By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Nikola Jokic paced the Denver Nuggets (15-11) to a 122-105 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers (21-7) with his sixth triple-double of the season. The Serbian center posted 23 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists to lead his team over the reigning NBA champions.
The Lakers lost Anthony Davies who left the court in pain after dropping 15 points. LeBron James flirted with triple-double figures as he has 22 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists for his team.
Luka Doncic erupted with a 44-point performance to come close to his career-high, though it wasn’t enough for the Mavericks (13-15) that fell to Portland Trail Blazers (16-10) 121-118. Damian Lillard led the way for Portland with a double-double of 34 points and 11 assists and big man Enes Kanter had 14 points and 8 rebounds.
Oklahoma City Thunder (11-15) overcame a triple-double by Giannis Antetokounmpo (24 points, 17 rebounds, 10 assists) to grab a 114-109 win over the Milwaukee Bucks (16-11). Justin Jackson and Al Horford tapped 22 and 20 points respectively for the winners.
Svi Mykhailiuk had a key performance to help the Detroit Pistons (8-19) beat the New Orleans Pelicans (11-15) 123-112 on Sunday. The Ukranian guard tapped 18 points to pace the winners, while Josh Jackson added a team-high with 21 points. Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram paced the Pelicans with 26 points each.
Jonas Valanciunas dropped a double-double with 25 points and 13 rebounds to help Memphis Grizzlies (11-11) overcome the Sacramento Kings (12-14) with a 124-110 win. DeAaron Fox had 23 points for the Kings and Nemanja Bjelica added 9 points and 4 rebounds coming from the bench.
Bradley Beal returned from a night off to score 35 points, Russell Westbrook was a rebound short of a triple-double, as the Washington Wizards (7-17) beat the Boston Celtics (13-13) 104-91. Westbrook had 13 points, 11 assists and 9 rebounds, while on the other end of the court, Kemba Walker and Jalen Brown scored 25 points apiece for the Celtics.
Dejounte Murray had 26 points and 12 rebounds to lead the San Antonio Spurs (16-11) to a 122-110 victory over the short-staffed Charlotte Hornets (13-15). Terry Rozier posted a game-high with 33 points for the Hornets, that lacked Gordon Hayward who was sidelined with a sore back.
The Minnesota Timberwolves (7-20) prevailed over the Toronto Raptors (12-15) as Karl-Anthony Towns had a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds and Malik Beasley also tapped 20 for the Timberwolves. Fred VanVleet and Norman Powell each had 22 points for the Raptors.
Devin Booker scored 27 points, Mikal Bridges added 21 and the Phoenix Suns (17-9) cruised to their sixth straight win after beating Orlando Magic (10-18) 109-90. Terrence Ross led the Magic with 23 points. Dwayne Bacon added 19 points, and Nikola Vucevic had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Lou Williams posted a season-high with 30 point as the Los Angeles Clippers (20-8) defeated Cleveland Cavaliers (10-18) 128-111, sending the Cavs to their seventh straight loss. Collin Sexton had 23 points for Cavs, while Darius Garland and Cedi Osman tapped 20 points each.
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