By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Jumping to 23-10 in the NBA Regular Season, the Denver Nuggets routed the Memphis Grizzlies. They did not allow the Minnesota Timberwolves to increase their lead on top of the Western Conference standings on Thursday.
Fueling the lopsided win, 142-105, Nikola Jokic became the second player after Wilt Chamberlain to record a triple-double with 100% from the field in multiple games. The Serbian superstar piled up 26 points behind 11/11 field goals, pulled down 14 rebounds, dished out ten assists, and blocked two shots. The Joker required merely 30 minutes in Ball Arena to register his 116th regular-season triple-double and 11th this season. With the defending champions in a comfortable distance, he checked out with 1:31 remaining in the third quarter.
Slovenian Vlatko Cancar (left knee surgery) remained on the Nuggets’ injury list and is projected to miss the entire 2023-24 season. For the visitors, Spanish Santi Aldama was among the players ruled out due to illness.
Wemby makes history too
It was a rare win for the San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama. The French prodigy tallied 30 points, seven blocks, six assists, and six rebounds in the win, 118-105, over the Portland Trail Blazers in Moda Center. His effort was the first in NBA history with at least 30 points and seven rejections in less than 30 minutes. Also, he became the second rookie after David Robinson with over 30 points, seven blocks, five assists, and five rebounds in a single game.
Fellow starter, Polish Jeremy Sochan chipped in 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and one block. Turkish Cedi Osman put in four points, two rebounds, and two assists from the bench. Georgian Sandro Mamukelashvili did not get on the board in a brief showing and French Sidy Cissoko was on a G League assignment. On the opposite end, Belgian Toumani Camara had one point and seven rebounds, while French Rayan Rupert was with the Rip City Remix.
Kristaps Porzingis sets a season-high in points
In TD Garden, the Boston Celtics stormed back from a 21-point deficit to defeat the Detroit Pistons, 128-122, in overtime. Latvian Kristaps Porzingis was key in the comeback and ended up with 35 points, a new individual best for the 2023-24 season. Connecting 13/21 from the field, he also tallied eight rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Portuguese Neemias Queta threw in five points, two rebounds, and one steal. Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk did not play.
In a 28th loss in a row, the Pistons featured Croatian Bojan Bogdanovic packing a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double alongside six assists. French Killian Hayes logged two points, two rebounds, and one steal. Fellow French import Malcolm Cazalon was on assignment with the Motor City Cruise.
More games and European showings
Chicago Bulls – Indiana Pacers 104-120 (Onuralp Bitim INJ, Nikola Vucevic INJ)
Minnesota Timberwolves – Dallas Mavericks 118-110 (Rudy Gobert 20pts, 11reb, 3blk, 2ast, Luka Garza INA – Luka Doncic INJ, Maxi Kleber INJ)
New Orleans Pelicans – Utah Jazz 112-105 (Jonas Valanciunas 6pts, 4reb, 1ast, 1blk – Lauri Markkanen 24pts, 10reb, 5ast, 1stl, Simone Fontecchio 5pts, 2reb, 1stl, Luka Samanic DNP, Omer Yurtseven DNP)
Golden State Warriors – Miami Heat 102-114 (Dario Saric 10pts, 6reb, 1ast, Usman Garuba INA – Nikola Jovic 11pts, 3reb, 3ast, 1stl, 1blk)
Los Angeles Lakers – Charlotte Hornets 133-112 (Frank Ntilikina INJ)
Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics 24-6
2. Milwaukee Bucks 23-8
3. Philadelphia 76ers 21-9
4. Miami Heat 19-12
5. Orlando Magic 18-12
6. Cleveland Cavaliers 18-13
7. New York Knicks 17-13
8. Indiana Pacers 16-14
9. Brooklyn Nets 15-16
10. Chicago Bulls 14-19
11. Toronto Raptors 12-18
12. Atlanta Hawks 12-18
13. Charlotte Hornets 7-22
14. Washington Wizards 5-25
15. Detroit Pistons 2-29
Western Conference
1. Minnesota Timberwolves 23-7
2. Denver Nuggets 23-10
3. Oklahoma City Thunder 20-9
4. Los Angeles Clippers 18-12
5. Sacramento Kings 17-12
6. Dallas Mavericks 18-14
7. New Orleans Pelicans 18-14
8. Los Angeles Lakers 17-15
9. Houston Rockets 15-15
10. Phoenix Suns 15-15
11. Golden State Warriors 15-16
12. Utah Jazz 13-19
13. Memphis Grizzlies 10-20
14. Portland Trail Blazers 8-22
15. San Antonio Spurs 5-25
-Teams ranking first through sixth advance directly to the Playoffs
-Teams ranking seventh through tenth compete in the Play-Ins
Photo Credit: Getty Images