By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Nikola Jokic paired 24 points with 15 rebounds in his 53rd double-double of the 2020-21 NBA Regular Season, which is a league-high. The Serbian MVP candidate added five assists and two steals as the Denver Nuggets routed the Memphis Grizzlies, 120-96, Monday. Facundo Campazzo, starting alongside the Joker, went for seven points, seven assists, and two steals. Slovenian teammate Vlatko Cancar made two points over four minutes. Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas produced 13 points, three rebounds, and one steal for the guests, and French Killian Tillie got two points in four minutes.
One day after clinching a playoff berth, the Utah Jazz lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves, 105-104. A defensive mistake by Rudy Gobert helped D’Angelo Russell en route for the game-winning layup. The French big racked 18 points, five rebounds, three blocks, two assists, and one steal. Turkish Ersan Ilyasova scored eight points and Croatian Bojan Bogdanovic had seven points with 1/11 field goals. On to the Spanish Wolves duo, Juan Hernangomez produced 14 points and Ricky Rubio ended up with two points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
The Chicago Bulls, looking for a play-in spot of the Eastern Conference, took down the Miami Heat, 110-102. Montenegrin Nikola Vucevic with 24 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, and one steal, and German Daniel Theis packing a 23-point, 12-rebound double-double plus five assists and a couple of rejections led the way. Finnish Lauri Markkanen had 12 points and Czech Tomas Satoransky six points as reserves. Slovenian Goran Dragic started for the hosts illustrating his effort with eight points, seven assists, six rebounds, and three steals.
Serbian Bogdan Bogdanovic, on a 16-game double-digit scoring streak, registered 17 points alongside seven rebounds and five assists in the Atlanta Hawks’ loss, 100-86, to the Detroit Pistons. Swiss Clint Capela, also starting, posted a 12-point, 15-rebound double-double. Italian Danilo Gallinari logged 12 points. The winning side had Frenchman Sekou Doumbouya at four points, four rebounds, and three assists, and Killian Hayes at two points, five assists, four rebounds, and three steals, while Lithuanian Deividas Sirvydis did not get on the board in three minutes.
The Dallas Mavericks fell to the Sacramento Kings, 113-106, despite Luka Doncic’s 24 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds. The Slovenian star missed some key shots down the stretch. Serbian Boban Marjanovic, in a rare appearance, logged ten points in nine minutes. German Maxi Kleber had two points. Italian Nicolo Melli did not score but pulled down six rebounds. Latvian Kristaps Porzingis remained sidelined due to a left ankle sprain.
Turkish Furkan Korkmaz returned to action with ten points and three assists aiding the Philadelphia 76ers past the slumping Oklahoma City Thunder, 121-90. French Theo Maledon had ten points, Serbian Aleksej Pokusevski eight points, French Jaylen Hoard three points, and Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk two points in the 14th loss in the row for the Thunder.
Spanish Willy Hernangomez banked a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double and also made three steals after entering the starting unit pushing the New Orleans Pelicans to the 120-103 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. On the opposite end, Croatian Ivica Zubac generated four points and six rebounds, and French Nicolas Batum had three points.
Austrian Jakob Poeltl finished with ten points, four rebounds, and two assists as the San Antonio Spurs outlasted the Washington Wizards, 146-143 in overtime. On the losing end, Ukrainian Alex Len posted a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double and Latvian Davis Bertans dropped 13 points and grabbed four rebounds.
British OG Anunoby fired 20 points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block for the Toronto Raptors in the 112-96 victory versus the Cleveland Cavaliers. Turkish Cedi Osman had six points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals, and one block for the Cavs.
Dennis Schroder hit 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter lifting the Los Angeles Lakers to the win, 114-103, against the Orlando Magic. The German point guard added ten assists on his clutch performance.
Croatian Dario Saric remained on the injury list, but the Phoenix Suns defeated the New York Knicks, 118-110. Devin Booker drew a game-high 33 points.
Monday results:
Detroit Pistons – Atlanta Hawks 100-86
Orlando Magic – Los Angeles Lakers 103-114
Philadelphia 76ers – Oklahoma City Thunder 121-90
Washington Wizards – San Antonio Spurs 143-146 OT (133-133)
New York Knicks – Phoenix Suns 110-118
Toronto Raptors – Cleveland Cavaliers 112-96
Miami Heat – Chicago Bulls 102-110
Minnesota Timberwolves – Utah Jazz 105-104
New Orleans Pelicans – Los Angeles Clippers 120-103
Denver Nuggets – Memphis Grizzlies 120-96
Sacramento Kings – Dallas Mavericks 113-106
Standings:
Eastern Conference
1. Brooklyn Nets 41-20
2. Philadelphia 76ers 40-21
3. Milwaukee Bucks 37-23
4. New York Knicks 34-28
5. Atlanta Hawks 34-28
6. Boston Celtics 32-29
7. Miami Heat 32-20
8. Charlotte Hornets 30-30
9. Indiana Pacers 29-31
10. Washington Wizards 27-34
11. Chicago Bulls 26-35
12. Toronto Raptors 26-35
13. Cleveland Cavaliers 21-40
14. Detroit Pistons 19-43
15. Orlando Magic 18-43
Western Conference
1. y-Utah Jazz 44-17
2. Phoenix Suns 43-18
3. Los Angeles Clippers 43-20
4. Denver Nuggets 40-21
5. Los Angeles Lakers 36-25
6. Dallas Mavericks 33-27
7. Portland Trail Blazers 32-28
8. Memphis Grizzlies 31-29
9. San Antonio Spurs 31-29
10. Golden State Warriors 31-30
11. New Orleans Pelicans 27-34
12. Sacramento Kings 25-36
13. Oklahoma City Thunder 20-41
14. x-Minnesota Timberwolves 18-44
15. x-Houston Rockets 15-46
y-clinched a playoff berth
x-eliminated
Photo Credit: Getty Images