By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Luka Doncic registered his 44th career-triple double as the Dallas Mavericks triumphed over the Philadelphia 76ers with a 107-98 victory at home Friday.
Doncic posted 33 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds to join the NBA’s all-time Top 10 in triple-doubles, surpassing Fat Lever’s 43. The Slovenian superstar is now chasing Larry Bird, with whom he has a difference of 15 career-triple doubles (Bird has a career record of 59).
Reggie Bullock added to the efforts of the Mavs with 20 points and Jalen Brunson added 19 points, to help the team snap back from a two-game skid.
Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 27 points and 13 rebounds and Tyrese Maxey added 18 points. The visiting side has now lost its second straight game for the first time since mid-December.
Nikola Vucevic emerged with a new season-high of 36 points and 17 rebounds and the Chicago Bulls got past the Indiana Pacers 122-115 on the road.
DeMar DeRozan added to Vucevic’s efforts with 31 points and Javonte Green picked up 16 points, as the Bulls have now won three of their last four games.
Caris LeVert’s season-high with 42 points couldn’t save the day for the Pacers, who were missing Domantas Sabonis. The Lithuanian star entered COVID protocols four days ago and Indiana has been struggling with two consecutive defeats.
Herbert Jones scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth period, Brandon Ingram added a double-double with 23 points and 12 assists, Jaxson Hayes followed with 22 points and big man Jonas Valanciunas had 18 to lift the New Orleans Pelicans to a 113-105 victory against the Denver Nuggets on the road.
Nikola Jokic was one assist shy of a triple-double of his own, leading Denver with 25 points and 12 rebounds, though the team has now suffered its third consecutive defeat.
The Utah Jazz held on to beat the Brooklyn Nets 125-102 at home, with Donovan Mitchell leading the way with a 27-point performance upon his return to action, in the two team’s first meeting of the season.
Bojan Bogdanovic was productive with 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Jazz and Eric Pascal posted 16 points coming from the bench and the team won its second straight game after a tough skid.
Amidst James Harden’s trade scenarios, the Nets picked up 30 points by Cam Thomas, while Kyrie Irving added 15 points and 6 assists, though that wasn’t enough to recover and suffered their seventh consecutive defeat.
Jarrett Allen and Kevin Love combined 54 points to pace the Cleveland Cavaliers to a narrow 102-101 victory against the Charlotte Hornets on the road.
Allen posted a big double-double with 29 points and 22 rebounds, while Love had 25 points and 9 rebounds to help the Cavs recover from a loss to the Rockets earlier this week. Terry Rozier tapped 24 points for the shortstaffed Hornets and Kelly Oubre Jr. added 21 points and 9 rebounds.
Pascal Siakam tied his season-high of 33 points and Fred VanVleet emerged with 26 points and 11 assists as the Toronto Raptors prevailed over the Atlanta Hawks 125-114 to win their fifth straight game. The Raptors had also won their Monday meeting, to take a 2-0 in their regular season series.
De’Andre Hunter and John Collins both tapped 23 points for the Hawks, Trae Young followed with a double-double of 22 points and 13 assists and Bodan Bogdanovic exited the game with 18 points.
Luguentz Dort kept Oklahoma’s streak alive, leading his team to a 96-93 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on the road with a 23-point performance. The Thunder have won their third game in a row and took a 2-0 lead in the regular-season series against Portland.
Josh Giddey tapped 16 points and 7 rebounds for the visitors and Mamadi Diakite had 12. CJ McCollum and Anfernee Simons both scored 19 points for Portland, while Jusuf Nurkic went off with a double-double of 14 points and 16 rebounds.
Jayson Tatum added 24 points and the Boston Celtics got past the Detroit Pistons with a 102-93 victory to extend their winning streak to four games, their longest of the season.
Jaylen Brown followed with 13 points for the Celtics, Josh Richardson scored 12 points and Robert Williams was added to the list of top scorers with 11 points, 11 rebounds.
Hamidou Diallo dropped a double-double with 21 points and 14 rebounds, Saddiq Bey added 21 points and Jerami Grant had 10 points, as the Pistons have now lost their seventh of their last eight games.
The San Antonio Spurs celebrated a 131-106 win on the eve of Zach Collins’ return to action after a year and half and two left foot operations. Collins dropped 10 points upon his return, helping the Spurs bounce back from a three-game skid. Keldon Johnson led all scorers of the team with 28 points and big man Jakob Poeltl posted a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Josh Christopher dropped 23 points for the Rockets and big man Alperen Sengun was among the top contributors with 18 points and 2 rebounds in 29 minutes.
