Giannis’ historic triple-double, Bogdanovic sparks rare Detroit win

By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net

European players once again dominated in the NBA, but not all of them managed to win.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks did, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 126-116 with another great game from the Greek international.

Antetokounmpo recorded his fifth triple-double of the month with 35 points, 18 rebounds, and 10 assists, marking the first victory for the Bucks since coach Adrian Griffin’s dismissal.

Once again, Giannis was very efficient, shooting 16-24 from the field and joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only Buck to reach those numbers in a game. He had never achieved more than three triple-doubles in a month, but January 2024 is different.

Another European player had a big impact on his team’s victory, as Bojan Bogdanovic erupted for 34 points in a 113-106 Detroit Pistons win over the Charlotte Hornets.

French player Killian Hayes also had a good game in the fifth Pistons’ win, scoring six points with seven rebounds and eight assists, missing only one shot and committing just one turnover.

Rudy Gobert also had a strong game and secured a win for the Minnesota Timberwolves, contributing a double-double of 19 points and 16 rebounds in a 107-118 victory over the Washington Wizards on the road. However, Deni Avdija’s 24 points weren’t enough for the hosts.

On the other hand, Alperen Sengun’s 30 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists weren’t enough for the Houston Rockets, as they suffered a 131-137 overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Luka Doncic also neared a triple-double in a loss, recording 34 points with nine assists and eight rebounds, but the Dallas Mavericks couldn’t contain Devin Booker, resulting in a 109-132 loss at home. Booker scored 46 points for the winning side.

In a clash of the top two rookies of the season, Chat Holmgren led Oklahoma to an easy 114-140 road victory over the San Antonio Spurs, getting a win over Victor Wembanyama. The French prodigy finished the match with a double-double of 24 points and 12 rebounds.

After a while, Aleksej Pokusevski got minutes for Oklahoma but only managed to score two points.

NBA results:

Detroit – Charlotte 113-106 (Bojan 34p, Hayes 6p, 7r, 8as)
Washington – Minnesota 107-118 (Avdija 24p, Coulibaly 4p – Gobert 19p, 16r)
Miami – Memphis 96-105
Houston – Portland 131-137 OT (Sengun 30p, 10r, 8as – Camara 4p, 4r)
Milwaukee – Cleveland 126-116 (Giannis 35p, 18r, 10as)
Dallas – Phoenix 109-132 (Doncic 34p, 8r, 9as, Kleber 2p – Nurkic 8p)
San Antonio – Oklahoma 114-140 (Wemby 24p, 12r, Osman 9p, Mamukelashvili 4p, Sochan 2p – Bertans 3p, Micic 2p, Pokusevski 2p)
Golden State – Atlanta 134-112 (Saric 10p – Bogdan 17p, Capela 11p, 11r)

Eastern Conference