By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
With Luka Doncic relatively quiet, Latvian Kristaps Porzingis dropped 29 points and grabbed nine rebounds leading the Dallas Mavericks, past the Minnesota Timberwolves, 128-108, on Wednesday. The Slovenian sensation ended up with 15 points and German Maxi Kleber, also remaining part of the first unit, got seven points. For the hosts, Spanish Juan Hernangomez produced 17 points coming off the bench, while starter Ricky Rubio finished with three points and seven assists.
Croatian Bojan Bogdanovic escaped a shooting slump with 4/6 triples and 18 points for the NBA leaders Utah Jazz in the 118-88 victory versus the Brooklyn Nets. French Rudy Gobert had eight points, 11 rebounds, and three rejections. Turkish Ersan Ilyasova grabbed a couple of rebounds in four minutes. For the losing side, French Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot shifted to the starting lineup with regulars sidelined and scored 14 points.
Nikola Jokic shared a team-high 20 points to go along with ten rebounds and five assists but the Denver Nuggets fell to the Toronto Raptors, 135-111. European teammate Vlatko Cancar drained a three and dished out an assist. On the winning side, British OG Anunoby scored 18 points in the first half and 23 overall.
Evan Fournier with 6.4 seconds left delivered the winning bucket for the Orlando Magic to prevail, 112-111, versus the Phoenix Suns. Amid persisting trade rumors, the French swingman went for 21 points. Montenegrin Nikola Vucevic posted a 27-point, 14-rebound double-double. For the guests, Croatian Dario Saric produced four points and five rebounds.
The streaking Milwaukee Bucks edged the Boston Celtics, 121-119. Giannis Antetokounmpo was limited to 13 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. His brother, Thanasis added two points and one rebound. German Daniel Theis finished with ten points but missed the opportunity to win it for the visitors at the buzzer.
Swiss Clint Capela registering a 25-point, 17-rebound double-double was not enough for the Atlanta Hawks in the 110-108 defeat to the Sacramento Kings on the road. Also, Serbian Bogdan Bogdanovic dialed in four three-pointers in his 20-point effort and Italian Danilo Gallinari had 12 points, both coming off the bench.
Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas posted a 16-point, 15-rebound double-double helping the Memphis Grizzlies secure the 116-107 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Serbian Aleksej Pokusevski generated 13 points, five assists, and three rebounds for the losing side, while French fellow starter Theo Maledon scored ten and Ukrainian reserve Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk seven.
The Indiana Pacers ended a six-game winless skid at home defeating the Detroit Pistons, 116-111. Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis accounted for 14 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists, while Georgian Goga Bitadze had nine points and five rebounds. French upstart Sekou Doumbouya missed one shot in eight minutes for the visitors.
Croatian Ivica Zubac made out a 14-point contribution and French Nicolas Batum added 13 points for the Los Angeles Clippers dominating the San Antonio Spurs to claim the 134-101 victory at AT&T Center. Austrian Jakob Poeltl had eight points and six rebounds in the losing effort.
Turkish Cedi Osman returned to the starting lineup for eight points as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Chicago Bulls, 103-94. Finnish Lauri Markkanen ended up with 17 points and Czech Tomas Satoransky had 11 points starting for the losing side.
Elsewhere, in the lone game without European participation, the Charlotte Hornets beat the Houston Rockets, 122-97.
Wednesday results:
Indiana Pacers – Detroit Pistons 116-111
Milwaukee Bucks – Boston Celtics 121-119
Toronto Raptors – Denver Nuggets 135-111
Chicago Bulls – Cleveland Cavaliers 94-103
Houston Rockets – Charlotte Hornets 97-122
Minnesota Timberwolves – Dallas Mavericks 108-128
Oklahoma City Thunder – Memphis Grizzlies 107-116
Orlando Magic – Phoenix Suns 112-111
San Antonio Spurs – Los Angeles Clippers 101-134
Sacramento Kings – Atlanta Hawks 110-108
Utah Jazz – Brooklyn Nets 118-88
Standings:
Eastern Conference
1. Philadelphia 76ers 31-13
2. Milwaukee Bucks 29-14
3. Brooklyn Nets 30-15
4. Charlotte Hornets 22-21
5. Atlanta Hawks 22-22
6. New York Knicks 22-22
7. Miami Heat 22-22
8. Boston Celtics 21-23
9. Indiana Pacers 20-23
10. Chicago Bulls 19-24
11. Toronto Raptors 18-26
12. Cleveland Cavaliers 17-27
13. Washington Wizards 15-27
14. Orlando Magic 15-29
15. Detroit Pistons 12-31
Western Conference
1. Utah Jazz 32-11
2. Phoenix Suns 29-14
3. Los Angeles Clippers 29-16
4. Los Angeles Lakers 28-16
5. Denver Nuggets 26-18
6. Portland Trail Blazers 25-18
7. Dallas Mavericks 23-19
8. San Antonio Spurs 22-19
9. Memphis Grizzlies 21-20
10. Golden State Warriors 22-22
11. New Orleans Pelicans 19-24
12. Sacramento Kings 19-25
13. Oklahoma City Thunder 19-25
14. Houston Rockets 12-31
15. Minnesota Timberwolves 10-34
Photo Credit: Getty Images