By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Croatian Ivica Zubac recorded a 27th double-double for the 2022-23 NBA Regular Season as the Los Angeles Clippers overcame a sluggish start and overpowered the Portland Trail Blazers, 136-125, in crypto.com Arena.
Combining 14 points with ten rebounds, Zubac added one assist and one block over 23 minutes. “We started a little slow,” he confessed following the comeback win, “We knew we had to pick it up, we needed a win so we came out with a lot of energy and we got the job done.”
French Nicolas Batum chipped in nine points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block lasting 24 minutes. In a brief showing, fellow French teammate Moussa Diabate rushed in two points and one rebound. The Clippers visiting the Phoenix Suns on NBA Sundays can finish from fifth through seventh in the Western Conference.
Visiting the San Antonio Spurs at Austin’s Moody Center, the Minnesota Timberwolves were in a similar situation to the Clipps and snatched the win, 151-131. French center Rudy Gobert posted a 10-point, 13-rebound double-double to go with five assists, four blocks, and one steal. For the losing side, Georgian Sandro Mamukelashvili tallied 16 points.
In the lone NBA Saturdays contest without postseason implication, the Utah Jazz outlasted the Denver Nuggets, 118-114, in Vivint Arena. In his latest impressive late-season showing, Croatian Luka Samanic improved his NBA-best to 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds over 31 minutes. Italian Simone Fontecchio threw in 15 points, six rebounds, and four assists.
Making his second appearance in the last six Nuggets outings, Serbian Nikola Jokic tallied six points, ten rebounds, ten assists, and two steals over 27 minutes. Slovenian Vlatko Cancar logged two points, one assists, and one rebound in 12 minutes.
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 | 29 | |
| MEMPHIS | 51 | 30 | |
| 3 y-SACRAMENTO | 48 | 33 | |
| 45 | 36 | 7-3 | |
| 43 | 38 | ||
| 43 | 38 | ||
| 42 | 39 | ||
| 42 | 39 | 8-2 | |
| 9 p-MINNESOTA | 41 | 40 | 5-5 |
| 39 | 42 | ||
| 38 | 43 | ||
| 37 | 44 | ||
| 33 | 48 | ||
| 21 | 60 | ||
| 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