By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Luka Doncic registering his third triple-double of the 2021-22 NBA Regular Season was among the main highlights of the latest edition of NBA Sundays.
The Dallas Mavericks rocked the Chicago Bulls, 113-99, as the Slovenian sensation put up 22 points, 14 rebounds, and 14 assists. Fellow starter, German Maxi Kleber followed second in the scoring list with 18 points. French Frank Ntilikina did not get on the board in a limited appearance, Serbian Boban Marjanovic did not play, and Latvian Kristaps Porzingis remained on the league’s health and safety protocols. Nikola Vucevic finished with 13 points in the losing effort and Montenegrin compatriot Marko Simonovic stayed on the bench.
Back in Toronto for the first time since late 2018, Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas posted a 20-point, 17-rebound double-double but was not enough for the New Orleans Pelicans dropping the game, 105-101, to the Toronto Raptors. Spanish Willy Hernangomez did not get on the court and Czech Tomas Satoransky remained on the COVID-19 list. British OG Anunoby chipped in 12 points and Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk had seven points, but German Isaac Bonga did not play and Slovenian Goran Dragic (personal leave) was out.
Serge Ibaka logged 16 points off the bench as the Los Angeles Clippers took down the Atlanta Hawks, 106-93. French Nicolas Batum had ten points and Croatian Ivica Zubac added eight points plus 13 rebounds with Isaiah Hartenstein still out due to a left ankle sprain. On the opposite end, Serbian Bogdan Bogdanovic ended up with 19 points, French Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot with 14 points, and Italian Danilo Gallinari with eight points, but Swiss Clint Capela was sidelined with a left ankle sprain.
Serbian Nikola Jokic combined 22 points and 18 rebounds with six assists powering the Denver Nuggets to the 99-95 victory versus the Oklahoma City Thunder Sunday evening. Slovenian Vlatko Cancar was sidelined after undergoing season-ending foot surgery. For the hosts, Serbian Aleksej Pokusevski tallied seven points coming off the bench. French Olivier Sarr and Theo Maledon did not earn playing time, and Czech Vit Krejci was on a G League assignment.
Jusuf Nurkic fell slightly shy of a triple-double packing 14 points, 16 rebounds, and nine assists to go along with a couple of steals and one block in 38 minutes. The Bosnian big man helped the Portland Trail Blazers roll the Sacramento Kings, 103-88, at home. Starting for the struggling Kings, Ukrainian Alex Len posted a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double, while Portuguese Neemias Queta stayed on the bench.
With Klay Thompson back after more than 2 1/2 years, the Golden State Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, 96-82. He scored 17 points. Serbian teammate Nemanja Bjelica was scoreless with 0/5 triples over 13 minutes. On the losing end, Finnish Lauri Markkanen was held to nine points and Turkish Cedi Osman had four points with Spanish Ricky Rubio out due to the recent season-ending left knee injury.
Latvian Davis Bertans with seven points and Israeli Deni Avdija with two points helped the Washington Wizards beat the Orlando Magic, 102-100. French two-way player Joel Ayayi was on assignment. German Franz Wagner recorded 16 points and six rebounds, and his brother Moritz paired two points with three rebounds for the Magic. Lithuanian Ignas Brazdeikis did not leave the bench.
The Memphis Grizzlies prevailed, 127-119, against the Los Angeles Lakers, to set a franchise record with a ninth win in a row. Spanish Santi Aldama and French Killian Tillie did not score, while French Yves Pons was out due to left ankle soreness.
German Daniel Theis did not play for the Houston Rockets in the loss, 141-123, to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Turkish Alperen Sengun remained out with a right ankle sprain and Spanish Usman Garuba stayed on the health and safety protocols.
Earlier, the Brooklyn Nets beat the San Antonio Spurs, 121-119, in overtime.
Sunday results:
Brooklyn Nets – San Antonio Spurs 121-119 OT (113-113)
Los Angeles Clippers – Atlanta Hawks 106-93
Orlando Magic – Washington Wizards 100-102
Toronto Raptors – New Orleans Pelicans 105-101
Houston Rockets – Minnesota Timberwolves 123-141
Oklahoma City Thunder – Denver Nuggets 95-99
Dallas Mavericks – Chicago Bulls 113-99
Golden State Warriors – Cleveland Cavaliers 96-82
Portland Trail Blazers – Sacramento Kings 103-88
Los Angeles Lakers – Memphis Grizzlies 119-127
Standings:
Eastern Conference
1. Chicago Bulls 26-11
2. Brooklyn Nets 25-13
3. Miami Heat 25-15
4. Milwaukee Bucks 26-16
5. Philadelphia 76ers 22-16
6. Cleveland Cavaliers 22-18
7. Toronto Raptors 20-17
8. Charlotte Hornets 21-19
9. Washington Wizards 20-20
10. Boston Celtics 19-21
11. New York Knicks 19-21
12. Atlanta Hawks 17-22
13. Indiana Pacers 15-25
14. Detroit Pistons 8-30
15. Orlando Magic 7-34
Western Conference
1. Golden State Warriors 30-9
2. Phoenix Suns 30-9
3. Utah Jazz 28-12
4. Memphis Grizzlies 28-14
5. Dallas Mavericks 22-18
6. Denver Nuggets 20-18
7. Los Angeles Lakers 21-20
8. Minnesota Timberwolves 20-20
9. Los Angeles Clippers 20-21
10. San Antonio Spurs 15-24
11. Portland Trail Blazers 15-24
12. Sacramento Kings 16-26
13. New Orleans Pelicans 14-26
14. Oklahoma City Thunder 13-26
15. Houston Rockets 11-30
Photo Credit: Getty Images