By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The shorthanded Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Indiana Pacers, 119-109, with Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the way.
Antetokounmpo, 26, had a game-high 30 points and ten rebounds. He fell just one assist shy from a triple-double, still early in the 2021-22 NBA Regular Season. The Greek Freak made 10/18 field goals, also blocked a couple of shots, and added one steal to his stat sheet. His brother Thanasis joining him in the starting unit added eight points. Georgian Sandro Mamukelashvili finished with two points and three rebounds, while Greek Giorgos Kalaitzakis did not produce a stat in brief participation. On the opposite end, Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis generated 21 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists, and Georgian Goga Bitadze seven points, nine rebounds, and two steals.
Serbian superstar Nikola Jokic had 24 points and 19 rebounds along with three assists and three steals but the Denver Nuggets lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 99-87, in another Monday game. Finnish Lauri Markkanen contributed 12 points for the Cavs and Spanish Ricky Rubio fed off a brief staredown with Facundo Campazzo chipped in seven points, eight assists, and four rebounds. Turkish Cedi Osman failed to score in 11 minutes. Back to the hosts, French Petr Cornelie had a silent NBA debut and Slovenian Vlatko Cancar (hip) remained out.
Another sidelined European, Italian Danilo Gallinari missed his third straight game with left shoulder soreness, but the Atlanta Hawks took down the Detroit Pistons, 122-104. Serbian Bogdan Bogdanovic banked in 14 points and Swiss Clint Capela paired four points with eight rebounds, while French Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot missed three shots in three minutes. A French player for the losing side, Killian Hayes bounced back from a couple of poor showings to start the season with 12 points and three assists in Atlanta.
German Dennis Schroder scored nine of his 23 points in overtime and also put up eight assists and six rebounds aiding the Boston Celtics past the Charlotte Hornets, 140-129. Spanish Juancho Hernangomez added two points in four minutes. Enes Kanter did not get on the court. Miles Bridges, fresh off being named Eastern Conference Player of the Week, posted a 25-point, 10-rebound double-double for the Hornets. Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry was the Western Conference Player of the Week.
Montenegrin Nikola Vucevic with 17 points, eight rebounds, three steals, and two assists helped the Chicago Bulls beat the Toronto Raptors, 111-108, on the road and moved to 4-0. British OG Anunoby logged a team-high 22 points plus eight rebounds, five assists, and a couple of steals in the loss. Slovenian Goran Dragic finished with eight points as a reserve. Also in action, Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk registered five points, but German Isaac Bonga did not play.
The Los Angeles Clippers got off the mark with the 116-86 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Croatian Ivica Zubac went for ten points, eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals. German Isaiah Hartenstein had nine points and five rebounds, and French Nicolas Batum had two points and six rebounds. On to the visitors, Bosnian Jusuf Nurkic was held to four points and grabbed ten rebounds.
Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas scored 22 points and pulled down a career-best 23 rebounds as the New Orleans Pelicans secured the first 2021-22 win, 107-98, opposite the Minnesota Timberwolves. He made 7/18 two-pointers, dished out three assists, and also rejected a couple of shots. Czech Tomas Satoransky and Spanish Willy Hernangomez did not play.
German Franz Wagner shared a team-high 15 points with Jalen Suggs as the Orlando Magic fell to the Miami Heat, 107-90. His brother, Moritz Wagner logged three points and fellow reserve Lithuanian Ignas Brazdeikis went 0/2 from long-ranger in nine minutes. Turkish Omer Yurtseven also went scoreless but for the winning side.
Elsewhere, the Brooklyn Nets beat the Washington Wizards, 104-90. Israeli Deni Avdija posted two points in the losing effort, while Latvian Davis Bertans failed to score in 21 minutes. In his NBA debut, French Joel Ayayi was also scoreless.
Monday results:
Charlotte Hornets – Boston Celtics 129-140 OT (122-122)
Indiana Pacers – Milwaukee Bucks 109-119
Atlanta Hawks – Detroit Pistons 122-104
Brooklyn Nets – Washington Wizards 104-90
Miami Heat – Orlando Magic 107-90
Toronto Raptors – Chicago Bulls 108-111
Minnesota Timberwolves – New Orleans Pelicans 98-107
Denver Nuggets – Cleveland Cavaliers 87-99
Los Angeles Clippers – Portland Trail Blazers 116-86
Standings:
Eastern Conference
1. Chicago Bulls 4-0
2. Charlotte Hornets 3-1
3. Milwaukee Bucks 3-1
4. New York Knicks 2-1
5. Miami Heat 2-1
6. Washington Wizards 2-1
7. Atlanta Hawks 2-1
8. Philadelphia 76ers 2-1
9. Cleveland Cavaliers 2-2
10. Brooklyn Nets 2-2
11. Boston Celtics 2-2
12. Orlando Magic 1-3
13. Toronto Raptors 1-3
14. Indiana Pacers 1-3
15. Detroit Pistons 0-3
Western Conference
1. Golden State Warriors 3-0
2. Utah Jazz 2-0
3. Memphis Grizzlies 2-1
4. Denver Nuggets 2-1
5. Minnesota Timberwolves 2-1
6. Dallas Mavericks 1-1
7. Houston Rockets 1-2
8. Los Angeles Lakers 1-2
9. Phoenix Suns 1-2
10. Los Angeles Clippers 1-2
11. Sacramento Kings 1-2
12. Portland Trail Blazers 1-2
13. San Antonio Spurs 1-2
14. New Orleans Pelicans 1-3
15. Oklahoma City Thunder 0-3
Photo Credit: Getty Images