By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Selected first overall in the 2022 NBA draft, Paolo Banchero entered the 2022-23 Regular Season with 27 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and two blocks in his debut. The Orlando Magic lost, 113-109, to the Detroit Pistons Wednesday evening. “I left a lot of points on the board, as three layups missed, some shots I feel like I could have made, so a lot to work on,” he said after the game.
The American-Italian teaming up with Franz Wagner saw the German forward produce 20 points. Moritz Wagner (foot sprain) was sidelined. Paving the way for the Pistons was Bojan Bogdanovic packing 24 points. The 33-year-old Croatian sharpshooter connected 6/10 from beyond the arc in his first official game as a Piston. French Killian Hayes added three points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals, and one block in 16 minutes.
Moving on, Slovenian Luka Doncic went for 35 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and one steal but the Dallas Mavericks fell, 107-105, to the Phoenix Suns. German Maxi Kleber was limited to two points, while Latvian Davis Bertans (right knee), French Frank Ntilikina, and newcomer Facundo Campazzo were not available. Sidelined the entire 2021-22 season, Croatian Dario Saric did not score playing two minutes for the Suns.
Rough game for the Denver Nuggets, despite Nikola Jokic registering 27 points, six assists, four rebounds, and three steals. The Serbian superstar was 12/17 from the field but his side was outmatched by the Utah Jazz, 123-102. Finnish Lauri Markkanen poured 17 points debuting for the Jazz. Slovenian Vlatko Cancar and Italian Simone Fontecchio were limited to brief outings in their respective teams.
After four points in eight minutes, Israeli Deni Avdija exited with a sprained right ankle as the Washington Wizards started with a 114-107 victory at the Indiana Pacers. Latvian Kristaps Porzingis posted a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double. For the hosts, Georgian Goga Bitadze did not score and German Daniel Theis did not suit up.
In his first NBA start, Spanish Santi Aldama posted an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double and the Memphis Grizzlies outlasted the New York Knicks, 115-112, in overtime. German Isaiah Hartenstein had 16 points and French Evan Fournier ended up with 14 points in the losing effort with Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk held to the bench.
In a new environment, French Rudy Gobert put up a 23-point, 16-rebound double-double lifting the Minnesota Timberwolves over the Oklahoma City Thunder, 115-108. To the opposite end, Serbian Aleksej Pokusevski had 11 points and French rookie Ousmane Dieng lasted nine minutes missing all of his three shots but getting one rebound.
With Serbian Bogdan Bogdanovic recovering from right knee surgery, the Atlanta Hawks bested the Houston Rockets, 117-107. Swiss Clint Capela had two points, eight rebounds, and two blocks. Switching to the Rockets, Turkish Alperen Sengun scored 15 points with both Usman Garuba and Serbian Boban Marjanovic on the bench.
British OG Anunoby recorded ten of his 18 points in the fourth quarter pushing the Toronto Raptors to the win, 108-105, over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Spanish Juancho Hernangomez did not score in seven minutes. Coming off the bench for the Cavs, Turkish Cedi Osman scored 17 points.
The San Antonio Spurs featured Austrian Jakob Poeltl with 14 points and 19-year-old Polish Jeremy Sochan with four points behind 2/8 field goals in his NBA debut. They were blown out by the Charlotte Hornets, 129-102, with French Theo Maledon tapping two points in four minutes.
Montenegrin Nikola Vucevic went for 15 points, 17 rebounds, three blocks, and two assists for the Chicago Bulls, in the away win, 116-108, against the Miami Heat. Slovenian Goran Dragic chipped in 12 points off the bench.
Bosnian Jusuf Nurkic was limited to eight points but the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Sacramento Kings, 115-108. Also in action, Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis tallied 13 points for the losing side.
Logging a 15-point, 13-rebound double-double, Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas helped the New Orleans Pelicans knock down the Brooklyn Nets, 130-108. EuroBasket MVP Willy Hernangomez did not play.
Wednesday NBA results:
Detroit Pistons – Orlando Magic 113-109
Indiana Pacers – Washington Wizards 107-114
Atlanta Hawks – Houston Rockets 117-107
Brooklyn Nets – New Orleans Pelicans 108-130
Memphis Grizzlies – New York Knicks 115-112 OT (108-108)
Miami Heat – Chicago Bulls 108-116
Toronto Raptors – Cleveland Cavaliers 108-105
Minnesota Timberwolves – Oklahoma City Thunder 115-108
San Antonio Spurs – Charlotte Hornets 102-129
Utah Jazz – Denver Nuggets 123-102
Phoenix Suns – Dallas Mavericks 107-105
Sacramento Kings – Portland Trail Blazers 108-115
Standings:
Eastern Conference
1. New Orleans Pelicans 1-0
2. Utah Jazz 1-0
3. Golden State Warriors 1-0
4. Minnesota Timberwolves 1-0
5. Portland Trail Blazers 1-0
6. Memphis Grizzlies 1-0
7. Phoenix Suns 1-0
8. Los Angeles Clippers 0-0
9. Dallas Mavericks 0-1
10. Sacramento Kings 0-1
11. Oklahoma City Thunder 0-1
12. Houston Rockets 0-1
13. Los Angeles Lakers 0-1
14. Denver Nuggets 0-1
15. San Antonio Spurs 0-1
Western Conference
1. Charlotte Hornets 1-0
2. Atlanta Hawks 1-0
3. Boston Celtics 1-0
4. Chicago Bulls 1-0
5. Washington Wizards 1-0
6. Detroit Pistons 1-0
7. Toronto Raptors 1-0
8. Milwaukee Bucks 0-0
9. New York Knicks 0-1
10. Cleveland Cavaliers 0-1
11. Orlando Magic 0-1
12. Indiana Pacers 0-1
13. Miami Heat 0-1
14. Philadelphia 76ers 0-1
15. Brooklyn Nets 0-1
Photo Credit: Getty Images