Terrific double-doubles by Nikola Jokic and Lauri Markkanen led to wins

By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net

Nikola Jokic went close to back-to-back triple-doubles in the Denver Nuggets’ victory against the Miami Heat. The 2x NBA MVP had 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists, shooting basically perfectly from the field (12/14) and at the line (3/3).

Vlatko Cancar, who started next to the Serbian superstar, had 10 points and 6 rebounds.

Lauri Markkanen delivered a terrific double-double of 29 points and 11 rebounds, with 10/20 from the field and 7/7 at the charity stripe to lead Utah against Indiana. For the home side, Daniel Theis had 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in one of his first appearances with the Pacers.

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving scored more than 30 points for the first time since playing together, but Dallas lost against Minnesota. The Slovenian phenomenon had a double-double of 33 points and 12 rebounds, while the former Nets had 36 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists.

However, Rudy Gobert played one of his best games since joining the Timberwolves with a double-double of 21 points and 14 rebounds, with 9/9 from the field, leading his team to the 124-121 away win.

Kristaps Porzingis had an impressive losing effort of 34 points and 7 rebounds against Golden State, with Deni Avdija scoring 7 points off the bench.

Orlando won against Chicago thanks to 40 points combined by Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, while Moritz Wagner added 7 points. For the Bulls, the former Magic center Nikola Vucevic had a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Jonas Valanciunas helped the New Orleans Pelicans with 14 points and 8 rebounds against Oklahoma City, and Willy Hernangomez didn’t step on the court.

The 76ers beat Houston at home, but the Rockets had some good losing effort performances by their Europeans. Alperen Sengun had almost a double-double with 12 points and 8 rebounds.

From the bench, Usman Garuba had 5 points, while Boban Marjanovic scored 7 points in only 4 minutes on the court.

Atlanta lost to Charlotte, but Bogdan Bogdanovic had 11 points off the bench, shooting 3/5 from beyond the arc.

After Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving left the Brooklyn Nets, the New York Knicks had the better of the city rivals 124-106 at the Garden. Isaiah Hartenstein helped with 8 points and 5 rebounds off the bench.

Cedi Osman and Ricky Rubio came off the bench in the Cavs’ win against San Antonio. The Turkish forward had 8 points, while the Spanish playmaker scored 9 with 7/8 at the line. On the other hand, Jeremy Sochan started for the Spurs but struggled shooting (4/12 FG) and had 10 points.

NBA results and European performances:

Charlotte Hornets – Atlanta Hawks 144-138 (Bogdan Bogdanovic 11 p)
Cleveland Cavaliers – San Antonio Spurs 117-109 (Osman 8 p, Rubio 9 p; Sochan 10 p)
Indiana Pacers – Utah Jazz 117-123 (Markkanen 29 p, 11 r; Theis 11 p, 5 r, 3 a)
Philadelphia 76ers – Houston Rockets 123-104 (Sengun 12 p, 8 r; Garuba 5 p, Marjanovic 7 p)
Miami Heat – Denver Nuggets 108-112 (Jokic 27 p, 12 r, 8 a; Cancar 10 p, 6 r)
New York Knicks – Brooklyn Nets 124-106 (Hartenstein 8 p, 5 r)
Chicago Bulls – Orlando Magic 91-100 (Banchero 22 p, Franz Wagner 18 p, Moritz Wagner 7 p; Vucevic 13 p, 13 r)
Oklahoma City Thunder – New Orleans Pelicans 100-103 (Valanciunas 14 p, 8 r)
Dallas Mavericks – Minnesota Timberwolves 121-124 (Doncic 33 p, 12 r; Gobert 21 p, 14 r)
Golden State Warriors – Washington Wizards 135-126 (Porzingis 34 p, 7 r; Avdija 7 p)
Portland Trail Blazers – Los Angeles Lakers 127-115 (Dennis Schroder 2 p, 6 a)

2022-23 STANDINGS

EAST

WEST

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images