By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
The European players stepped up big in the first NBA Night after the All-Star break.
Lauri Markkanen had a double-double of 43 points and 10 rebounds with 15/28 from the field and 10/10 at the line in the Utah Jazz’s 120-119 win against Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Finnish superstar was crucial at the end of the game, being clutch both in the fourth quarter with 18 points and in the last seconds of the OT, hitting the decisive free throws with 4.6 seconds left.
Nikola Jokic had a massive triple-double for the Denver Nuggets, which beat Cleveland 115-109 on the road. The Serbian phenomenon had 24 points, 18 rebounds, and 13 assists.
Vlatko Cancar had 10 points next to him. Coming off the bench for the Cavaliers, Cedi Osman scored 5 points in 27 minutes on the court.
The Doncic-Irving duo keeps on being crucial for the Dallas Mavericks. The Slovenian superstar went close to a triple-double of 28 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds, while the former Brooklyn Nets guard scored 23 with 6 assists.
Domantas Sabonis had another triple-double in what is the best season of his career. The Lithuanian center ended the game with 18 points, 18 rebounds, and 10 assists, pushing Sacramento to the 133-116 win against Portland.
Coming off the bench for the Toronto Raptors, Jakob Poeltl had a giant double-double of 21 points and 18 rebounds. O.G. Anunoby followed with 12 points and 6 rebounds.
The Canadians had the better of New Orleans, despite Jonas Valanciunas’ double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds.
The young Orlando Magic won 108-106 against Detroit thanks to Franz Wagner’s 21 points and 5 rebounds and Paolo Banchero’s 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists.
Moritz Wagner had 9 off the bench, while on the Pistons’ side, Killian Hayes had 12 points and 5 assists, while Bojan Bogdanovic only scored 7 with 4 rebounds.
Dennis Schroder had 13 points off the bench for the Los Angeles Lakers, helping the purple-and-gold side beat Golden State 124-111 at home.
NBA results and European performances:
Cleveland Cavaliers – Denver Nuggets 109-115 (Jokic 24 p, 18 r, 13 a; Cancar 10 p; Osman 5 p)
Indiana Pacers – Boston Celtics 138-142 (Theis 8 p, 5 r)
Orlando Magic – Detroit Pistons 108-106 (Franz Wagner 21 p, 5 r; Banchero 11 p, 6 r; Moritz Wagner 9 p; Hayes 12 p, 5 a; Bojan Bogdanovic 7 p, 4 r)
Philadelphia 76ers – Memphis Grizzlies 110-105 (Aldama 6 p)
Toronto Raptors – New Orleans Pelicans 115-110 (Poeltl 21 p, 18 r; Anunoby 12 p, 6 r; Valanciunas 12 p, 12 r)
Dallas Mavericks – San Antonio Spurs 142-116 (Doncic 28 p, 10 a, 7 r)
Utah Jazz – Oklahoma City Thunder 120-109 OT (Markkanen 43 p, 10 r)
Los Angeles Lakers – Golden State Warriors 124-111 (Schroder 13 p)
Sacramento Kings – Portland Trail Blazers 133-116 (Sabonis 18 p, 18 r, 10 a)
2022-23 STANDINGS
EAST
| TEAM | W | L | LAST 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| BOSTON | 43 | 17 | |
| 41 | 17 | ||
| 39 | 19 | ||
| 38 | 24 | ||
| 34 | 24 | ||
| NEW YORK | 33 | 27 | |
| MIAMI | 32 | 27 | |
| ATLANTA | 29 | 30 | |
| 29 | 31 | ||
| 28 | 30 | ||
| 26 | 33 | ||
| 26 | 35 | ||
| ORLANDO | 25 | 35 | |
| CHARLOTTE | 17 | 43 | |
| DETROIT | 15 | 45 |
WEST
| TEAM | W | L | LAST 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| DENVER | 42 | 18 | |
| MEMPHIS | 35 | 23 | |
| 3 SACRAMENTO | 33 | 25 | |
| 33 | 28 | 6-4 | |
| 32 | 28 | ||
| 32 | 29 | ||
| 31 | 30 | ||
| 30 | 30 | 4-6 | |
| 9 | 30 | 31 | 5-5 |
| 29 | 30 | ||
| 28 | 30 | ||
| 28 | 31 | ||
| 28 | 32 | ||
| 14 | 46 | ||
| 13 | 45 |
-Top six teams of each conference advance directly to the Playoffs
-Teams seeded 7th to 10th will compete in Play-In tournament
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images