By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Giannis Antetokounmpo stepped up with a double-double of 30 points and 15 rebounds to save the day for the Milwaukee Bucks and lead his team to a 117-111 victory over the Utah Jazz.
The Bucks survived an intense finale and the Jazz’s comeback in the final two minutes to win for the first time in Utah since 2001. Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton were also crucial for the reigning champions down the final stretch, adding 29 and 23 points respectively.
Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell paced the hosts with 29 points each, while Rudy Gobert posted a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds.
Karl-Anthony Towns set a new record for most points scored this season and with a 60-piece, he led the Minnesota Timberwolves past the San Antonio Spurs 149-139. Towns shot 19 for 31 and grabbed 17 rebounds in surpassing his previous career-high of 56 points, which remained a franchise-best up to Monday.
The Spurs’ efforts fell short against Towns’ prolific performance, though Keldon Johnson added 34 points, 8 rebounds, Dejounte Murray scored 30 points and 12 assists and big man Jakob Poeltl had 21 points.
In the battle of MVP frontrunners, Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets overcame Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers with a 114-110 victory on the road.
Jokic paced the Nuggets with 22 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists, Bones Hyland added 21 points coming off of the bench and Will Burton had 20 points.
On the other end, Joel Embiid led all scorers of the game with 34 points, 9 rebounds, James Harden picked up a double-double with 24 points and 11 assists and Tyrese Maxey added 19 points.
Evan Mobley scored 30 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers overcame the LA Clippers 120-111 in overtime, to win their regular-season series. Darius Garland followed with 24 points, 13 assists for the Cavs, Isaac Okoro added 20 points and Lauri Markkanen left the court with 17 points and 9 rebounds.
Big man Ivica Zubac led the Clippers with a double-double of 24 points, 14 rebounds, Amir Coffey had 19 points and Terance Mann also scored in double-double figures with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Trae Young got hot once again for the Atlanta Hawks to lift his team to a 122-113 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Young scored 46 points along with 12 assists and 6 rebounds to lead the Hawks to their third consecutive victory.
Deandre Hunter followed with 20 points for the winners, Bogdan Bogdanovic dropped 9 points and 6 assists coming from the bench and Clint Capela had 8 points and a game-high 16 rebounds.
Josh Hart led the way for Portland with 31 points, while Trenton Watford added 22 points and 9 rebounds.
Terry Rozier scored 30 points as the Charlotte Hornets prevailed over the Oklahoma City Thunder 134-116 to close out a perfect two-game trip. Miles Bridges added 27 points and 6 assists, and LaMelo Ball had 21 points and 7 assists.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 32 points and 8 rebounds and Darius Bazley scored 25 points, though the team has now lost its sixth consecutive game.
The Golden State Warriors celebrated Stephen Curry’s 34th birthday in the best way possible and beat the Washington Wizards 126-112 at home. Curry led the feast with 47 points while shooting 16-of-25 with 7 three-pointers, while Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole scored 20 points each.
Kristaps Porzingis added 25 points and 8 rebounds, along with 4 assists for the Wizards and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope followed with 19 points.
