By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Behind Trae Young scoring 47 points, the Atlanta Hawks beat the Indiana Pacers, 131-128, on Sunday. Italian Danilo Gallinari, replacing injured John Collins in the starting unit, produced 15 points, five assists, and five rebounds. Serbian Bogdan Bogdanovic went for 13 points, six assists, four rebounds, one steal, and one block, while Swiss Clint Capela finished with ten points, six rebounds, three assists, three steals, and one block. French Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot did not get on the board in a limited appearance. On the losing end, Georgian Goga Bitadze (right foot) and Spanish Ricky Rubio (left knee) were out.
Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas posted a 32-point, 10-rebound double-double along with three assists, one steal, and one block as the New Orleans Pelicans routed the Houston Rockets, 130-105. Coming off the bench, Spanish Willy Hernangomez added 12 points, six rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block. For the lowly Rockets, Turkish Alperen Sengun got nine points, four rebounds, and one assist, and Spanish Usman Garuba returned after a two-month absence with three points, three rebounds, one steal, and one block, but German Dennis Schroder was ruled out due to a non-COVID illness.
The Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 125-118. French Killian Tillie did not leave the bench with both Spanish Santi Aldama and French Yves Pons on G League assignments. Plenty of European action on the losing end, Serbian Aleksej Pokusevski had ten points, eight rebounds, one assist, and one block, and French starter Theo Maledon packing nine points, five rebounds, four assists, and one steal, while French Olivier Sarr tallied two points, four rebounds, and one steal, and Czech Vit Krejci had three rebounds, three assists, and one block.
After five extra minutes, the Philadelphia 76ers edged the Orlando Magic, 116-114. Turkish Furkan Korkmaz was not part of the rotation. The hosts featured German brother Moritz and Franz Wagner at ten and six points, respectively. Lithuanian Ignas Brazdeikis did not play.
Croatian Dario Saric (right knee) is yet to be cleared for action but the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns blew out the Los Angeles Lakers, 140-111, in their latest convincing display.
Opening the NBA Sunday’s schedule, the Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers, and Dallas Mavericks secured narrow wins against the New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, and Boston Celtics, respectively.
Sunday results:
Brooklyn Nets – New York Knicks 110-107
Detroit Pistons – Los Angeles Clippers 102-106
Boston Celtics – Dallas Mavericks 92-95
Orlando Magic – Philadelphia 76ers 114-116 OT (104-104)
Atlanta Hawks – Indiana Pacers 131-128
New Orleans Pelicans – Houston Rockets 130-105
Oklahoma City Thunder – Memphis Grizzlies 118-125
Phoenix Suns – Los Angeles Lakers 140-111
Standings:
Eastern Conference
1. Miami Heat 45-24
2. Philadelphia 76ers 41-25
3. Milwaukee Bucks 42-26
4. Chicago Bulls 41-26
5. Boston Celtics 41-28
6. Cleveland Cavaliers 38-29
7. Toronto Raptors 37-30
8. Brooklyn Nets 35-33
9. Atlanta Hawks 33-34
10. Charlotte Hornets 33-35
11. Washington Wizards 29-37
12. New York Knicks 28-40
13. Indiana Pacers 23-46
14. x-Detroit Pistons 18-50
15. x-Orlando Magic 18-51
Western Conference
1. y-Phoenix Suns 54-14
2. Memphis Grizzlies 47-22
3. Golden State Warriors 46-22
4. Utah Jazz 42-25
5. Dallas Mavericks 42-26
6. Denver Nuggets 40-28
7. Minnesota Timberwolves 39-30
8. Los Angeles Clippers 36-34
9. Los Angeles Lakers 29-38
10. New Orleans Pelicans 28-40
11. Portland Trail Blazers 26-40
12. San Antonio Spurs 26-42
13. Sacramento Kings 24-45
14. Oklahoma City Thunder 20-47
15. Houston Rockets 17-51
y-clinched playoff berth
x-eliminated
Photo Credit: Getty Images