Jokic’s triple-double defeats Giannis, Doncic scores 45 in win

By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net

Doc Rivers made his debut on the Milwaukee Bucks’ bench, and while Giannis Antetokounmpo had another solid outing, it wasn’t enough against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.

The Serbian center recorded his 14th triple-double of the season as the defending champions defeated the Bucks 113-107 at Ball Arena.

Jokic finished the game with 25 points, 16 rebounds, and 12 assists, despite having an off-shooting night, making 10 shots in 25 attempts.

On the other side, Giannis had 29 points and 12 rebounds but lost for the fourth straight time against Jokic and the Nuggets. The game itself was very interesting and intense, with 12 ties and nine lead changes, but the hosts prevailed in the end.

“I mean, that’s why I play – to play these kinds of games, to play under pressure, to play tight games. I like to play under those circumstances,” Jokic said after bringing his coach, Mike Malone, his 400th win as the coach of Denver.

Another intense and tight match was played at the American Airlines Center as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Orlando Magic 131-129, with another brilliant game from Luka Doncic.

After scoring 73 points in a win over the Atlanta Hawks and reaching a triple-double in a loss to the Sacramento Kings, Luka had another astonishing performance, finishing just a rebound shy of another majestic triple-double, scoring 45 points with 15 assists.

The Slovenian star became the first player in NBA history with multiple 45 points – 15 assists games, achieving both within the last 35 days.

Orlando gave a good fight to the hosts, led by Paolo Banchero’s 36 points, while Franz Wagner added 21, and his brother Moritz contributed 16 points.

The San Antonio Spurs fell to the Washington Wizards at home 113-118, despite Victor Wembanyama’s double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Cedi Osman adding a season-high 20 points.

Bilal Coulibaly had 13 points for the winning team, while Deni Avdija almost had a double-double, scoring nine points with eight rebounds.

Domantas Sabonis recorded 20 points and 26 boards as the Sacramento Kings defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 94-103 on the road, with Santi Aldama contributing 16 points and seven rebounds for the hosts.

Sabonis tied Chris Webber for the single most rebounds in a game in Kings franchise history, while also surpassing his previous career-high 25 in the W.

The Lithuanian center shot 10/11 from the field and joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only player in NBA history to achieve a 20-25-5-90% game.

As for other European stars, Alperen Sengun had 31 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists in the Houston Rockets’ 135-119 win over the LA Lakers.

The Minnesota Timberwolves moved to first place in the West with a 101-107 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, as Rudy Gobert reached a double-double of 12 points and 17 rebounds.

NBA results:
Charlotte Hornets – New York Knicks 92-113 (Hartenstein 10p)
Cleveland Cavs – LA Clippers 118-108 (Theis 4r, 5as)
Boston Celtics – New Orleans Pelicans 118-112 (Queta 4p – Valanciunas 11p, 7r)
Brooklyn Nets – Utah Jazz 147-114 (Markkanen 13p, 9r, Fontecchio 5p, Samanic 5p)
Miami Heat – Phoenix Suns 105-118 (Nurkic 6p, 8r)
Houston Rockets – LA Lakers 135-119 (Sengun 31p, 12r, 7as)
Memphis Grizzlies – Sacramento Kings 94-103 (Aldama 16p, 7r – Sabonis 20p, 26r)
Oklahoma City Thunder – Minnesota Timberwolves 101-107 (Gobert 12p, 17r)
San Antonio Spurs – Washington Wizards 113-118 (Wemby 22p, 11r, Osman 20p, Sochan 2p, 5r – Coulibaly 13p, Avdija 9p, 8r)
Dallas Mavs – Orlando Magic 131-129 (Doncic 45p, 9r, 15as – F. Wagner 21p, M. Wagner 16p)
Denver Nuggets – Milwaukee Bucks 113-107 (Jokic 25p, 16r, 12as – Antetokounmpo 29p, 12r)
Portland Trail Blazers – Philadelphia 76ers 130-104 (Camara 6p – Batum 3p, Korkmaz 2p)

STANDINGS via nba.com