By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Nikola Jokic had 23 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds, and seven steals, but the Denver Nuggets fell to the Brooklyn Nets, 122-116, failing to complete a three-game road trip undefeated. The Joker became the second player in NBA history to average 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists through the first ten games of a new season with Oscar Robertson being the first in 1961-62, per Elias Sports. German teammate Isaiah Hartenstein scored three points in 11 minutes.
The Nets dug their way out of an 18-point hole outscoring their opponents, 68-46, in the second half of Tuesday’s encounter. Kevin Durant led the comeback charge on his way to a game-high 34 points to go along with 13 assists and nine rebounds. French Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot added 11 points off the bench, but Latvian Rodions Kurucs did not earn playing time. Kyrie Irving sat out again after attending a party maskless.
A 16-5 finishing run handed the Indiana Pacers the road victory, 104-95, opposite the Golden State Warriors. Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis made out 18 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists helping his side improve to 7-4. Georgian Goga Bitadze remains out indefinitely due o a right ankle sprain. No European action for the hosts with Serbian Alen Smailagic on the injury list and Italian prospect Nico Mannion preparing for the G League bubble.
Croatian Bojan Bogdanovic connected four threes in a 20-point effort for the Utah Jazz defeating the shorthanded Cleveland Cavaliers, 117-87, at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Fellow European starter, Rudy Gobert was held to four points and 2/7 field goals but pulled down ten rebounds registering one steal and one block as well. On the other end, Turkish Cedi Osman combined a team-high 17 points with six assists and four rebounds.
German Dennis Schroder, retaining his status as the starting point guard, produced 14 points to go along with three assists, three rebounds, and one steal for the Los Angeles Lakers in the win on the road, 117-100, versus the Houston Rockets. Marc Gasol started as well for the defending champions ending up with five points, five assists, four rebounds, two steals, and two blocks to his name.
Austrian Jakob Poeltl threw in four points, three rebounds, two blocks, one assist, and one steal as the San Antonio Spurs took down the Oklahoma City Thunder, 112-102, to complete a five-game road trip despite DeMar DeRozan missing a second straight game due to personal reasons. Croatian Luka Samanic did not enter. Serbian Aleksej Pokusevski and French Theo Maledon scored four points apiece for the losing side.
Joel Embiid went for 45 points and 16 rebounds for the Philadelphia 76ers in the overtime win, 137-134, against the Miami Heat. A go-ahead three by Dakota Mathias ultimately made the difference. Turkish Furkan Korkmaz sat out due to injury and French Vincent Poirier was among the players out for coronavirus-related reasons. Slovenian Goran Dragic was among the Heat players sidelined due to health and safety protocols.
The Chicago Bulls versus Boston Celtics match was postponed due to the Celtics lacking the necessarily required players.
Tuesday results:
Philadelphia 76ers – Miami Heat 137-134 OT (120-120)
Brooklyn Nets – Denver Nuggets 122-116
Cleveland Cavaliers – Utah Jazz 87-117
Houston Rockets – Los Angeles Lakers 100-117
Oklahoma City Thunder – San Antonio Spurs 102-112
Golden State Warriors – Indiana Pacers 95-104
Standings:
Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics 7-3
2. Philadelphia 76ers 8-4
3. Milwaukee Bucks 7-4
4. Indiana Pacers 7-4
5. Charlotte Hornets 6-5
6. Orlando Magic 6-5
7. Brooklyn Nets 6-6
8. Atlanta Hawks 5-5
9. New York Knicks 5-6
10. Miami Heat 4-5
11. Cleveland Cavaliers 5-7
12. Chicago Bulls 4-7
13. Washington Wizards 3-8
14. Toronto Raptors 2-8
15. Detroit Pistons 2-8
Western Conference
1. Los Angeles Lakers 9-3
2. Phoenix Suns 7-4
3. Utah Jazz 7-4
4. Los Angeles Clippers 7-4
5. Portland Trail Blazers 6-4
6. Dallas Mavericks 5-4
7. San Antonio Spurs 6-5
8. Golden State Warriors 6-5
9. Oklahoma City Thunder 5-5
10. Denver Nuggets 5-6
11. Sacramento Kings 5-6
12. New Orleans Pelicans 4-5
13. Memphis Grizzlies 4-6
14. Houston Rockets 3-6
15. Minnesota Timberwolves 3-7
Photo Credit: Getty Images