Nikola Vucevic posted a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds, though the Chicago Bulls fell to the Sacramento Kings 112-103 on the road. DeAaron Fox was the leading scorer for the hosts with 34 points, Domantas Sabonis picked up 22 points and 7 rebounds and Davion Mitchell added 16 points from the bench.
NBA March 14 results:
Cleveland Cavaliers – LA Clippers 120-111 (OT)
Atlanta Hawks – Portland Trail Blazers 122-113
Philadelphia 76ers – Denver Nuggets 110-114
Oklahoma City Thunder – Charlotte Hornets 116-134
San Antonio Spurs – Minnesota Timberwolves 139-149
Golden State Warriors – Washington Wizards 126-112
Sacramento Kings – Chicago Bulls 112-103
Utah Jazz – Milwaukee Bucks 111-117
Los Angeles Lakers – Toronto Raptors 103-114
NBA standings:
Eastern Conference
| TEAM | W | L | WIN% | GB | CONF | DIV | HOME | ROAD | OT | LAST 10 | STREAK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 Miami Heat |
45 | 24 | .652 | — | 29-13 | 11-2 | 24-9 | 21-15 | 1-3 | 7-3 | L 1 |
|
2 Milwaukee Bucks |
43 | 26 | .623 | 2 | 26-18 | 9-3 | 24-12 | 19-14 | 0-2 | 7-3 | W 1 |
|
3 Philadelphia 76ers |
41 | 26 | .612 | 3 | 25-16 | 6-8 | 19-15 | 22-11 | 3-1 | 7-3 | L 1 |
|
4 Chicago Bulls |
41 | 27 | .603 | 3.5 | 26-17 | 9-4 | 25-10 | 16-17 | 0-1 | 4-6 | L 1 |
|
5 Boston Celtics |
41 | 28 | .594 | 4 | 30-16 | 9-6 | 24-12 | 17-16 | 4-2 | 7-3 | L 1 |
|
6 Cleveland Cavaliers |
39 | 29 | .574 | 5.5 | 23-18 | 8-5 | 21-11 | 18-18 | 1-0 | 4-6 | W 1 |
|
7 Toronto Raptors |
38 | 30 | .559 | 6.5 | 23-19 | 7-5 | 17-15 | 21-15 | 2-1 | 6-4 | W 4 |
|
8 Brooklyn Nets |
35 | 33 | .515 | 9.5 | 25-18 | 9-6 | 14-18 | 21-15 | 2-0 | 4-6 | W 3 |
|
9 Atlanta Hawks |
34 | 34 | .500 | 10.5 | 21-22 | 8-5 | 22-13 | 12-21 | 0-1 | 6-4 | W 3 |
|
10 Charlotte Hornets |
34 | 35 | .493 | 11 | 21-22 | 5-7 | 16-17 | 18-18 | 0-7 | 5-5 | W 2 |
|
11 Washington Wizards |
29 | 38 | .433 | 15 | 22-21 | 6-7 | 17-17 | 12-21 | 3-1 | 3-7 | L 4 |
|
12 New York Knicks |
28 | 40 | .412 | 16.5 | 14-26 | 4-10 | 13-19 | 15-21 | 1-2 | 3-7 | L 2 |
|
13 Indiana Pacers |
23 | 46 | .333 | 22 | 11-34 | 2-13 | 15-19 | 8-27 | 4-4 | 4-6 | L 1 |
|
14 Detroit Pistons – o |
18 | 50 | .265 | 26.5 | 14-27 | 5-8 | 11-23 | 7-27 | 3-1 | 5-5 | L 3 |
|
15 Orlando Magic – o |
18 | 51 | .261 | 27 | 10-33 | 2-11 | 8-24 | 10-27 | 0-3 | 5-5 | L 1 |
Western Conference
| TEAM | W | L | WIN% | GB | CONF | DIV | HOME | ROAD | OT | LAST 10 | STREAK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 Phoenix Suns – x |
54 | 14 | .794 | — | 31-9 | 7-4 | 29-8 | 25-6 | 1-0 | 6-4 | W 1 |
|
2 Memphis Grizzlies |
47 | 22 | .681 | 7.5 | 31-14 | 8-5 | 24-10 | 23-12 | 2-1 | 6-4 | W 3 |
|
3 Golden State Warriors |
47 | 22 | .681 | 7.5 | 28-16 | 10-3 | 29-7 | 18-15 | 0-2 | 5-5 | W 4 |
|
4 Utah Jazz |
42 | 26 | .618 | 12 | 28-15 | 13-1 | 24-11 | 18-15 | 1-0 | 6-4 | L 1 |
|
5 Dallas Mavericks |
42 | 26 | .618 | 12 | 30-15 | 12-2 | 23-12 | 19-14 | 1-2 | 8-2 | W 2 |
|
6 Denver Nuggets |
41 | 28 | .594 | 13.5 | 25-19 | 5-9 | 20-13 | 21-15 | 3-0 | 7-3 | W 1 |
|
7 Minnesota Timberwolves |
40 | 30 | .571 | 15 | 27-18 | 11-4 | 22-12 | 18-18 | 2-1 | 8-2 | W 2 |
|
8 LA Clippers |
36 | 35 | .507 | 19.5 | 21-24 | 7-7 | 20-14 | 16-21 | 0-3 | 6-4 | L 1 |
|
9 Los Angeles Lakers |
29 | 39 | .426 | 25 | 16-26 | 3-11 | 20-17 | 9-22 | 6-2 | 2-8 | L 2 |
|
10 New Orleans Pelicans |
28 | 40 | .412 | 26 | 19-22 | 5-8 | 16-19 | 12-21 | 1-2 | 5-5 | W 1 |
|
11 Portland Trail Blazers |
26 | 41 | .388 | 27.5 | 11-30 | 1-12 | 17-18 | 9-23 | 0-1 | 3-7 | L 1 |
|
12 San Antonio Spurs |
26 | 43 | .377 | 28.5 | 16-23 | 4-7 | 13-22 | 13-21 | 1-3 | 3-7 | L 2 |
|
13 Sacramento Kings |
25 | 45 | .357 | 30 | 17-28 | 5-7 | 16-20 | 9-25 | 1-0 | 3-7 | W 1 |
|
14 Oklahoma City Thunder |
20 | 48 | .294 | 34 | 14-30 | 4-8 | 9-26 | 11-22 | 3-1 | 2-8 | L 6 |
|
15 Houston Rockets |
17 | 51 | .250 | 37 | 9-34 | 3-10 | 10-22 | 7-29 | 2-1 | 2-8 | L 2 |
Photo credit: Getty Images