By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Milwaukee Bucks bested the shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers, 112-97, on the road Wednesday. Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 25 points, ten rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. He shared the court with his brothers, Thanasis and Kostas for 52 seconds. Thanasis added eight points, two steals, and one rebound in 12 minutes coming off the bench for the winning side but Kostas missed his only attempt earning a two-minute showing for the losing side.
French Axel Toupane entered the game for one minute but failed to produce a stat for the Bucks. More European action as the hosts featured Dennis Schroder in the starting unit with the German point guard landing 17 points, eight assists, one steal, and one block. Spanish Marc Gasol limited to six minutes had two points, three rebounds, two rejections, one assist, and one steal. New starting center Andre Drummond suffered a right toe injury exiting early in the second half.
The Dallas Mavericks held on for the 113-108 victory against the Boston Celtics. A game-high 36 points by Slovenian Luka Doncic supported by eight rebounds and five assists helped in battling off the comeback bid from a 23-point cushion. Latvian Kristaps Porzingis finished with 19 points, while German Maxi Kleber registered five points and Italian Nicolo Melli three points. German Moritz Wagner, in his first start with Boston, lasted 16 minutes for two points, four rebounds, and two assists. Another European newcomer in French Evan Fournier tapped six points and three rebounds in 31 minutes off the bench.
Devin Booker poured a season-high 45 points leading the Phoenix Suns to the win, 121-116, versus the Chicago Bulls. Croatian teammate Dario Saric, in his usual reserve role, added 16 points. On the losing end, Montenegrin Nikola Vucevic posted a 24-point, 10-rebound double-double, Finnish Lauri Markkanen logged a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double, and Czech Tomas Satoransky paired his nine points with seven assists in his 100th appearance with the Bulls. Apart from the three starters, German Daniel Theis produced six points coming off the bench.
Croatian Bojan Bogdanovic dialed in five triples en route for 23 points in the latest Utah Jazz win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Fellow Euro starter of the NBA standing leaders, French Rudy Gobert put up eight points, 12 rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and one steal in the 111-107 victory. Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas’ 16 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists were not enough for the hosts, while French teammate Killian Tillie scored four points.
Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk drew up a season-high 22 points with ten points in a key fourth-quarter stretch and also grabbed nine rebounds helping the Oklahoma City Thunder take down the Toronto Raptors, 113-103. French Theo Maledon added 11 points, seven rebounds, and six assists with Serbian Aleksej Pokusevski out due to health and safety protocols. British OG Anunoby posted a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double for the guests.
Slovenian Goran Dragic staying in the first unit ended up with 12 points as the Miami Heat secured the win, 92-87, at the Indiana Pacers. Serbian Nemanja Bjelica accounted for one rebound in six minutes. Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis was held to nine points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the losing effort, while Georgian Goga Bitadze scored seven points in 11 minutes.
Austrian Jakob Poeltl threw in a second straight double-double against the Sacramento Kings, in this case helping the San Antonio Spurs actually claim the victory, 120-106. He ended up with 12 points and 14 rebounds to go along with one assist, one steal, and one block in 30 minutes as the starting center. Croatian Luka Samanic had one rebound and one assist in three minutes.
The Portland Trail Blazers went past the Detroit Pistons, 124-101, behind Damian Lillard’s 33 points and ten assists. Bosnian Jusuf Nurkic contributed six points, six rebounds, and four assists, while his backup Enes Kanter put up ten points and eight rebounds. Lithuanian Deividas Sirvydis representing Europe on the hosts missed his only shot in limited action.
Spanish Ricky Rubio chalked nine points, seven assists, four rebounds, and two steals for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 102-101 victory versus the New York Knicks. Compatriot Juan Hernangomez pulled down one rebound in five minutes.
James Harden sat out the fourth quarter with right hamstring tightness but the Brooklyn Nets secured the win, 120-108, over his former team, Houston Rockets. French Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot chipped in three points.
Wednesday results:
Detroit Pistons – Portland Trail Blazers 101-124
Indiana Pacers – Miami Heat 87-92
Boston Celtics – Dallas Mavericks 108-113
Brooklyn Nets – Houston Rockets 120-108
Memphis Grizzlies – Utah Jazz 107-111
Minnesota Timberwolves – New York Knicks 102-101
Oklahoma City Thunder – Toronto Raptors 113-103
San Antonio Spurs – Sacramento Kings 120-106
Los Angeles Lakers – Milwaukee Bucks 97-112
Phoenix Suns – Chicago Bulls 121-116
Standings:
Eastern Conference
1. Brooklyn Nets 33-15
2. Philadelphia 76ers 32-15
3. Milwaukee Bucks 30-17
4. Charlotte Hornets 24-22
5. Miami Heat 24-24
6. New York Knicks 24-24
7. Atlanta Hawks 23-24
8. Boston Celtics 23-25
9. Indiana Pacers 21-25
10. Chicago Bulls 19-27
11. Toronto Raptors 18-30
12. Washington Wizards 17-29
13. Cleveland Cavaliers 17-30
14. Orlando Magic 16-31
15. Detroit Pistons 13-34
Western Conference
1. Utah Jazz 36-11
2. Phoenix Suns 33-14
3. Los Angeles Clippers 32-17
4. Los Angeles Lakers 30-18
5. Denver Nuggets 29-18
6. Portland Trail Blazers 29-18
7. Dallas Mavericks 25-21
8. San Antonio Spurs 24-21
9. Golden State Warriors 23-24
10. Memphis Grizzlies 22-23
11. Sacramento Kings 22-26
12. New Orleans Pelicans 21-25
13. Oklahoma City Thunder 20-27
14. Houston Rockets 13-34
15. Minnesota Timberwolves 12-36