Giannis and the Bucks clinched playoff, Jokic and the Nuggets lost again

By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net

Milwaukee Bucks are the first team to reach 50 wins in the season and clinch a playoff berth since they defeated Phoenix Suns 104-116 on the road.

As usual, Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way with 36 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists, as he led the team in these statistical parameters.

“We are good. We are in a good place right now. We got to keep on learning, staying humble,” Аntetokounmpo said.

While the Bucks dominate, Denver Nuggets are going through a rough patch, losing 125-110 to Toronto Raptors.

They suffered their fourth straight loss, and Nikola Jokic didn’t even record a double-double, as he finished the match with 28 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.

Denver opponents have scored 100 or more points in five straight games and 120 or more in the past three.

“Maybe we’ve gotten a little soft with success,” coach Mike Malone said. “We’ve been on cruise control for so long, No. 1 in the West since like December 15. I just told our players we’ve gotten away from who we are“.

OG Anunoby had a great game for the Canadian team. The British swingman scored 24 points and was among the best on the winning side, while Jakob Poeltl had a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Cleveland Cavaliers cruised past Charlotte on the road with a 120-104 win, as Cedi Osman erupted with 24 points, while Ricky Rubio added 11 for the winning side.

Washington Wizards defeated Detroit Pistons 117-97, with Kristaps Porzingins scoring 18 and Deni Avdija 13 points. Killian Hayes was the best player on the losing team, with 20 points and seven assists.

San Antonio Spurs scored a record 22 threes as they defeated Orlando 132-114, with Jeremy Sochan scoring 29 points with 11 rebounds and 3-6 from beyond the arch.

He became the first Suprs rookie to reach those numbers in a game, while the Georgian international Sandro Mamukelashvili added seven points and rebounds.

Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 27 points, Mo Wagner added 12, and Franz Wagner had 11 points.

New York Knicks defeated Portland Trail Blazers in Oregon with the final score being 107-123, as Jusuf Nurkic grabbed a double-double of 10 points and rebounds.

Isaiah Hartenstein didn’t put his name on the scoring charts for the losing side, shooting just 0-2 from the field, but he grabbed 11 rebounds.

NBA results:

Charlotte – Cleveland 104-120 (Mikhailiuk 3p – Osman 24p, Rubio 11p)
Washington – Detroit 117-97 (Porzingis 18p, Avdija 13p – Hayes 20p, 7as)
Toronto – Denver 125-110 (Anunoby 24p, Poeltl 12p, 11r, Siakam 12p – Jokic 28p, 8r, 7as)
New Orleans – LA Lakers 108-123 (Valanciunas 10p – Schroder 3p)
Oklahoma – Brooklyn 121-107 (Dieng 4p)
San Antonio – Orlando 132-114 (Sochan 29p, 11r, Mamukelashvili 7p, 7r – Banchero 27p, M. Wagner 12p, 7r, F. Wagner 11p)
Phoenix – Milwaukee 104-116 (Antetokounmpo 36p, 11r, 8as)
Portland – NY Knicks 107-123 (Nurkic 10p, 10r – Hartenstein 11r, 4as)

2022-23 STANDINGS

EAST

TEAM	W	L	LAST 10
1 MILWAUKEE	50	19	8-2
2 BOSTON	47	22	5-5
3 PHILADELPHIA	45	22	7-3
4 CLEVELAND	44	27	6-4
5 NEW YORK	41	30	7-3
6 BROOKLYN	40	30	5-5
7 MIAMI	37	33	5-5
8 ATLANTA	34	35	5-5
9 TORONTO	33	36	5-5
10 WASHINGTON	32	37	4-6
11 CHICAGO	31	36	5-5
12 INDIANA	31	38	6-4
13 ORLANDO	28	41	4-6
14 CHARLOTTE	22	49	4-6
15 e-DETROIT	16	54	1-9

WEST

TEAM	W	L	LAST 10
1 DENVER	46	23	5-5
2 MEMPHIS	41	26	6-4
3 SACRAMENTO	40	27	8-2
4 PHOENIX	37	32	5-5
5 LA CLIPPERS	36	33	5-5
6 GOLDEN STATE	36	33	7-3
7 MINNESOTA	35	34	5-5
8 OKLAHOMA CITY	34	35	6-4
9 DALLAS	34	35	3-7
10 LA LAKERS	34	35	7-3
11 UTAH	33	36	7-3
12 NEW ORLEANS	33	36	4-6
13 PORTLAND	31	38	3-7
14 e-SAN ANTONIO	18	50	4-6
15 e-HOUSTON	16	52	3-7