By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Making an impact from the very first minute, Simone Fontecchio scored 12 of Utah’s first 14 points in the first quarter against the Dallas Mavericks, pushing the Jazz earlier in the game to never lose the lead and eventually get the final 37-point victory at 127-90.
The Italian small forward ended with a tied season-high of 24 points and 6 rebounds, helped by the King in the North Lauri Markkanen, who had 17 points and 4 rebounds, and by Jordan Clarkson, who registered his first-ever triple-double with 20 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds.
The Philippine shooting guard had the first triple-double off the bench for a Jazz player in over 40 years. “It was a very cool little milestone to put on my list”, he commented after the win. On the losing end, instead, Luka Doncic had a double-double of 19 points and 14 assists, but with 6/20 from the field.
Elsewhere in the league, Alperen Sengun keeps on shining, pushing the Houston Rockets into playoff contention. The Turkish gem and former Besiktas player had 26 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals to lead his team over Detroit, where Bojan Bogdanovic had 14 points in the defeat.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had a monster triple-double of 30 points, 18 rebounds, and 11 assists, but he wasn’t enough to give Milwaukee the win in the NBA In-Season Tournament’s semifinal rematch against the Indiana Pacers. The other back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic contributed to Denver’s win over Charlotte with a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 6/7 from the field and dishing 6 assists.
buongiorno, italia ☀🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/ijcqjQrpOK
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 2, 2024
NBA Results and other European performances
Toronto Raptors – Cleveland Cavaliers 124-121 (Poeltl 14 p, 11 r, 4 a; Schroder 12 p, 8 a)
Houston Rockets – Detroit Pistons 136-113 (Hayes 8 p, 3 a)
Milwaukee Bucks – Indiana Pacers 113-122
Denver Nuggets – Charlotte Hornets 111-93
Phoenix Suns – Portland Trail Blazers 109-88 (Nurkic 18 p, 7 r, 5 a)
Utah Jazz – Dallas Mavericks 127-90
Los Angeles Clippers – Miami Heat 121-90 (Zubac 6 p, 12 r; Theis 6 p; Jovic 3 p)
Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics 26-6
2. Milwaukee Bucks 24-9
3. Philadelphia 76ers 22-10
4. Orlando Magic 19-13
5. Miami Heat 19-14
6. Indiana Pacers 18-14
7. Cleveland Cavaliers 18-15
8. New York Knicks 18-15
9. Brooklyn Nets 15-18
10. Chicago Bulls 15-19
11. Atlanta Hawks 13-19
12. Toronto Raptors 13-20
13. Charlotte Hornets 7-24
14. Washington Wizards 6-26
15. Detroit Pistons 3-30
Western Conference
1. Minnesota Timberwolves 24-8
2. Oklahoma City Thunder 22-9
3. Denver Nuggets 24-11
4. Los Angeles Clippers 20-12
5. Sacramento Kings 19-12
6. New Orleans Pelicans 19-14
7. Dallas Mavericks 19-15
8. Phoenix Suns 18-15
9. Houston Rockets 16-15
10. Los Angeles Lakers 17-17
11. Golden State Warriors 15-17
12. Utah Jazz 15-19
13. Memphis Grizzlies 10-22
14. Portland Trail Blazers 9-23
15. San Antonio Spurs 5-27
-Teams ranking first through sixth advance directly to the Playoffs
-Teams ranking seventh through tenth compete in the Play-Ins
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images