By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
A late surge by Jayson Tatum with a couple of acrobatic buckets rallied the Boston Celtics past the Washington Wizards, 111-110, overcoming Bradley Beal’s 46-point showing. German Daniel Theis remaining part of the starting unit helped out with 20 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and one steal in Sunday’s affair. The opposing side featured Latvian Davis Bertans at 20 points and Ukrainian Alex Len at four points, but fellow Euros Isaac Bonga, Moritz Wagner, and Deni Avdija were held off the scoreboard.
In a rare start, with Jimmy Butler sidelined, Slovenian Goran Dragic went for 13 points, four rebounds, three assists, and one steal aiding the Miami Heat extend their winning streak to six games by tackling the Atlanta Hawks, 109-90. On the losing end, Swiss Clint Capela produced a 20-point, 14-rebound double-double plus three rejections, one assist, and one steal, while Italian Danilo Gallinari finished with six points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
After missing the previous game due to a sprained right ankle, Croatian Dario Saric scored 13 points in 16 minutes as the Phoenix Suns defeated his former team, Minnesota Timberwolves, 118-99, largely powered by Devin Booker’s season-high 43 points. Ricky Rubio, also facing a former side, registered six points, six assists, three steals, and two rebounds for the Timberwolves. Fellow Spanish, Juan Hernangomez finished with seven points and four rebounds off the bench.
Kostas Antetokounmpo delivered a posterizing dunk for two points to go along with three rebounds and one steal as the Los Angeles Lakers flew by the Golden State Warriors, 117-91. German Dennis Schroder generated 12 points plus six assists, three rebounds, and one steal, Spanish Marc Gasol nine points, four rebounds, two assists, and one rejection. Both European stars of the defending champions started.
The Memphis Grizzlies destroying the slumping Houston Rockets, 133-84, included French upstart Killian Tillie hitting his first NBA bucket, a triple, in his nine-minute debut. He also produced one rebound and one steal. Lithuanian starter, Jonas Valanciunas had six points and six rebounds in 13 minutes. Latvian Rodions Kurucs got two assists, one rebound, one steal, and one block in nine minutes for Houston.
PJ Washington fired a career-high 42 points and Malik Monk went for 21 points off a game-winning three-point play with 1.4 seconds left handing the Charlotte Hornets the away victory, 127-126, over the Sacramento Kings. Serbian Nemanja Bjelica ended up with 11 points, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal for the hosts.
The New York Knicks routed the Detroit Pistons, 109-90. No points for French Frank Ntilikina in 13 minutes for the winning side. Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk also went scoreless in his second start of the season for the Pistons. French teammate Sekou Doumbouya registered three points, two assists, and one rebound.
The meeting between the Toronto Raptors and the Chicago Bulls at Tampa was postponed due to the Raptors going through positive coronavirus tests and contact tracing held them below the required eight players.
In an early game, the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Los Angeles Clippers.
Sunday results:
Milwaukee Bucks – Los Angeles Clippers 105-100
Boston Celtics – Washington Wizards 111-110
Detroit Pistons – New York Knicks 90-109
Houston Rockets – Memphis Grizzlies 84-133
Los Angeles Lakers – Golden State Warriors 117-91
Miami Heat – Atlanta Hawks 109-99
Minnesota Timberwolves – Phoenix Suns 99-118
Sacramento Kings – Charlotte Hornets 126-127
Standings:
Eastern Conference
1. Philadelphia 76ers 22-12
2. Brooklyn Nets 22-13
3. Milwaukee Bucks 21-13
4. New York Knicks 18-17
5. Miami Heat 17-17
6. Boston Celtics 17-17
7. Toronto Raptors 17-17
8. Charlotte Hornets 16-17
9. Indiana Pacers 15-17
10. Chicago Bulls 15-17
11. Atlanta Hawks 14-20
12. Washington Wizards 13-19
13. Orlando Magic 13-21
14. Cleveland Cavaliers 13-21
15. Detroit Pistons 9-25
Western Conference
1. Utah Jazz 27-7
2. Los Angeles Lakers 24-11
3. Los Angeles Clippers 24-12
4. Phoenix Suns 22-11
5. San Antonio Spurs 17-12
6. Portland Trail Blazers 18-14
7. Denver Nuggets 18-15
8. Golden State Warriors 19-16
9. Dallas Mavericks 16-16
10. Memphis Grizzlies 15-15
11. New Orleans Pelicans 14-19
12. Oklahoma City Thunder 14-20
13. Sacramento Kings 13-21
14. Houston Rockets 11-21
15. Minnesota Timberwolves 7-28
Photo Credit: Getty Images