, Marco Belinelli ended up with 14 points, eight boards, one assist, one interception, and one block, and Jakob Poeltl with four points, five rebounds, a couple of dimes, a pair of steals and one rejection, both off the bench, but Luka Samanic did not get on the court.
At the Vivint Smart Home Arena, the Boston Celtics escaped with the 114-103 win versus the Utah Jazz. Starter Daniel Theis chipped in 16 points, seven boards, one assist and one steal in 26 minutes of work. Reserve Enes Kanter added eight points, seven rebounds, a couple of rejections and one steal. However, Vincent Poirier and naturalized Montenegrin Javonte Green did not earn playing time on Wednesday evening. Rough night for the European starting pair of the hosts with Rudy Gobert held to nine points, nine boards, three assists, two rejections and one steal in 35 minutes, and Bojan Bogdanovic to three points, four rebounds and one dime in 34 minutes.
Davis Bertans returned to action with 14 points, three boards, a couple of assists and one steal helping the Washington Wizards defeat the Brooklyn Nets, 110-106, at the Capital One Arena. Another reserve, Moritz Wagner had four points and three rebounds. Ian Mahinmi posted four points, three boards, a pair of steals and one dime, and Isaac Bonga three points, six rebounds, one rejection, and one assist, both as starters. Anzejs Pasecniks did not play though. Six points and one board for Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot in losing effort, and six rebounds and a couple of interceptions for Rodions Kurucs, but Dzanan Musa remained on his G League assignment.
Evan Fournier with a team-high 28 points guided the Orlando Magic to the 130-120 victory versus the Atlanta Hawks at the State Farm Arena. Made 11 out of his 18 field goal attempts, added five assists, four boards, and three steals in 35 minutes. Remaining part of the starting five as well, Nikola Vucevic posted a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double to go along with his three dimes and one rejection. As for the hosts, Clint Capela (right heel) remained out and is expected to miss more games.
The Minnesota Timberwolves rallied for the 129-126 win opposite to the Miami Heat at the AmericanAirlines Arena. Juan Hernangomez kept his spot in the starting five for 17 points behind 7/11 from the field including three made shots beyond the arc, tallied five rebounds, a pair of interceptions and one dime as well. Goran Dragic entered the top ten of Heat’s all-time scoring list early and went on for 16 points off the bench also notched four assists, four boards and one steal in 26 minutes.
Ivica Zubac retained his starting status but was held to six points, five boards and one dime as the Los Angeles Clippers moved by the Phoenix Suns, 102-92, at the Talking Stick Resort Arena. Third double-double in a row for Ricky Rubio with 18 points and ten assists, also tallied six rebounds and three interceptions for the hosts. Fellow starter Dario Saric finished with five points, nine boards, and three assists. Elie Okobo had two points and three dimes in 12 minutes.
Furkan Korkmaz scored 14 points to go along with his pair of assists, one board and one steal, but the Philadelphia 76ers lost, 108-94, to the Cleveland Cavaliers, at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Starting for the winning side, Cedi Osman went through foul trouble for five points, three rebounds, and one dime. Ante Zizic added six points, a couple of boards and one assist coming off the bench.
Reserve Willy Hernangomez threw in seven points with 3/3 twos, four dimes, three rebounds and one interception for the Charlotte Hornets in the 107-101 victory opposite to the New York Knicks at the Spectrum Center. However, Nicolas Batum did not get on the court. Frank Ntilikina (groin) stayed on the Knicks’ injury list and Ignas Brazdeikis saw G League action with the Westchester Knicks.
Comfortably, the Houston Rockets beat the Memphis Grizzlies, 140-112, at the Toyota Center. Thabo Sefolosha (illness) sat out. Isaiah Hartenstein and William Howard were held to G League action with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. The visitors featured starter Jonas Valanciunas at 12 points, ten boards and one assist, and reserve Marko Guduric at four points, three rebounds, one dime, and one block.
Standings:
Eastern Conference
1. x-Milwaukee Bucks 50-8
2. Toronto Raptors 42-16
3. Boston Celtics 41-17
4. Miami Heat 36-22
5. Philadelphia 76ers 36-23
6. Indiana Pacers 34-24
7. Brooklyn Nets 26-31
8. Orlando Magic 26-32
9. Washington Wizards 21-36
10. Charlotte Hornets 20-38
11. Chicago Bulls 20-39
12. Detroit Pistons 19-41
13. New York Knicks 17-41
14. Cleveland Cavaliers 17-41
15. Atlanta Hawks 17-43
Western Conference
1. Los Angeles Lakers 44-12
2. Denver Nuggets 40-18
3. Los Angeles Clippers 39-19
4. Houston Rockets 38-20
5. Oklahoma City Thunder 36-22
6. Utah Jazz 36-22
7. Dallas Mavericks 36-23
8. Memphis Grizzlies 28-30
9. Portland Trail Blazers 26-33
10. New Orleans Pelicans 25-33
11. Sacramento Kings 24-33
12. San Antonio Spurs 24-33
13. Phoenix Suns 24-35
14. Minnesota Timberwolves 17-40
15. Golden State Warriors 12-46
x-clinched a playoffs spot
Photo Credit: Getty Images