By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The first player in NBA history to record at least ten triple-doubles in seven consecutive seasons, Nikola Jokic stood out from the action across the league with the new record on Thursday.
The Serbian center starred as the Denver Nuggets routed the Brooklyn Nets, 124-101, in Ball Arena. The defending champions jumped to 17-9 in the Regular Season behind his 26 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists, and one steal over 30 minutes.
“With Nikola, life becomes a lot easier,” commented head coach Michael Malone, “What I was probably most pleased about was Nikola’s defense. I wanted to be aggressive. I want to be at a level to be disruptive and I think Nikola set the tone with that tonight.”
Stuck on the injury list, Slovenian teammate Vlatko Cancar is expected to miss the entire 2023-24 campaign due to a torn ACL in his left knee.
Luka Doncic matches Dirk Nowitzki
In the American Airlines Center, the Minnesota Timberwolves rallied past the Dallas Mavericks, 119-101. Overcoming Luka Doncic and instead generating a 37-point swing, they improved to 18-5, a joint-high in the league based in North America.
The Slovenian superstar went over 30 points in a ninth straight outing. With 39 points in the losing effort, he matched legendary Dirk Nowitzki for the most showings over 35 points in Mavs history. Shooting 15/27 from the field, he struggled with 2/7 from beyond the arc. He also tallied 13 assists and six rebounds but committed eight turnovers. German Maxi Kleber has yet to recover from dislocating his right small toe.
At the winning end, French Rudy Gobert went for eight points, 12 rebounds, five assists, three steals, and one block. Bosnian Luka Garza was on assignment with the Iowa Wolves.
Simone Fontecchio makes 5/5 triples
With Finnish Lauri Markkanen sidelined at the bottom and of a back-to-back, Italian Simone Fontecchio fit in the starting lineup and produced 24 points for the Utah Jazz in the win, 122-114, over the Portland Trail Blazers in Moda Center. His 5/5 three-pointers highlighted 7/8 from the field and combined with five rebounds and one steal.
Coming off the bench, Turkish Omer Yurtseven chipped in four points, four rebounds, two blocks, one steal, and one assist. Croatian Luka Samanic was ruled out with an illness.
For the hosts, Belgian Toumani Camara set his NBA-high at 18 points and also pulled down six rebounds. French Rayan Rupert was on a G League assignment.
More action and European showings
Boston Celtics – Cleveland Cavaliers 116-107 (Kristaps Porzingis 18pts, 6reb, 2blk, 1stl, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk DNP, Neemias Queta INA – Ricky Rubio INA)
Miami Heat – Chicago Bulls 116-124 (Nikola Jovic INA – Nikola Vucevic 24pts, 12reb, 7ast, 2stl, Onuralp Bitim INA)
Sacramento Kings – Oklahoma City Thunder 128-123 (Domantas Sabonis 18pts, 16reb, 7ast, Sasha Vezenkov 3pts, 4reb, Alex Len INJ – Ousmane Dieng 6pts, Davis Bertans 3reb, 1ast, Vasilije Micic DNP, Olivier Sarr DNP, Aleksej Pokusevski INA)
Los Angeles Clippers – Golden State Warriors 121-113 (Ivica Zubac 10pts, 8reb, 2ast, 2blk, Daniel Theis 4pts, 1reb, 1ast, 1stl, 1blk, Moussa Diabate INJ – Dario Saric 5pts, 6reb, 1ast, Usman Garuba INA)
Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics 18-5
2. Milwaukee Bucks 17-7
3. Orlando Magic 16-7
4. Philadelphia 76erts 16-7
5. Indiana Pacers 13-9
6. New York Knicks 13-10
7. Miami Heat 14-11
8. Brooklyn Nets 13-11
9. Cleveland Cavaliers 13-12
10. Toronto Raptors 10-14
11. Atlanta Hawks 9-14
12. Chicago Bulls 10-16
13. Charlotte Hornets 7-15
14. Washington Wizards 3-20
15. Detroit Pistons 2-22
Western Conference
1. Minnesota Timberwolves 18-5
2. Denver Nuggets 17-9
3. Oklahoma City Thunder 15-8
4. Dallas Mavericks 15-9
5. Sacramento Kings 14-9
6. Los Angeles Lakers 15-10
7. Los Angeles Clippers 14-10
8. Houston Rockets 12-9
9. New Orleans Pelicans 14-11
10. Phoenix Suns 13-11
11. Golden State Warriors 10-14
12. Utah Jazz 9-16
13. Memphis Grizzlies 6-17
14. Portland Trail Blazers 6-17
15. San Antonio Spurs 3-20
-Teams ranking first through sixth advance directly to the Playoffs
-Teams ranking seventh through tenth compete in the Play-Ins
Photo Credit: Getty Images