By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
NBA action continued Thursday as big trades still echo for franchises and players.
Such was the case for Luka Doncic, who erupted with a new career-high performance of 51 points to lift the Dallas Mavericks to a 112-105 on the eve of Kristaps Porzingis’ trade to the Washington Wizards.
Doncic signed off with a 17-26 FG, while also posting 9 rebounds and 6 assists in 40 minutes to help the Mavs take the lead in the series against the Clippers with their fourth straight win.
Marcus Morris Sr. led the way for the Clippers with 21 points, Norman Powell dropped 19 and Reggie Jackson had 18. The two sides will face off again Sunday in Los Angeles.
DeAndre Ayton scored 27 points and Chris Paul added a big double-double with 17 points and 19 rebounds to extend the Phoenix Suns’ streak to four games with a 131-107 victory against the Milwaukee Bucks in their first meeting of the season.
Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday led all scorers for the reigning champions with 21 points each, while Giannis Antetokounmpo poured 18 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds for the Bucks, which held on to a four-game winning streak of their own before the game.
Julius Randle dropped a double-double of 28 points, 16 rebounds along with 7 assists and Frenchman Evan Fournier posted 22 points to help the New York Knicks snap back from a four-game skid with a 116-114 victory over the Golden State Warriors on the road Thursday.
Stephen Curry dropped a double-double with 35 points and 10 assists for the hosts, though his efforts fell short in the end. Klay Thompson and Johnathan Kuminga followed with 17 points apiece and Andrew Wiggins tapped 15 points, as the Warriors suffered their second consecutive defeat.
Ja Morant and Desmond Bane combined for 45 points as the Memphis Grizzlies extended their streak to four games with a 132-107 victory against the Detroit Pistons on the road.
Jerami Grant posted 20 points for the Pistons, Saddiq Bey and Hamidou Diallo followed with 17 points each, while French youngster Killian Hayes produced 4 assists and 2 points across 13 minutes on the court for the Pistons.
With the news of James Harden’s move to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Washington Wizards further stunned the Brooklyn Nets with a 113-112 win.
Raul Neto paced the Wizards with 21 points, Kyle Kuzma dropped a triple-double of 15 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists and Anthony Gill also added 15 for the winners.
Kyrie Irving took charge for the Nets, leading the way with 31 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds and Cam Thomas tapped 27 points, as the Nets have lost a wobbling 10 games in a row.
Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo both erupted with 29 points to help the Miami Heat move up with a 112-97 victory against the New Orleans Pelicans on the road, to extend their streak to four games.
Kyle Lowry was added to the list of top scorers with a triple-double of 14 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, while big man Omer Yurtseven tapped 3 points and 2 rebounds in just 6 minutes on the court.
Jose Alvarado led all players of the Pelicans with 17 points and big man Jonas Valanciunas dropped 16 points and 9 rebounds for the team.
Gary Trent Jr. scored a new-season high of 42 points and Pascal Siakam added 30 points, as the Toronto Raptors beat the Houston Rockets 139-120 to win their eighth straight game.
