By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The New York Knicks knocked down the Dallas Mavericks, 108-85, Wednesday evening.
French starter Evan Fournier tallied 13 points, five rebounds, and three assists with Croatian two-way teammate Luka Samanic dealing with a left heel bruise. On to the losing side, Slovenian Luka Doncic packing 21 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and two steals was not enough to extend the six-game winning streak. German fellow starter Maxi Kleber had nine points and French reserve Frank Ntilikina got two points. Serbian Boban Marjanovic did not play and Latvian Kristaps Porzingis remained on the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
Dennis Schroder returned to the starting lineup with 23 points behind 7/11 field goals as the Boston Celtics routed the Indiana Pacers, 119-100. The German point guard added three assists, two rebounds, and one steal. Enes Kanter Freedom grabbed three rebounds but did not score in seven minutes with Spanish Juancho Hernangomez staying on the bench. Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis finished with 17 points, six rebounds, six assists, and two steals in the loss, while Georgian Goga Bitadze produced four points coming off the bench.
Finnish Lauri Markkanen poured 20 points and pulled down six rebounds helping the Cleveland Cavaliers prevail, 111-91, against the Utah Jazz on the road. Turkish reserve Cedi Osman chipped in eight points, two steals, and one rebound. Spanish Ricky Rubio remained on the injury list due to the season-ending torn ACL in his left knee. For the Jazz, Croatian Bojan Bogdanovic was held to 3/14 field goals and nine points as French Rudy Gobert was among the teammates in the COVID-19 list.
Another double-double for Turkish rookie Omer Yurtseven combining 13 points with ten rebounds to go along with six assists for the Miami Heat in the away 115-91 victory versus the Atlanta Hawks. Serbian Bogdan Bogdanovic had 15 points, Italian Danilo Gallinari seven points, and French Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot four points on the opposite end. Swiss Clint Capela remained sidelined with a left ankle sprain.
Israeli Deni Avdija put in five points, five assists, two rebounds, and two steals as the Washington Wizards took down the Orlando Magic, 112-106. Latvian Davis Bertans did not score and French Joel Ayayi stayed on assignment. For the visitors, German Franz Wagner posted a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double, and his brother Moritz ended up with six points. Lithuanian Ignas Brazdeikis did not play.
German Daniel Theis scored eight points for the Houston Rockets in the 128-124 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. Spanish Usman Garuba did not leave the bench and Turkish Alperen Sengun remained out with a sprained right ankle. Austrian Jakob Poeltl packed 13 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks but was not enough for the hosts.
Montenegrin Nikola Vucevic finished with 14 points, five rebounds, three assists, and one block as the Chicago Bulls fell to the Brooklyn Nets, 138-112, in the battle of the top Eastern Conference teams. Montenegrin compatriot Marko Simonovic put up four points in three minutes.
Turkish Furkan Korkmaz produced 14 points and dished out one assist coming off the bench but the Philadelphia 76ers were defeated by the Charlotte Hornets, 109-98. Lithuanian Arnoldas Kulboka suited up but did not play for the winning side.
The Sacramento Kings overcame 34 points scored by LeBron James to beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 125-116. Ukrainian Alex Len contributed eight points, three assists, three rebounds, and one steal. Portuguese Neemias Queta did not get on the board.
Wednesday results:
Indiana Pacers – Boston Celtics 100-119
Philadelphia 76ers – Charlotte Hornets 98-109
Washington Wizards – Orlando Magic 112-106
Atlanta Hawks – Miami Heat 91-115
New York Knicks – Dallas Mavericks 108-85
San Antonio Spurs – Houston Rockets 124-128
Utah Jazz – Cleveland Cavaliers 91-111
Chicago Bulls – Brooklyn Nets 112-138
Sacramento Kings – Los Angeles Lakers 125-116
Standings:
Eastern Conference
1. Chicago Bulls 27-12
2. Brooklyn Nets 26-14
3. Miami Heat 26-15
4. Milwaukee Bucks 26-17
5. Philadelphia 76ers 23-17
6. Cleveland Cavaliers 24-18
7. Charlotte Hornets 23-19
8. Toronto Raptors 20-18
9. Washington Wizards 22-20
10. Boston Celtics 21-21
11. New York Knicks 21-21
12. Atlanta Hawks 17-23
13. Indiana Pacers 15-27
14. Detroit Pistons 9-31
15. Orlando Magic 7-35
Western Conference
1. Phoenix Suns 31-9
2. Golden State Warriors 30-10
3. Memphis Grizzlies 29-14
4. Utah Jazz 28-14
5. Dallas Mavericks 22-19
6. Denver Nuggets 20-19
7. Los Angeles Clippers 21-21
8. Los Angeles Lakers 21-21
9. Minnesota Timberwolves 20-21
10. Portland Trail Blazers 16-24
11. Sacramento Kings 17-27
12. San Antonio Spurs 15-26
13. New Orleans Pelicans 15-26
14. Oklahoma City Thunder 13-27
15. Houston Rockets 12-31
Photo Credit: Getty Images