By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Despite an impressive triple-double performance by Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks couldn’t secure a victory against the Utah Jazz, falling 116-132 in their third game without Damian Lillard.
Antetokounmpo recorded his 38th regular-season triple-double, scoring 25 points, providing 11 assists, and grabbing 10 rebounds. However, the Bucks struggled without Lillard on the court.
“You’ve got to stay together, that’s it,” Antetokounmpo said. “If you try to go your way or do it yourself, it’s not going to work. We’ve been in this position before. It’s OK to be in this position … but then again, at the end of the day, we have to get better. We have to realize that we have to keep on doing the little things.”
Lauri Markkanen played a crucial role in Utah’s victory, contributing 21 points and 14 rebounds, while Simone Fontecchio added five points.
“That’s a good win,” Markkanen said. “It’s not easy to lead by 30. It’s hard to keep that up. We knew that they were going to make a run at some point, and really still stay poised and really grind it out, it was a good win.”
In other NBA action involving European players, Nikola Vucevic had a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds in the Chicago Bulls‘ 112-119 overtime win against the Charlotte Hornets.
Kristaps Porzingis put up a solid performance for the Boston Celtics with 19 points and seven assists, but the team fell to the Indiana Pacers 133-131 on the road.
Alperen Sengun recorded another double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds, but the Houston Rockets lost to the Miami Heat 120-113. Nikola Jovic had a versatile game for the Rockets, scoring six points, grabbing eight rebounds, and providing six assists, along with two steals and two blocks.
Ivica Zubac contributed to the LA Clippers‘ 138-111 victory over the Phoenix Suns with 19 points and eight rebounds, while Deni Avdija scored 17 points in the Washington Wizards‘ 128-136 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
NBA results:
Charlotte – Chicago 112-119 OT (Vucevic 21p, 10r)
Indiana – Boston 133-131 (Porzingis 19p, 7as, Mykhailiuk 2p)
Washington – Oklahoma 128-136 (Avdija 17p, Coulibaly 5p, 5r)
Miami – Houston 120-113 (Jovic 6p, 8r, 6as – Sengun 22p, 11r)
Milwaukee – Utah 116-132 (Giannis 25p, 10r, 11as – Markkaneen 21p, 14r, Fontecchio 5p)
LA Clippers – Phoenix Suns 138-111 (Zubac 19p, 8r, Theis 6p – Nurkic 8p)
NBA standings:
Eastern Conference
1 Celtics 28 8
2 Bucks 25 12
3 76ers 23 12
4 Heat 21 15
5 Magic 21 15
6 Pacers 21 15
7 Cavaliers 21 15
8 Knicks 21 15
9 Bulls 17 21
10 Nets 16 21
11 Raptors 15 21
12 Hawks 14 21
13 Hornets 8 26
14 Wizards 6 30
15 Pistons 3 33
Western Conference
1 Timberwolves 25 10
2 Thunder 24 11
3 Nuggets 26 12
4 Clippers 23 13
5 Kings 21 14
6 Mavericks 22 15
7 Pelicans 22 15
8 Suns 19 18
9 Rockets 18 17
10 Lakers 18 19
11 Jazz 18 20
12 Warriors 17 19
13 Grizzlies 13 23
14 Trail Blazers 10 25
15 Spurs 5 30