By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Damian Lillard led Portland with 31 points, eight assists, and six rebounds in the 135-110 win over Denver. Anfernee Simmons scored 29 points, Jeremy Grant had 21 points and Bosnian Beast Jusuf Nurkić did his part in the victory with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists.
On the losing side, Serbian center Nikola Jokić finished the game with only nine points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. It was one of the worst games by the two-time MVP in the last couple of seasons.
Utah’s dream start surprisingly ended in Houston. The Rockets were led by Kevin Porter’s 26 points and Jalen Greens’ 25 to the 114-108 win. On the Jazz side, Finn Lauri Markkanen scored 14 points, while Italian Simone Fontecchio added 13. This is Houston’s first win this season.
Spaniard Usman Garuba scored only two points for the Rockets, while Serb Boban Marjanović had 1 point and 3 rebounds.
Frenchman Rudy Gobert scored 11 points with seven rebounds in a Minnesota defeat against the Spurs 115-106. For the Spurs, both Austrian Jakob Poelt (14 p. 14 r.) and Polish Jeremy Sochan (14 p.) had key contributions.
Julius Randle (25 points) led the New York Knicks to a 115-102 victory against Orlando Magic. The Italian American rookie Paulo Banchero had another good game. He scored 21 points for Orlando, while German Franz Wagner had 14 points. Frenchman Evan Fournier added 8 points in the Knicks‘ victory.
Memphis defeated Brooklyn 134-124 and achieved its third victory in the season. In the winning team, Ja Morant and Desmond Bain each scored 38 points and had seven assists, while Morant also had eight rebounds. Spaniard Santi Aldama had a good game with 17 points and 4 rebounds.
In the team from Brooklyn, Kyrie Irving scored 37 points, with eight rebounds and five assists, and Kevin Durant finished the game with 37 points and five rebounds.
Tuesday’s results:
Philadelphia 76ers – Indiana Pacers 120-106 (Bitadze 3 p)
Miami Heat – Toronto Raptors 90-98 (Anunoby 6 p)
New York Knicks – Orlando Magic 115-102 (Fournier 8p, Hartenstein 7p – Banchero 21p,Wagner 14p)
Chicago Bulls – Boston Celtics 120-102 (Vucević 18p, Dragić 7p)
Houston Rockets – Utah Jazz 114-108 (Garuba 2p, Marjanović 1p- Markkanen 14, Fontecchio 13)
Memphis Grizzlies– Brooklyn Nets 132-124 (Aldama 17p)
Minnesota Timberwolves – San Antonio Spurs 115-106 (Gobert 11p, 7r – Poelti 14p, 14r, Sochan 14p, )
Portland Trail Blazers – Denver Nuggets 135-110 (Nurkic 13p, 12 r. – Jokić 9p, 9r, 9a )
Standings:
Eastern Conference
1.Milwaukee Bucks 2-0
2. Boston Celtics 3-1
3.Cleveland Cavaliers 2-1
4. New York Knicks 2-1
5. Charlotte Hornets 2-1
6. Atlanta Hawks 2-1
7. Washington Wizards 2-1
8. Toronto Raptors 2-2
9. Chicago Bulls 2-2
10. Brooklyn Nets 1-2
11. Detroit Pistons 1-2
12. Philadelphia 76ers 1-3
13. Indiana Pacers 1-3
14. Miami Heat 1-3
15. Orlando Magic 0-4
Western Conference
1. Portland Trail Blazers 4-0
2. Utah Jazz 3-1
3. San Antonio Spurs 3-1
4. Memphis Grizzlies 3-1
5. New Orleans Pelicans 2-1
6. Phoenix Suns 2-1
7. Golden State Warriors 2-1
8. Los Angeles Clippers 2-1
9. Dallas Mavericks 1-1
10. Minnesota Timberwolves 2-2
11. Denver Nuggets 2-2
12. Houston Rockets 1-3
13. Sacramento Kings 0-3
14. Oklahoma City Thunder 0-3
15. Los Angeles Lakers 0-3