By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
European players shined on another NBA preseason night. Many of them took the court and showed they were on the right track in anticipation of the regular season premieres. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks lost heavily to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but the Greek star started to find his rhythm.
In a 124-101 loss, the Greek Freak recorded a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds. His new partner in crime, Damian Lillard, had an off night, shooting just 2/11 from the field and scoring five points. Thanasis Antetokounmpo also took the floor and finished with six points in less than 18 minutes.
For the winning side, French player Olivier Sarr had seven points and seven rebounds, Davis Bertans hit two triples for six points, while Vasilije Micic dished out seven assists, after scoring just a free throw in fourteen and a half minutes.
The double-double alert also sounded in Chicago, where Nikola Vucevic had 20 points and 10 rebounds in the Bulls‘ 102-106 loss to the Toronto Raptors.
For the winning side, Dennis Schroder continued to be impactful for Darko Rajakovic’s team, finishing with 12 points, four rebounds, and four assists.
CHICAGO BULLS BASKETBALL!
A famosa tabelinha entre Vucevic e LaVine!
— Coast to Coast Brasil | NBA (@brasilcoast2) October 18, 2023
Giannis and Vucevic didn’t have the luck to pair their good performances with wins, but Kristaps Porzingis did. In a 123-110 victory over the New York Knicks, the Latvian scored 20 points with eight rebounds for the Boston Celtics, shooting 4/8 from beyond the arc.
Two European players were on the other side, with Isaiah Hartenstein scoring 13 points and grabbing eight rebounds for the Knicks, while Evan Fournier added 10 points.
Orlando Magic lost to the New Orleans Pelicans 92-104, but two World Cup winners once again showed that they are going to be a force for the Magic in the upcoming season.
German internationals and brothers, Franz and Moritz Wagner, were the top scorers of the Florida team, with the former scoring 19 points and the latter adding 16. Georgian Goga Bitadze helped them with nine points for the losing side.
Jonas Valanciunas was solid on the side of the winners, scoring 10 points with six rebounds for the Pelicans.
Last, but not least, Ivica Zubac had a good game in a 116-103 LA Clippers win over the Denver Nuggets.
Nikola Jokic sat out the match, and the Croatian center recorded 13 points with eight rebounds. Nicolas Batum had six with four boards.
NBA preseason results:
Orlando – New Orleans 92-104 (F. Wagner 19p, M. Wagner 16p, Bitadze 9p – Valanciunas 10p)
Boston – New York 123-110 (Porzingis 20p – Hartenstein 13p, Fournier 10p)
Chicago – Toronto 102-106 (Vucevic 20p, 10r – Schroder 12p)
Oklahoma – Milwaukee 124-101 (Sarr 7p, Bertans 6p, Dieng 3p, Micic 7as – Giannis 18p, 10r, Thanasis 6p)
LA Clippers – Denver 116-103 (Zubac 13p, Batum 6p)