By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Strong European flavor on the Dallas Mavericks defeating the Denver Nuggets, 111-101, Monday evening. Luka Doncic recorded 23 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds before suffering a left ankle injury in the final minute of the 2021-22 NBA Regular Season affair. The Slovenian superstar was able to walk off on his own power.
Latvian Kristaps Porzingis logged a team-high 29 points plus 11 rebounds. French Frank Ntilikina and Serbian Boban Marjanovic combined for five points coming off the bench, three and two, respectively. German Maxi Kleber was sidelined for the seventh game in a row with a strained left oblique.
The visitors saw a five-game winning streak snapped despite Nikola Jokic scoring a season-high 35 points. The Serbian reigning NBA MVP additionally registered 16 rebounds, six assists, and a couple of blocks. Slovenian Vlatko Cancar remained out with a left hip injury.
Bogdan Bogdanovic with 20 points and Swiss Clint Capela packing a 20-point, 16-rebound double-double, both were among the top Atlanta Hawks players in the 129-111 victory versus the Orlando Magic. Italian Danilo Gallinari added ten points and French Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot three points.
On the losing end, German Franz Wagner went for 19 points, five rebounds, three assists, and one block. His brother Moritz Wagner logged two points, three rebounds, and one block in seven minutes. Lithuanian Ignas Brazdeikis did not join in the action.
Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis posting a 21-point, 15-rebound double-double was not enough for the Indiana Pacers in the loss, 92-84, to the New York Knicks. Georgian teammate Goga Bitadze had five points and three rejections. French Evan Fournier was limited to seven points.
German Dennis Schroder punched in six of his 14 points in crunch time powering the Boston Celtics to the win, 98-92, over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Enes Kanter had five points in a season-high eight minutes, but Juancho Hernangomez stayed on the bench.
Spanish Ricky Rubio started for the Cavs and tapped a game-high 28 points, including 26 points after the break. Turkish reserve Cedi Osman putting up 26 points also went to waste. Finnish Lauri Markkanen was released from quarantine and is considered day-to-day.
In contrast to Markkanen, fellow European star, Montenegrin Nikola Vucevic will remain in the league’s health and safety protocols for at least a few more days. Despite his absence, his Chicago Bulls took down the Los Angeles Lakers, 121-103, on the road.
Bosnian Jusuf Nurkic finished with five points and 14 rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Toronto Raptors, 118-113. British OG Anunoby led the visitors with 29 points, while Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk logged three points and Goran Dragic did not play.
Israeli Deni Avdija combined defensive contribution with an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double for the Washington Wizards in the 105-100 victory against the New Orleans Pelicans. Latvian Davis Bertans remained out with a left ankle injury. French Joel Ayayi did not enter the game.
The struggling Pels featured Lithuanian big man Jonas Valanciunas with 16 points and nine rebounds. Czech reserve Tomas Satoransky did not attempt a shot in 17 minutes but dished out a couple of assists. Spanish Willy Hernangomez did not leave the bench.
Serbian Aleksej Pokusevski ended up with 11 points in the Oklahoma City Thunder loss, 103-90, to the Miami Heat. Czech Vit Krejci and French Theo Maledon did not play. On the winning end, Turkish Omer Yurtseven had one block in five minutes.
Spanish Santi Aldama got four points as the Memphis Grizzlies routed the Houston Rockets, 136-102. German Daniel Theis had ten points, Turkish Alperen Sengun nine points, and Usman Garuba five points for the rebuilding Rockets.
French Killian Hayes logged five rebounds and three assists but did not score through 23 minutes as the Detroit Pistons fell to the Sacramento Kings, 129-107. Ukrainian Alex Len did not play for the visitors.
Elsewhere, the Phoenix Suns edged the Minnesota Timberwolves, 99-96.
Monday results:
Cleveland Cavaliers – Boston Celtics 92-98
Detroit Pistons – Sacramento Kings 107-129
Washington Wizards – New Orleans Pelicans 105-100
Atlanta Hawks – Orlando Magic 129-111
New York Knicks – Indiana Pacers 92-84
Dallas Mavericks – Denver Nuggets 111-101
Memphis Grizzlies – Houston Rockets 136-102
Minnesota Timberwolves – Phoenix Suns 96-99
Oklahoma City Thunder – Miami Heat 90-103
Portland Trail Blazers – Toronto Raptors 118-113
Los Angeles Lakers – Chicago Bulls 103-121
Standings:
Eastern Conference
1. Washington Wizards 10-3
2. Chicago Bulls 10-4
3. Brooklyn Nets 10-4
4. Miami Heat 9-5
5. Cleveland Cavaliers 9-6
6. New York Knicks 8-6
7. Philadelphia 76ers 8-6
8. Charlotte Hornets 8-7
9. Boston Celtics 7-7
10. Toronto Raptors 7-8
11. Milwaukee Bucks 6-8
12. Atlanta Hawks 6-9
13. Indiana Pacers 6-9
14. Detroit Pistons 3-10
15. Orlando Magic 3-11
Western Conference
1. Golden State Warriors 11-2
2. Phoenix Suns 10-3
3. Dallas Mavericks 9-4
4. Denver Nuggets 9-5
5. Utah Jazz 8-5
6. Los Angles Clippers 8-5
7. Los Angeles Lakers 8-7
8. Memphis Grizzlies 7-7
9. Portland Trail Blazers 7-8
10. Sacramento Kings 6-8
11. Oklahoma City Thunder 5-8
12. Minnesota Timberwolves 4-9
13. San Antonio Spurs 4-9
14. New Orleans Pelicans 2-13
15. Houston Rockets 1-13
Photo Credit: Getty Images