Kevin Porter Jr. led the shortstaffed Rockets with 30 points, Garrison Matthews posted 18 points and Christian Wood had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
NBA February 10 results:
Detroit Pistons – Memphis Grizzlies 107-132
New Orleans Pelicans – Miami Heat 97-112
Washington Wizards – Brooklyn Nets 113-112
Houston Rockets – Toronto Raptors 120-139
Dallas Mavericks – LA Clippers 112-105
Golden State Warriors – New York Knicks 114-116
Phoenix Suns – Milwaukee Bucks 131-107
NBA standings (via nba.com):
Eastern Conference
| TEAM | W | L | WIN% | GB | CONF | DIV | HOME | ROAD | OT | LAST 10 | STREAK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 Miami Heat |
36 | 20 | .643 | — | 22-12 | 10-2 | 18-6 | 18-14 | 0-3 | 7-3 | W 4 |
|
2 Chicago Bulls |
34 | 21 | .618 | 1.5 | 23-13 | 7-3 | 19-8 | 15-13 | 0-1 | 6-4 | W 1 |
|
3 Cleveland Cavaliers |
34 | 21 | .618 | 1.5 | 19-11 | 6-3 | 18-9 | 16-12 | 0-0 | 7-3 | W 3 |
|
4 Milwaukee Bucks |
35 | 22 | .614 | 1.5 | 21-16 | 7-3 | 19-9 | 16-13 | 0-2 | 7-3 | L 1 |
|
5 Philadelphia 76ers |
32 | 22 | .593 | 3 | 18-13 | 4-6 | 14-12 | 18-10 | 2-1 | 6-4 | L 1 |
|
6 Toronto Raptors |
31 | 23 | .574 | 4 | 21-14 | 5-5 | 16-12 | 15-11 | 2-1 | 9-1 | W 8 |
|
7 Boston Celtics |
31 | 25 | .554 | 5 | 22-14 | 6-6 | 18-10 | 13-15 | 4-2 | 8-2 | W 6 |
|
8 Brooklyn Nets |
29 | 26 | .527 | 6.5 | 20-11 | 6-2 | 12-14 | 17-12 | 2-0 | 0-10 | L 10 |
|
9 Charlotte Hornets |
28 | 28 | .500 | 8 | 18-17 | 5-6 | 14-12 | 14-16 | 0-4 | 2-8 | L 6 |
|
10 Atlanta Hawks |
26 | 28 | .481 | 9 | 15-17 | 6-5 | 16-12 | 10-16 | 0-0 | 7-3 | W 1 |
|
11 Washington Wizards |
25 | 29 | .463 | 10 | 18-18 | 6-6 | 14-14 | 11-15 | 3-0 | 2-8 | W 1 |
|
12 New York Knicks |
25 | 31 | .446 | 11 | 14-21 | 4-6 | 13-15 | 12-16 | 1-1 | 3-7 | W 1 |
|
13 Indiana Pacers |
19 | 37 | .339 | 17 | 8-27 | 2-9 | 13-15 | 6-22 | 3-3 | 2-8 | L 4 |
|
14 Orlando Magic |
13 | 43 | .232 | 23 | 8-30 | 2-10 | 5-20 | 8-23 | 0-1 | 5-5 | W 1 |
|
15 Detroit Pistons |
12 | 43 | .218 | 23.5 | 8-21 | 3-7 | 8-19 | 4-24 | 1-1 | 1-9 | L 6 |
Western Conference
| TEAM | W | L | WIN% | GB | CONF | DIV | HOME | ROAD | OT | LAST 10 | STREAK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 Phoenix Suns |
45 | 10 | .818 | — | 26-7 | 5-4 | 23-5 | 22-5 | 1-0 | 9-1 | W 4 |
|
2 Golden State Warriors |
41 | 15 | .732 | 4.5 | 24-9 | 8-1 | 25-5 | 16-10 | 0-2 | 8-2 | L 2 |
|
3 Memphis Grizzlies |
39 | 18 | .684 | 7 | 27-11 | 5-4 | 20-9 | 19-9 | 2-1 | 8-2 | W 4 |
|
4 Utah Jazz |
34 | 21 | .618 | 11 | 21-11 | 11-1 | 19-10 | 15-11 | 0-0 | 5-5 | W 4 |
|
5 Dallas Mavericks |
33 | 23 | .589 | 12.5 | 23-13 | 10-2 | 20-10 | 13-13 | 1-2 | 7-3 | W 4 |
|
6 Denver Nuggets |
30 | 24 | .556 | 14.5 | 17-17 | 4-8 | 15-10 | 15-14 | 2-0 | 7-3 | W 2 |
|
7 Minnesota Timberwolves |
29 | 26 | .527 | 16 | 20-18 | 7-4 | 16-10 | 13-16 | 1-1 | 7-3 | L 1 |
|
8 LA Clippers |
27 | 30 | .474 | 19 | 14-22 | 4-5 | 16-13 | 11-17 | 0-2 | 4-6 | L 3 |
|
9 Los Angeles Lakers |
26 | 30 | .464 | 19.5 | 14-18 | 2-7 | 17-13 | 9-17 | 6-1 | 3-7 | L 2 |
|
10 New Orleans Pelicans |
22 | 33 | .400 | 23 | 14-17 | 4-4 | 12-14 | 10-19 | 1-1 | 5-5 | L 1 |
|
11 Portland Trail Blazers |
22 | 34 | .393 | 23.5 | 10-24 | 1-8 | 15-16 | 7-18 | 0-1 | 2-8 | W 1 |
|
12 Sacramento Kings |
21 | 36 | .368 | 25 | 15-22 | 5-7 | 15-17 | 6-19 | 1-0 | 3-7 | W 1 |
|
13 San Antonio Spurs |
20 | 35 | .364 | 25 | 12-20 | 3-6 | 11-18 | 9-17 | 0-3 | 3-7 | L 1 |
|
14 Oklahoma City Thunder |
17 | 37 | .315 | 27.5 | 13-23 | 3-5 | 9-18 | 8-19 | 1-1 | 3-7 | L 3 |
|
15 Houston Rockets |
15 | 40 | .273 | 30 | 7-25 | 2-8 | 8-18 | 7-22 | 1-0 | 2-8 | L |
Photo credit: Getty Images