By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
The NBA is heading to the hottest part of the season with first the Play-In tournament and then the Playoffs. While in the Eastern Conference, everything is set up, the West has to wait for the remaining outcomes.
Alperen Sengun keeps on showing his talent, pushing the Houston Rockets to the 112-109 win on the road against Charlotte with a monster double-double of 14 points and 21 rebounds.
On the Hornets’ side, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk dropped his second-best scoring performance of the year with 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Theo Maledon followed with 22, 8 dimes, and 5 steals.
Talking about double-doubles, Nikola Vucevic had 20 points and 10 rebounds in Chicago’s 115-112 road win against Dallas, which gave up chasing the playoffs. Luka Doncic played only 13 minutes and had 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Frank Ntilikina and Davis Bertans combined for 18 points.
Another French talent like Killian Hayes had a great NBA Night, scoring his season-high 28 points with 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals, leading the Detroit Pistons to the 122-115 on-the-road win against the Indiana Pacers.
Jonas Valanciunas went close to a double-double with 8 points and 12 rebounds in New Orleans’ 113-105 win against New York. For the Knicks, coming off the bench, Evan Fournier had 8 points: those were his first points since February 5.
Elsewhere in the league, Goga Bitadze dropped his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 15 rebounds in the Orlando Magic’s 101-84 road loss against Brooklyn. Franz Wagner, who wasn’t sidelined like Paolo Banchero, had 12 points and 5 rebounds.
The Milwaukee Bucks lost 137-114 at home against the Memphis Grizzlies, without Giannis Antetokounmpo. His brother Thanasis, coming off the bench, almost provided a double-double with 12 points, 8 boards, and 4 assists. Goran Dragic helped with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 dimes.
More action and European showings
Washington Wizards – Miami Heat 114-108 (Yursteven 10 p, 6 r, 2 a)
Atlanta Hawks – Philadelphia 76ers 131-136 (Capela 12 p, 4 r; Bogdan Bogdanovic 9 p, 2 r)
Boston Celtics – Toronto Raptors 121-102 (Anunoby 7 p; Poeltl 3 p, 7 r)
Sacramento Kings – Golden State Warriors 97-119 (Len 5 p, 6 r)
Los Angeles Lakers – Phoenix Suns 121-107 ()
2022-23 STANDINGS
EAST
| TEAM | W | L | LAST 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MILWAUKEE | 58 | 23 | |
| 56 | 25 | ||
| 53 | 28 | ||
| 51 | 30 | ||
| 47 | 34 | ||
| BROOKLYN | 45 | 36 | |
| MIAMI | 43 | 38 | |
| ATLANTA | 41 | 40 | |
| 40 | 41 | ||
| 39 | 42 | ||
| 35 | 46 | ||
| 34 | 47 | ||
| ORLANDO | 34 | 47 | |
| CHARLOTTE | 26 | 55 | |
| DETROIT | 17 | 64 |
WEST
| TEAM | W | L | LAST 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| DENVER | 52 | 28 | |
| MEMPHIS | 51 | 30 | |
| 3 y-SACRAMENTO | 48 | 33 | |
| 45 | 36 | 7-3 | |
| 43 | 38 | ||
| 42 | 38 | ||
| 42 | 39 | ||
| 42 | 39 | 8-2 | |
| 9 MINNESOTA | 40 | 40 | 5-5 |
| 39 | 42 | ||
| 38 | 43 | ||
| 36 | 44 | ||
| 33 | 47 | ||
| 21 | 59 | ||
| 21 | 60 |
y-clinched a Playoffs berth
p-locked in a Play-In berth
e-eliminated from Playoffs
-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