By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
One assist shy of a triple-double, Nikola Jokic scored 39 points, a new season-high, after dropping 38 in the losing effort versus the Houston Rockets on Friday. He drove the Denver Nuggets to the win, 132-120, over the San Antonio Spurs in Ball Arena.
The Joker tucked in 17/29 two-pointers and 5/5 free throws on the latest edition of NBA Sundays. Adding 11 rebounds and nine assists, he neared a seventh triple-double in the 2023-24 NBA Regular Season. The Serbian superstar pushed his side to an 11-6 record, following five losses in the last seven outings. Slovenian teammate Vlatko Cancar is out and expected to miss the entire season recovering from surgery in his left knee, in August.
In a 12th straight loss, French Victor Wembanyama finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds, six steals, four blocks, and two assists. Polish Jeremy Sochan exited with a knee injury after putting up four points, three assists, and two rebounds. Turkish Cedi Osman logged even points, three assists, and three rebounds, Georgian Sandro Mamukelashvili had two assists and one steal, and French Sidy Cissoko is on assignment with the Austin Spurs.
Hunting for the top spot in the East
Remaining one game behind the Boston Celtics and first place in the Eastern Conference, the Orlando Magic made it seven in a row with a 130-117 victory against the Charlotte Hornets in Amway Center. German Franz Wagner earned a share of the game-high 30 points behind 11/15 field goals, including 2/3 from beyond the arc. He also chipped in seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Fellow starter, Georgian Goga Bitadze tallied 11 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and one steal. His brother Moritz Wagner scored 11 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. British Admiral Schofield did not play. Theo Maledon dished out three assists for the visitors, and French compatriot Frank Ntilikina (left tibia) stayed on the injury list.
Bogdan Bogdanovic hits seven three-pointers
In TD Garden, the Boston Celtics beat the Atlanta Hawks, 113-103. They overcame a 23-point effort by Bogdan Bogdanovic, including seven triples. The Serbian sharpshooter ended up with 8/12 field goals, seven rebounds, and one steal. Swiss Clint Capela registered four points, eight rebounds, two blocks, one assist, and one steal in the losing effort.
In his second season appearance, Portuguese Neemias Queta logged seven points, ten rebounds, and one steal. Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk did not play. After the early exit against the Magic, Latvian Kristaps Porzingis (left calf strain) was sidelined and is expected to miss at least one week.
More NBA Sundays action and European showings
Milwaukee Bucks – Portland Trail Blazers 108-102 (Giannis Antetokounmpo 33pts, 16reb, 6ast, 3blk, 1stl, Thanasis Antetokounmpo 2reb – Toumani Camara 6pts, 3reb, Rayan Rupert INA)
Memphis Grizzlies – Minnesota Timberwolves 97-119 (Santi Aldama 14pts, 7reb, 2ast – Rudy Gobert 13pts, 4reb, 2blk, Luka Garza INA)
New York Knicks – Phoenix Suns 113-116 (Isaiah Hartenstein 7pts, 5reb, 1ast, 1blk, Evan Fournier DNP, Duane Washington Jr. INJ – Jusuf Nurkic 8pts, 10reb, 4ast, 4blk)
Brooklyn Nets – Chicago Bulls 118-109 (Nikola Vucevic 6pts, 9reb, 5ast, 1stl, 1blk, Onuralp Bitim INA)
Cleveland Cavaliers – Toronto Raptors 105-102 (Jakob Poeltl 18pts, 13reb, 2ast, 2blk, Dennis Schroder 15pts, 4ast, 2reb, 2stl, O.G. Anunoby 11pts, 7reb, 1ast, 1blk – Ricky Rubio INA)
Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics 13-4
2. Orlando Magic 12-5
3. Milwaukee Bucks 12-5
4. Philadelphia 76ers 11-5
5. Indiana Pacers 9-6
6. Miami Heat 10-7
7. New York Knicks 9-7
8. Cleveland Cavaliers 9-8
9. Atlanta Hawks 8-8
10. Brooklyn Nets 8-8
11. Toronto Raptors 8-9
12. Charlotte Hornets 5-10
13. Chicago Bulls 5-13
14. Detroit Pistons 2-14
15. Washington Wizards 2-14
Western Conference
1. Minnesota Timberwolves 12-4
2. Oklahoma City Thunder 11-5
3. Phoenix Suns 11-6
4. Denver Nuggets 11-6
5. Dallas Mavericks 10-6
6. Sacramento Kings 9-6
7. Los Angeles Lakers 10-7
8. Houston Rockets 8-6
9. New Orleans Pelicans 9-8
10. Golden State Warriors 8-9
11. Los Angeles Clippers 7-8
12. Utah Jazz 5-11
13. Portland Trail Blazers 4-12
14. Memphis Grizzlies 3-13
15. San Antonio Spurs 3-14
-Teams ranking first through sixth advance directly to the Playoffs
-Teams ranking seventh through tenth compete in the Play-Ins
Photo Credit: Getty Images