By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
For the fifth triple-double of the 2022-23 Regular Season and 81st of his NBA career, Nikola Jokic logged 40 points behind 13/26 field goals, a career-high 27 rebounds, and ten assists to go along with two steals in 40 minutes. All over the place, he lifted the Denver Nuggets to the win, 119-115, against the Charlotte Hornets Sunday. The Joker became the second player after Wilt Chamberlain with at least 40 points, 27 rebounds, and ten assists in a single NBA game.
The Serbian superstar completed the triple-double by dishing out an assist to Bruce Brown with 1:20 remaining in the fourth quarter. Following up with a couple of free throws, he sealed the deal as the Nuggets held on after a comfortable lead was reduced to three points down the stretch. Slovenian Vlatko Cancar was limited to three fruitless minutes for the winning side at Ball Arena. For the losing side, French Theo Maledon tallied two points, four assists, and three rebounds.
Missing Rudy Gobert (left ankle) for a second straight game, the Minnesota Timberwolves set a franchise record for the most points in a single game by downing the Chicago Bulls, 150-126. Montenegrin center Nikola Vucevic went for 23 points, nine rebounds, five assists, two rebounds, and one block in the losing effort in Target Center. Slovenian Goran Dragic had six points, five assists, and three rebounds coming off the bench for the team guided by Billy Donovan.
Additional European showings in NBA Sundays, Italian Paolo Banchero adding to a great rookie campaign produced a 31-point effort as the Orlando Magic beat the Boston Celtics, 95-92, in TD Garden. He connected 6/7 from beyond the arc. Fellow European starters, German brothers Franz and Moritz Wagner chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively, helping complete a perfect back-to-back set in Boston.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 26 points but the Detroit Pistons fell short, 124-121, to the Brooklyn Nets in Little Caesars Arena. French Killian Hayes had ten points, eight assists, five rebounds and two steals, starting alongside the Croatian sharpshooter. Driving the Nets, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving combined for 81 points.
More NBA Sundays action and European showings:
Indiana Pacers – New York Knicks 106-109 (Isaiah Hartenstein 2pts, 6reb, 2ast, 2blk)
Toronto Raptors – Golden State Warriors 110-126 (Juancho Hernangomez 3pts, 4reb)
Los Angeles Lakers – Washington Wizards 119-117 (Dennis Schroder 12pts, 7ast – Kristaps Porzingis 21pts, 11reb, 5ast, 2stl, Deni Avdija 8pts)
Standings:
Eastern Conference
1. Milwaukee Bucks 21-8
2. Boston Celtics 22-9
3. Cleveland Cavaliers 20-11
4. Brooklyn Nets 19-12
5. Philadelphia 76ers 16-12
6. New York Knicks 17-13
7. Miami Heat 16-15
8. Atlanta Hawks 15-15
9. Indiana Pacers 15-16
10. Toronto Raptors 13-17
11. Chicago Bulls 11-18
12. Washington Wizards 11-20
13. Orlando Magic 11-20
14. Detroit Pistons 8-24
15. Charlotte Hornets 7-23
Western Conference
1. Memphis Grizzlies 19-10
2. New Orleans Pelicans 18-11
3. Denver Nuggets 18-11
4. Phoenix Suns 18-12
5. Sacramento Kings 16-12
6. Portland Trail Blazers 17-13
7. Los Angeles Clippers 18-14
8. Utah Jazz 17-15
9. Dallas Mavericks 15-15
10. Minnesota Timberwolves 15-15
11. Golden State Warriors 15-16
12. Los Angeles Lakers 13-16
13. Oklahoma City Thunder 12-18
14. Houston Rockets 9-20
15. San Antonio Spurs 9-20
-Top six teams of each conference advance directly to Playoffs
-Teams seeded 7th to 10th will compete in Play-In tournament
Photo Credit: Getty Images