By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Brooklyn Nets dug their way out of a 21-point hole to beat the Denver Nuggets, 125-119, on the road Saturday. Kevin Durant was the difference-maker wrapping up his effort with 33 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists. Serbian Nikola Jokic net a team-high 29 points alongside seven rebounds and six assists for the home side. Fellow starter Facundo Campazzo had 19 points, five assists, and three rebounds. Slovenian Vlatko Cancar, in a reserve role, displayed three points, two assists, and two rebounds in 16 minutes.
Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis had a triple-double of 30 points, 13 assists, and 13 rebounds, but fell short of Russell Westbrook’s triple-double as the Washington Wizards defeated the Indiana Pacers, 133-132, in overtime. Bradley Beal scored 50 points despite sitting out the extra period due to injury. Latvian Davis Bertans put up ten points and Ukrainian Alex Len added eight points, ten rebounds, and three blocks for the winning side. Back to the hosts, Georgian Goga Bitadze finished with seven points.
Stephen Curry generated 49 points in 29 minutes behind 11 triples as the Golden State Warriors blew out the Oklahoma City Thunder, 136-97. Serbian Alen Smailagic pinched in eight points and Italian Nico Mannion ended up with three points. Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk logged a team-high 17 points for the losing side, while French teammates Jaylen Hoard and Theo Maledon sank 13 and ten points, respectively.
Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas boosted the Memphis Grizzlies with his 47th double-double of the 2020-21 NBA Regular Season in the win, 109-99, versus his former team, the Toronto Raptors. He ended up with 18 points, 21 rebounds, four rejections, one assist, and one steal over 36 minutes at Tampa.
The Utah Jazz became the first team to reach 50 wins this season after overpowering the Houston Rockets, 124-116. Croatian Bojan Bogdanovic dropped 20 points through 7/16 field goals to go along with five rebounds. French Rudy Gobert posted a 13-point, 14-rebound double-double plus three blocks.
The Portland Trail Blazers went by the San Antonio Spurs, 124-102, with Bosnian Jusuf Nurkic packing 17 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. Enes Kanter finished with four points and nine boards. On the losing end, Croatian Luka Samanic produced seven points and Austrian Jakob Poeltl six points.
The Philadelphia 76ers, without injured Furkan Korkmaz, beat the Detroit Pistons, 118-104, for their eighth win in a row. The guests had three Europeans coming off the bench, Sekou Doumbouya at 12 points, Killian Hayes at ten points and six assists, and Deividas Sirvydis at eight points.
Saturday results:
Indiana Pacers – Washington Wizards 132-133 OT (124-124)
Philadelphia 76ers – Detroit Pistons 118-104
Toronto Raptors – Memphis Grizzlies 99-109
Denver Nuggets – Brooklyn Nets 119-125
Golden State Warriors – Oklahoma City Thunder 136-97
Portland Trail Blazers – San Antonio Spurs 124-102
Utah Jazz- Houston Rockets 124-116
Standings:
Eastern Conference
1. y-Philadelphia 76ers 47-21
2. y-Brooklyn Nets 44-24
3. y-Milwaukee Bucks 43-24
4. New York Knicks 37-30
5. Atlanta Hawks 37-31
6. Miami Heat 36-31
7. Boston Celtics 35-32
8. Charlotte Hornets 33-34
9. Washington Wizards 32-36
10. Indiana Pacers 31-36
11. Chicago Bulls 28-39
12. Toronto Raptors 27-41
13. x-Orlando Magic 21-46
14. x-Cleveland Cavaliers 21-46
15. x-Detroit Pistons 20-48
Western Conference
1. y-Utah Jazz 50-18
2. y-Phoenix Suns 48-19
3. y-Los Angeles Clippers 45-22
4. y-Denver Nuggets 44-24
5. y-Dallas Mavericks 39-28
6. Portland Trail Blazers 39-29
7. Los Angeles Lakers 37-30
8. Golden State Warriors 35-33
9. Memphis Grizzlies 34-33
10. San Antonio Spurs 32-35
11. New Orleans Pelicans 30-37
12. Sacramento Kings 29-38
13. x-Oklahoma City Thunder 21-47
14. x-Minnesota Timberwolves 20-47
15. x-Houston Rockets 16-52
y-clinched playoff berth
x-eliminated
Photo Credit: Getty Images