By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Latvian unicorn Kristaps Porzingis scored a career-high 41 points, including 29 in the first half, and the Washington Wizards beat Minnesota 142-127 after Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony-Towns was helped off the court in the third quarter with a right leg injury.
“I have to admit, I feel good,” Porzingis said. “I thought that I was not going to get it because we were going to blow them out by 30 and then not maybe play the fourth. I was thinking about that scenario.”
Israeli Dani Avdija added six points and six rebounds for the winners. Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 29, while French big man Rudy Gobert had 19 points and seven rebounds.
Serb star Nikola Jokic had 32 points and 12 rebounds, Jamal Murray scored a season-high 31 and the Denver Nuggets defeated the Houston Rockets 129-113.
Turkish big man Alperen Sengun led five Rockets in double figures with 18 points. Spaniard Usman Garuba added four points and three rebounds, while Serb Boban Marjanovic added three points.
DeMar DeRozan had 26 points and six assists to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 114-107 victory over the Utah Jazz with Montenegrin big man Nikola Vucevic finishing the night with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Slovenian veteran Goran Dragic added seven points.
Finland’s pride Lauri Markkanen scored 32 points for the Jazz against his former team.
In the rest of today’s games the score and European scorers were the following:
Philadelphia – Atlanta 104-101 (Korkmaz 2 p. 3 st. – Capela 10 p. 16 r.)
Boston – Charlotte 140-105 (Maledon 11 p. 8 as.)
Brooklyn – Orlando 109-102 (Banchero 24 p. 5 as. F.Wagner 21 p. M.Wagner 2 p. 5 r.)
Toronto – Cleveland 100-88 (Anunoby 20 p. Hernangomez 5 p. – Osman 9 p.)
New Orleans – Oklahoma City 105-101 (Valanciunas 8 p. 10 r. Hernangomez 10 p. 9 r. – Pokusevski 11 p.)
Sacramento – Phoenix 117-122 (Sabonis 17 p. 10 r. 9 as.)
LA Lakers – Indiana 115-116 (Schroder 8 p. 4 as. – Bitzdze 1 as.)
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