By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
The Dallas Mavericks beat the Los Angeles Clippers with an 18-point gap (144-126) mainly thanks to Luka Doncic, who dominated with 44 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists, shooting 17/21 from the field, 6/9 from beyond the arc.
The former Real Madrid player has now joined LeBron James (36 games) and Michael Jordan (52 games) as the only players in NBA History with more than 30 games with 40+ points at the age of 25 or younger: Luka Doncic follows them with 31 games.
Commenting on himself and Kyrie Irving, who added 27 points, Luka Doncic shared high words regarding the whole team’s effort. “I keep saying, it’s not just us two. We get stops. Everybody contributes. So, it’s not just two of us. Everybody helps us”, he stated after the victory.
The former Partizan Belgrade point guard Dante Exum added 8 points off the bench, while Ivica Zubac went close to 12 points and 8 rebounds in the Los Angeles Clippers’ defeat.
French clash under the rim in San Antonio
After acknowledging Victor Wembanyama for a lot of years, Rudy Gobert finally faced him on an NBA court, beating the 19-year-old rookie with a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds, while the likely generational talent erupted for 29 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists. Jeremy Sochan had 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Another French player had an impressive showing despite the loss against the Philadelphia 76ers, as Killian Hayes had 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists in Detroit’s defeat. On the other side, his countryman Nicolas Batum had 3 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Elsewhere, Theo Maledon had 4 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in Charlotte’s away win against the Washington Wizards and Bilal Coulibaly, who had 10 points in his team’s loss. Danilo Gallinari added 9 points and 4 assists. Deni Avdija had 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Alperen Sengun contributed to the Houston Rockets’ win with 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 11/15 from the field, winning the clash on the glass with Jonas Valanciunas, who went close to the double-double of 15 points and 9 rebounds. Domantas Sabonis, instead, had a triple-double of 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 13 assists to lead Sacramento over the Oklahoma City Thunder, as Sasha Vezenkov contributed with 6 points.
The Boston Celtics won 121-107 against the Brooklyn Nets, but Kristaps Porzingis only scored 9 points. Another dominant European big, instead, shone with 26 points and 7 rebounds: Lauri Markkanen led the Utah Jazz over Memphis, with Simone Fontecchio adding 6 points off the bench.
Jusuf Nurkic went close to a triple-double with 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists on 4/8 from the field, but the Phoenix Suns couldn’t get the win over the Los Angeles Lakers, with LeBron James (32 points and 11 rebounds) and Kevin Durant (38 points and 9 rebounds) battling each other on the floor.
NBA Cup Results of the Night:
Detroit Pistons – Philadelphia 76ers 106-114
Washington Wizards – Charlotte Hornets 117-124
Boston Celtics – Brooklyn Nets 121-107
Houston Rockets – New Orleans Pelicans 104-101
Memphis Grizzlies – Utah Jazz 121-127
San Antonio Spurs – Minnesota Timberwolves 110-117
Dallas Mavericks – Los Angeles Clippers 144-126
Phoenix Suns – Los Angeles Lakers 119-122
Sacramento Kings – Oklahoma City Thunder 105-98
NBA Cup Standings:
Eastern Conference
Group A
Indiana Pacers 1-0
Philadelphia 76ers 1-0
Atlanta Hawks 0-0
Detroit Pistons 0-1
Cleveland Cavaliers 0-1
Group B
Miami Heat 1-0
Milwaukee Bucks 1-0
Charlotte Hornets 1-0
New York Knicks 0-1
Washington Wizards 0-2
Group C
Boston Celtics 1-0
Brooklyn Nets 1-1
Orlando Magic 0-0
Toronto Raptors 0-0
Chicago Bulls 0-1
Western Conference
Group A
Utah Jazz 1-0
Portland Trail Blazers 1-0
Los Angeles Lakers 1-0
Phoenix Suns 0-1
Memphis Grizzlies 0-2
Group B
Denver Nuggets 1-0
Houston Rockets 1-0
Dallas Mavericks 1-1
New Orleans Pelicans 0-1
Los Angeles Clippers 0-1
Group C
Golden State Warriors 1-0
Minnesota Timberwolves 1-0
Sacramento Kings 1-0
San Antonio Spurs 0-1
Oklahoma City Thunder 0-2
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images