By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Santi Aldama scored a personal-best 18 points and with ten rebounds recorded his first NBA double-double assisting the Memphis Grizzlies in the 152-79 victory versus the Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday.
Earning the win by a margin of 73 points set a new NBA record. Points, bench points, assists, field goal percentage, and largest lead were all franchise records. In addition, Memphis outscoring the visitors by 52 points with Aldama on the court made out yet another team record. The Spanish rookie made 8/16 from the field, and also registered three assists, one steal, and one block in the historic game.
Killian Tillie added six points and two rebounds over 15 minutes, while fellow French teammate Yves Pons stayed on a G League assignment. Both French Theo Maledon and Czech Vit Krejci were assigned to the G League by the Thunder, but Serbian Aleksej Pokusevski earned 19 minutes of NBA action with four points, four rebounds, one assist, and one block to his name.
Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out with right calf soreness as the Milwaukee Bucks, lost, 97-93, to the Toronto Raptors. British OG Anunoby remained sidelined with a left hip injury and Slovenian Goran Dragic on personal leave, but Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk chipped in seven points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals. German Isaac Bonga was limited to one steal in three minutes.
The winning streak of the defending NBA champions was halted at eight games. Besides the Greek Freak, DeMarcus Cousins, Brook Lopez, Semi Ojeleye, and Donte DiVincenzo were out as well. However, Georgian Sandro Mamukelashvili paired eight points with ten rebounds. Thanasis Antetokounmpo had two rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block, but fellow Greek Giorgos Kalaitzakis did not play.
Montenegrin Nikola Vucevic produced 27 points powered by 5/9 three-pointers for the Chicago Bulls in the win, 119-115, versus the New York Knicks. French Evan Fournier logged 16 points, four steals, and one rebound for the losing side. Both Marko Simonovic of the Bulls and Luka Samanic of the Knicks were on G League assignments.
Austrian Jakob Poeltl contributed 14 points, nine rebounds, four blocks, two assists, and one steal for the San Antonio Spurs in the 114-83 road victory against the Portland Trail Blazers. Starting at center for the home side, Bosnian Jusuf Nurkic finished with ten points, seven rebounds, and one assist.
French Killian Hayes went for ten points, six rebounds, three assists, and two blocks, but the Detroit Pistons fell to the streaking Phoenix Suns, 114-103. Croatian Dario Saric still out with a right knee issue was among the players missing for the Suns.
Thursday results:
New York Knicks – Chicago Bulls 115-119
Toronto Raptors – Milwaukee Bucks 97-93
Memphis Grizzlies – Oklahoma City Thunder 152-79
Phoenix Suns – Detroit Pistons 114-103
Portland Trail Blazers – San Antonio Spurs 83-114
Standings:
Eastern Conference
1. Brooklyn Nets 15-6
2. Chicago Bulls 15-8
3. Washington Wizards 14-8
4. Milwaukee Bucks 14-9
5. Miami Heat 13-9
6. Cleveland Cavaliers 12-10
7. Atlanta Hawks 12-10
8. Boston Celtics 12-10
9. Charlotte Hornets 13-11
10. New York Knicks 11-11
11. Philadelphia 76ers 11-11
12. Toronto Raptors 10-13
13. Indiana Pacers 9-15
14. Orlando Magic 5-18
15. Detroit Pistons 4-18
Western Conference
1. Phoenix Suns 19-3
2. Golden State Warriors 18-3
3. Utah Jazz 14-7
4. Dallas Mavericks 11-9
5. Memphis Grizzlies 12-10
6. Los Angeles Lakers 12-11
7. Los Angeles Clippers 11-11
8. Minnesota Timberwolves 11-11
9. Portland Trail Blazers 11-12
10. Denver Nuggets 10-11
11. Sacramento Kings 9-14
12. San Antonio Spurs 7-13
13. Oklahoma City Thunder 6-16
14. New Orleans Pelicans 6-18
15. Houston Rockets 5-16
Photo Credit: Getty Images