NBA February 4 results:
Charlotte Hornets – Cleveland Cavaliers 101-102
Detroit Pistons – Boston Celtics 93-102
Indiana Pacers – Chicago Bulls 115-122
Toronto Raptors – Atlanta Hawks 125-114
San Antonio Spurs – Houston Rockets 131-106
Utah Jazz – Brooklyn Nets 125-102
Denver Nuggets – New Orleans Pelicans 105-113
Dallas Mavericks – Philadelphia 76ers 107-98
Portland Trail Blazers – Oklahoma City Thunder 93-96
NBA standings (via nba.com)
Eastern Conference
| TEAM | W | L | WIN% | GB | CONF | DIV | HOME | ROAD | OT | LAST 10 | STREAK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 Chicago Bulls |
33 | 19 | .635 | — | 22-12 | 7-3 | 19-6 | 14-13 | 0-1 | 6-4 | W 1 |
|
2 Miami Heat |
33 | 20 | .623 | 0.5 | 20-12 | 8-2 | 18-6 | 15-14 | 0-3 | 6-4 | W 1 |
|
3 Cleveland Cavaliers |
32 | 21 | .604 | 1.5 | 18-11 | 5-3 | 16-9 | 16-12 | 0-0 | 7-3 | W 1 |
|
4 Milwaukee Bucks |
32 | 21 | .604 | 1.5 | 21-16 | 7-3 | 19-9 | 13-12 | 0-2 | 6-4 | W 1 |
|
5 Philadelphia 76ers |
31 | 21 | .596 | 2 | 17-13 | 4-6 | 14-11 | 17-10 | 2-1 | 6-4 | L 2 |
|
6 Brooklyn Nets |
29 | 23 | .558 | 4 | 20-9 | 6-1 | 12-13 | 17-10 | 2-0 | 2-8 | L 7 |
|
7 Toronto Raptors |
28 | 23 | .549 | 4.5 | 20-14 | 5-5 | 16-12 | 12-11 | 2-1 | 7-3 | W 5 |
|
8 Boston Celtics |
29 | 25 | .537 | 5 | 20-14 | 5-6 | 18-10 | 11-15 | 4-2 | 7-3 | W 4 |
|
9 Charlotte Hornets |
28 | 25 | .528 | 5.5 | 18-14 | 5-5 | 14-9 | 14-16 | 0-4 | 5-5 | L 3 |
|
10 Atlanta Hawks |
25 | 27 | .481 | 8 | 14-17 | 6-5 | 15-12 | 10-15 | 0-0 | 8-2 | L 1 |
|
11 Washington Wizards |
24 | 27 | .471 | 8.5 | 17-17 | 6-5 | 13-12 | 11-15 | 3-0 | 3-7 | W 1 |
|
12 New York Knicks |
24 | 28 | .462 | 9 | 14-21 | 4-6 | 13-15 | 11-13 | 1-0 | 3-7 | L 1 |
|
13 Indiana Pacers |
19 | 35 | .352 | 15 | 8-25 | 2-8 | 13-15 | 6-20 | 3-3 | 4-6 | L 2 |
|
14 Detroit Pistons |
12 | 40 | .231 | 21 | 8-21 | 3-7 | 8-18 | 4-22 | 1-1 | 2-8 | L 3 |
|
15 Orlando Magic |
12 | 41 | .226 | 21.5 | 8-29 | 2-10 | 5-18 | 7-23 | 0-1 | 4-6 | W 1 |
Western Conference
| TEAM | W | L | WIN% | GB | CONF | DIV | HOME | ROAD | OT | LAST 10 | STREAK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 Phoenix Suns |
41 | 10 | .804 | — | 26-7 | 5-4 | 22-5 | 19-5 | 1-0 | 9-1 | L 1 |
|
2 Golden State Warriors |
40 | 13 | .755 | 2 | 23-8 | 8-1 | 25-4 | 15-9 | 0-2 | 9-1 | W 8 |
|
3 Memphis Grizzlies |
36 | 18 | .667 | 6.5 | 26-11 | 5-4 | 19-9 | 17-9 | 2-1 | 6-4 | W 1 |
|
4 Utah Jazz |
32 | 21 | .604 | 10 | 20-11 | 11-1 | 17-10 | 15-11 | 0-0 | 3-7 | W 2 |
|
5 Dallas Mavericks |
30 | 23 | .566 | 12 | 22-13 | 10-2 | 17-10 | 13-13 | 1-2 | 6-4 | W 1 |
|
6 Denver Nuggets |
28 | 24 | .538 | 13.5 | 17-17 | 4-8 | 13-10 | 15-14 | 2-0 | 6-4 | L 3 |
|
7 Minnesota Timberwolves |
27 | 25 | .519 | 14.5 | 19-17 | 7-4 | 15-10 | 12-15 | 1-1 | 7-3 | W 3 |
|
8 LA Clippers |
27 | 27 | .500 | 15.5 | 14-20 | 4-5 | 16-12 | 11-15 | 0-2 | 6-4 | W 1 |
|
9 Los Angeles Lakers |
25 | 28 | .472 | 17 | 14-17 | 2-7 | 16-12 | 9-16 | 5-1 | 4-6 | L 1 |
|
10 Portland Trail Blazers |
21 | 32 | .396 | 21 | 9-24 | 1-8 | 14-14 | 7-18 | 0-1 | 3-7 | L 4 |
|
11 New Orleans Pelicans |
20 | 32 | .385 | 21.5 | 12-17 | 2-4 | 11-13 | 9-19 | 1-1 | 4-6 | W 2 |
|
12 San Antonio Spurs |
20 | 34 | .370 | 22.5 | 12-20 | 3-6 | 11-18 | 9-16 | 0-3 | 4-6 | W 1 |
|
13 Sacramento Kings |
19 | 35 | .352 | 23.5 | 13-21 | 5-7 | 13-16 | 6-19 | 1-0 | 2-8 | L 1 |
|
14 Oklahoma City Thunder |
17 | 34 | .333 | 24 | 13-21 | 3-5 | 9-16 | 8-18 | 1-1 | 3-7 | W 3 |
|
15 Houston Rockets |
15 | 37 | .288 | 26.5 | 7-23 | 2-6 | 8-16 | 7-21 | 1-0 | 4-6 | L 1 |
Photo credit: Getty Images