By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Oklahoma City Thunder had a 15-point deficit in the second half but managed to turn the game around in the final minutes and beat Orlando Magic 116-108, with Aleksej Pokuševski scoring 16 points, and grabbing nine rebounds.
The Serbian forward made an important triple with just over four minutes remaining, to give Thunder a 105-104 lead, and then gave Oklahoma some breathing room with a layup, with less than three minutes on the clock.
Young French player Ousmane Dieng added eight points for the winning team.
German national team player Franz Wagner scored 20 points for the losing side, while the latest first pick from the NBA draft, American-Italian Paolo Banchero, added 15.
Thunder improved to 4-3, and have a winning record for the first time since the beginning of the 2020-21 season.
Thanks to Zack LaVine scoring 20 of his 29 points in the last period, the Chicago Bulls defeated Brooklyn 108-99 in their first game after firing head coach Steve Nash.
Slovenian Goran Dragić, who played last season for the Nets, scored 15 points off the bench, while Montenegrin center Nikola Vučević added seven, but also grabbed 15 rebounds.
The Bulls are now 4-4, while the Nets fell to 2-6 with assistant coach Jacque Vaughn leading the team.
“It was a roller coaster the last few years, but the core of the basketball is something we all love to do. Regardless of who is the coach, regardless of the circumstances, you still got to come to work, and I enjoyed coming to work with Steve”, Durant said after the game and admitted that he found out about the coaching change on TV.
Phoenix Suns added their fifth straight victory (6-1), after beating Minnesota Timberwolves 116-107. Dario Šarić scored three points, and added three rebounds with one assist, for Monty Willams’s side.
Rudy Gobert had nine rebounds and scored all of his seven points from the free throw line for the Minneapolis team that now has 4-4.
Miami Heat overcame a triple-double from Stephen Curry (23 points, 13 assists, and rebounds) to beat the defending champions Golden State Warriors 116-109, and improve to 3-5. Steve Kerr’s team dropped their third straight road game, and are now also 3-5.
NBA results:
Brooklyn Nets – Chicago Bulls 99-108 (Dragić 15p, Vučević 7p, 15r)
Miami Heat – Golden State Warriors 116-109
Oklahoma City Thunde – Orlando Magic 116-108 (Pokuševski 16p, 9r, Dieng 8p – F. Wagner 20p, Banchero 15p)
Phoenix Suns – Minnesota Timberwolves 116-107 (Šarić 3p, 3r – Gobert 7p, 9r)
Standings:
Eastern Conference
1. Milwaukee Bucks 6-0
2. Cleveland Cavaliers 5-1
3. Boston Celtics 4-2
4. Atlanta Hawks 4-3
5. Toronto Raptors 4-3
6. Philadelphia 76ers 4-4
7. Chicago Bulls 4-4
8. New York Knicks 3-3
9. Charlotte Hornets 3-4
10. Washington Wizards 3-4
11. Indiana Pacers 3-5
12. Miami Heat 3-5
13. Brooklyn Nets 2-6
14. Detroit Pistons 2-6
15. Orlando Magic 1-7
Western Conference
1. Phoenix Suns 6-1
2. Portland Trail Blazers 5-1
3. Utah Jazz 6-2
4. San Antonio Spurs 5-2
5. New Orleans Pelicans 4-2
6. Denver Nuggets 4-3
7. Oklahoma City Thunder 4-3
8. Memphis Grizzlies 4-3
9. Minnesota Timberwolves 4-4
10. Dallas Mavericks 3-3
11. Los Angeles Clippers 3-4
12. Golden State Warriors 3-5
13. Sacramento Kings 2-4
14. Los Angeles Lakers 1-5
15. Houston Rockets 1-7