By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Turkish big man Alperen Sengun had 23 points, Fred VanVleet scored 26 and the Houston Rockets got the 107-104 win over the Denver Nuggets, for a six-game winning streak, the longest for Houston since January 2021.
Serb Nikola Jokic had his fourth triple-double of the season, racking up 36 points, 21 rebounds, and 11 assists, but it wasn’t enough. He had a full-court shot at the buzzer to tie it but fell short.
The Nuggets entered the game 8-1, their best start since the 2018-19 season. Houston improved to 6-3 after starting the season 0-3.
Sengun added eight rebounds and five assists while shooting 9/18 from the field.
“I think it’s a good thing that they’re playing more through him,” Jokic said of Sengun. “I think it’s going to benefit their whole organization. He’s a guy who is not selfish, he wants to play for the team, he wants to pass, and the whole team is going to move when the ball is in his hands. He played really good today.”
Doncic not slowing down
Slovenian Luka Doncic had 15 of his 30 points in a 42-point third quarter, Kyrie Irving scored 35 and the Dallas Mavericks beat the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans 136-124 on Sunday night.
Doncic was 11/18 from the field and made 4 of 9 from long range. Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas had a double-double (15 p. 10 r.) for the losing side.
Montenegrin Nikola Vucevic had 21 points and 12 rebounds, DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points, and Chicago beat the Detroit Pistons 119-108 as the Bulls are trying to bounce back after a bad start in the season (4-6). French guard Killian Hayes had seven points, three rebounds, and three assists for the losing side.
Fellow French rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama added 18 points and 11 rebounds in the Spurs’ fifth straight loss, as the Heat beat San Antonio 118-113. Polish forward Jeremy Sochan added 16 points and Turkish swingman Cedi Osman had three points, both for the losing side.
The Frenchman who stole the show was another rookie, Bilal Coulibaly, but he couldn’t save the day for the Wizards.
The scores of the rest of the games, plus the European standouts are the following with Tyrese Maxey scoring a career-high of 50 points for the Sixers.
RESULTS
Philadelphia – Indiana 137-126 (Batum 9 p. 7 r., Korkmaz 1 st.)
Phoenix – Oklahoma City 99-111 (Nurkic 3 p. 8 r.)
Golden State – Minessota 110-116 (Saric 11 p. 10 r. – Gobert 10 p. 10 r. 5 bl.)
Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Philadelphia 76ers 8-1
2. Boston Celtics 7-2
3. Indiana Pacers 6-4
4. Miami Heat 6-4
5. Atlanta Hawks 5-4
6. Orlando Magic 5-4
7. Milwaukee Bucks 5-4
8. New York Knicks 5-4
9. Brooklyn Nets 5-5
10. Cleveland Cavaliers 4-5
11. Toronto Raptors 4-5
12. Chicago Bulls 4-6
13. Charlotte Hornets 3-5
14. Washington Wizards 2-7
15. Detroit Pistons 2-9
Western Conference
1. Denver Nuggets 8-2
2. Dallas Mavericks 8-2
3. Minnesota Timberwolves 7-2
4. Houston Rockets 6-3
5. Oklahoma City Thunder 6-4
6. Golden State Warriors 6-5
7. Sacramento Kings 4-4
8. Los Angeles Lakers 5-5
9. Phoenix Suns 4-6
10. New Orleans Pelicans 4-6
11. Los Angeles Clippers 3-6
12. Portland Trail Blazers 3-6
13. San Antonio Spurs 3-7
14. Utah Jazz 3-7
15. Memphis Grizzlies 2-8
-Teams ranking first through sixth advance directly to the Playoffs
-Teams ranking seventh through tenth compete in the Play-Ins