By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
With Nick Nurse entering the NBA health and safety protocols alongside five members of his coaching staff and Pascal Siakam, Sergio Scariolo, in turn, assumed head coaching responsibilities for the first time in the NBA and also secured the win, 122-111, for the Toronto Raptors over the Houston Rockets on Friday. London-born OG Anunoby contributed 11 points, five assists, three rebounds, and one block.
German Dennis Schroder scored 22 points in his return and the Los Angeles Lakers snapped a four-game losing streak with a victory, 102-93, over the Portland Trail Blazers. Fellow starter, Marc Gasol added eight points, two rebounds, and one rejection. Enes Kanter starting for the visitors posted an 11-point, 17-rebound double-double and also dished out three assists in 35 minutes.
French Theo Maledon opened his double-double tab with 13 points and 12 assists for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the win, 118-109, versus the Atlanta Hawks. Swiss Clint Capela also put up a double-double, 17 points, and 21 rebounds, and rejected four shots, but for the losing side. Italian Danilo Gallinari ended up with eight points.
Slovenian Goran Dragic tied his season-high 26 points again coming off the bench for the Miami Heat in the victory, 124-116, against the Utah Jazz. Croatian Bojan Bogdanovic got 17 points and French Rudy Gobert posted a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double for the NBA leaders dropping just their third game in their last 25 outings.
Nicolas Batum with 13 points, Serge Ibaka with 12 points, and Ivica Zubac with three points shaped a solid European effort for the Los Angeles Clippers taking down the Memphis Grizzlies, 119-99. Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas paired his team-high 22 points with 11 rebounds but fell on the wrong end of the result.
German Daniel Theis rocked 17 points helping the Boston Celtics overturn an early 14-point deficit and defeat the Indiana Pacers, 118-112, at home. Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis produced a team-high 24 points off 7/12 field goals to go along with nine assists, and six rebounds for the losing side.
Serbian Nemanja Bjelica had eight points in 12 minutes as the Sacramento Kings escaped with an away victory, 110-107, versus the Detroit Pistons. On the losing end, Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk threw in six points but French Sekou Doumbouya did not score in nine minutes.
Croatian Dario Saric was out with a sprained right ankle he picked up Wednesday night, but the Phoenix Suns beat the Chicago Bulls, 106-97. Czech Tomas Satoransky logged 12 points for the hosts.
Draymond Green banked an 11-point, 19-assist, 12-rebound triple-double in a dominating display pushing the Golden State Warriors to the win, 130-121, over the Charlotte Hornets.
Friday’s results:
Boston Celtics – Indiana Pacers 118-112
Toronto Raptors – Houston Rockets 122-111
Chicago Bulls – Phoenix Suns 97-106
Detroit Pistons – Sacramento Kings 107-110
Memphis Grizzlies – Los Angeles Clippers 99-119
Miami Heat – Utah Jazz 124-116
Oklahoma City Thunder – Atlanta Hawks 118-109
Golden State Warriors – Charlotte Hornets 130-121
Los Angeles Lakers – Portland Trail Blazers 102-93
Standings:
Eastern Conference
1. Philadelphia 76ers 22-11
2. Brooklyn Nets 22-12
3. Milwaukee Bucks 20-13
4. Toronto Raptors 17-17
5. Miami Heat 16-17
6. New York Knicks 16-17
7. Boston Celtics 16-17
8. Indiana Pacers 15-16
9. Chicago Bulls 15-17
10. Charlotte Hornets 15-17
11. Atlanta Hawks 14-19
12. Washington Wizards 12-18
13. Orlando Magic 13-20
14. Cleveland Cavaliers 12-21
15. Detroit Pistons 9-24
Western Conference
1. Utah Jazz 26-7
2. Los Angeles Clippers 24-11
3. Los Angeles Lakers 23-11
4. Phoenix Suns 21-11
5. San Antonio Spurs 16-12
6. Portland Trail Blazers 18-14
7. Golden State Warriors 19-15
8. Denver Nuggets 17-15
9. Dallas Mavericks 15-16
10. Memphis Grizzlies 14-15
11. New Orleans Pelicans 14-18
12. Oklahoma City Thunder 14-19
13. Sacramento Kings 13-20
14. Houston Rockets 11-20
15. Minnesota Timberwolves 7-26
Photo Credit: Getty Images