By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Jonas Valanciunas posted a game-high performance with 26 points and 14 rebounds to pace the Memphis Grizzlies (27-25) to a 101-90 victory over the Chicago Bulls (22-31). This marks the Lithuanian big man’s 15th double-double in a row, setting a new franchise record.
Dillon Brooks added up 17 points for Memphis and Ja Morant had 13, while on the other end, Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 21 points, Daniel Theis had 18 and Nikola Vucevic dropped 17 points, 10 rebounds.
Joel Embiid posted 36 points and Furkan Korkmaz added 20 points coming from the bench, as the Philadelphia 76ers (37-17) overcame the Dallas Mavericks (29-24) 113-95. Luka Doncic led the way for the Mavs with 32 points and Jalen Brunson followed with 15.
Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook posted 34 and 25 points respectively to help the Washington Wizards (20-33) defeat the Utah Jazz (40-14) 125-121.
Bojan Bogdanovic’s season-high with 33 points wasn’t enough for the Jazz, as his team lost its first game at home for 2021. Donovan Mitchell led all scorers of the game with 42 points and Rudy Gobert had 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Steph Curry exploded with 53 points to surpass Wilt Chamberlain for the most points scored in Warriors franchise history as Golden State beat the Denver Nuggets 116-107 on Monday.
Draymond Green had 18 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists, Andrew Wiggins scored 17 points and Kent Bazemore added 14 for the Warriors (26-28).
Nikola Jokic paced the Nuggets with a double-double of 27 points, 12 rebounds along with eight assists and Michael Porter Jr. added 24 points.
Julius Randle had 34 points and 10 rebounds to lead the New York Knicks (28-27) to a 111-96 win over the Los Angeles Lakers (33-21), for their third straight. Elfrid Payton scored 20 points and Derrick Rose added 14 off the bench for the Knicks, while on the other end of the court Dennis Schroder posted 21 points for the Lakers.
DeMar DeRozan scored 19 points in just three quarters, Dejounte Murray added 17 and the San Antonio Spurs (26-26) prevailed over the Orlando Magic (17-37) 120-97. R.J. Hampton had 16 points and 8 rebounds off the bench, while Wendell Carter Jr. had 15 points and 8 rebounds for the Magic, which slipped their sixth straight game.
Brandon Ingram scored 34 points, Zion Williamson added 30 and the New Orleans Pelicans (25-29) beat the Sacramento Kings (22-32) with a comeback bid for a 117-110 victory. De’Aaron Fox scored 43 points for the Kings though he couldn’t pull his team through for the win in the end, as he missed a crucial three-pointer with 14 seconds remaining in the game, with the Pelicans up by 4 points.
Jae Crowder tapped 26 points, Devin Booker added 24 and the Phoenix Suns (38-15) tied an NBA record with 18 three-pointers in the first half to prevail over the Houston Rockets (14-40) with a 126-120 win. Christian Wood paced the Rockets with 25 points and 15 rebounds and Kevin Porter Jr. had 22 points.
Photo: Getty Images