By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
With 20 teams hitting the court, it was expected that numerous European stars would deliver stellar performances, and many of them indeed did.
Bosnian center Jusuf Nurkic had one of his best games of the season in a 120-136 Phoenix Suns win over the Brooklyn Nets, nearly achieving a triple-double.
The Big Nurk finished the match with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists on 11-15 shooting from the field, ranking as the second-best scorer after Kevin Durant, who had 33 points. The Suns secured their eighth victory in the last 10 games.
Jonas Valanciunas also had an outstanding game, leading the New Orleans Pelicans to a 99-110 road win over the Houston Rockets. The Lithuanian big man contributed 25 points and 14 rebounds against the talented Alperen Sengun, who also reached a double-double with 10 points and rebounds.
Nikola Vucevic helped the Chicago Bulls record a 110-117 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on the road, finishing the match with a double-double of 22 points and 12 rebounds.
Former EuroLeague MVP Vasilije Micic had an NBA career-high 12 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Denver Nuggets 105-100, while Nikola Jokic missed the match due to lower back pain.
Valanciunas’ compatriot Domantas Sabonis recorded his 13th triple-double of the season, but the Sacramento Kings fell to the Miami Heat 115-106. Sabonis finished the game with 19 points, 17 rebounds, and 13 assists, but it wasn’t enough for the Kings.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was the top scorer of the game between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Milwaukee Bucks, but his team failed to win, falling on the road to Damian Lillard’s former team 119-116. The Greek Freak had 27 points with eight rebounds, while Dame had 26 points, seven assists, and six boards in his first return to Oregon since leaving for Wisconsin.
Victor Wembanyama continued posting solid numbers in his rookie season, with 21 points and eight rebounds, but his team suffered a 98-108 home loss to the Orlando Magic. Last season’s Rookie of the Year, Paolo Banchero, had 25 points and nine rebounds for the winning side, while Franz Wagner contributed 20 points with eight boards, and his brother Moritz added 10 points.
NBA results:
Charlotte Hornets – Chicago Bulls 110-117 (Vucevic 22p, 12r)
Cleveland Cavs – Detroit Pistons 128-121 (Gallinari 20p, Bojan 17p)
Washington Wizards – LA Clippers 109-125 (Coulibaly 19p, Avdija 13p – Theis 4p)
Miami Heat – Sacramento Kings 115-106 (Sabonis 19p, 17r, 13as)
Houston Rockets – New Orleans Pelicans 99-110 (Sengun 10p, 10r – Valanciunas 25p, 14r)
Minnesota Timberwolves – Dallas Mavs 121-87 (Gobert 17p, Garza 8p – Kleber 3p)
Oklahoma City Thunder – Denver Nuggets 105-100 (Micic 12p)
San Antonio Spurs – Orlando Magic 98-108 (Wemby 21p, 8r, Osman 8p – P. Banchero 25p, 9r, 7as, F. Wagner 20p, 8r, M. Wagner 10p)
Brooklyn Nets – Phoenix Suns 120-136 (Nurkic 28p, 11r, 6as)
Portland Trail Blazers – Milwaukee Bucks 119-116 (Camara 4p, 4r – Antetokounmpo 27p, 8r)
Standings via NBA.com
Eastern Conference
| TEAM | W | L | WIN% | GB | CONF | DIV | HOME | ROAD | OT | LAST10 | STREAK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1
|
37 | 11 | .771 | — | 25-6 | 11-1 | 22-2 | 15-9 | 2-3 | 8-2 | W 2 |
| 2
|
32 | 16 | .667 | 5 | 24-12 | 9-7 | 21-5 | 11-11 | 2-1 | 6-4 | L 2 |
| 3
|
31 | 17 | .646 | 6 | 21-10 | 6-3 | 17-5 | 14-12 | 0-0 | 9-1 | W 8 |
| 4
|
29 | 16 | .644 | 6.5 | 20-10 | 7-4 | 17-8 | 12-8 | 2-0 | 9-1 | W 3 |
| 5
|
29 | 17 | .630 | 7 | 19-11 | 5-3 | 17-6 | 12-11 | 0-2 | 6-4 | L 4 |
| 6
|
27 | 21 | .563 | 10 | 21-12 | 9-2 | 16-9 | 11-12 | 0-0 | 4-6 | L 1 |
| 7
|
25 | 23 | .521 | 12 | 18-15 | 9-2 | 13-11 | 12-12 | 1-0 | 3-7 | W 1 |
| 8
|
25 | 23 | .521 | 12 | 17-13 | 6-4 | 15-7 | 10-16 | 1-1 | 4-6 | W 1 |
| 9
|
23 | 26 | .469 | 14.5 | 14-17 | 3-6 | 14-11 | 9-15 | 4-2 | 5-5 | W 1 |
| 10
|
20 | 27 | .426 | 16.5 | 13-20 | 6-5 | 10-13 | 10-14 | 2-1 | 5-5 | W 2 |
| 11
|
19 | 28 | .404 | 17.5 | 13-14 | 1-5 | 12-13 | 7-15 | 0-3 | 3-7 | L 1 |
| 12
|
17 | 30 | .362 | 19.5 | 11-21 | 0-11 | 10-13 | 7-17 | 1-1 | 2-8 | W 1 |
| 13
|
10 | 36 | .217 | 26 | 7-22 | 3-6 | 5-18 | 5-18 | 1-1 | 2-8 | L 5 |
| 14
|
9 | 38 | .191 | 27.5 | 6-27 | 2-9 | 3-19 | 6-19 | 0-0 | 3-7 | L 1 |
| 15
|
6 | 41 | .128 | 30.5 | 5-24 | 1-10 | 4-21 | 2-20 | 0-2 | 3-7 | L 1 |
Western Conference
| TEAM | W | L | WIN% | GB | CONF | DIV | HOME | ROAD | OT | LAST10 | STREAK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1
|
34 | 14 | .708 | — | 23-8 | 6-2 | 18-4 | 16-10 | 1-1 | 7-3 | W 2 |
| 2
|
33 | 15 | .688 | 1 | 21-11 | 10-3 | 18-6 | 15-9 | 2-0 | 6-4 | W 1 |
| 3
|
31 | 15 | .674 | 2 | 21-11 | 7-3 | 19-4 | 12-11 | 0-1 | 8-2 | W 1 |
| 4
|
33 | 16 | .673 | 1.5 | 17-11 | 2-5 | 19-4 | 14-12 | 0-0 | 7-3 | L 1 |
| 5
|
27 | 19 | .587 | 6 | 18-13 | 6-5 | 14-8 | 13-11 | 3-1 | 5-5 | L 1 |
| 6
|
28 | 20 | .583 | 6 | 17-14 | 5-7 | 14-11 | 14-9 | 2-0 | 8-2 | W 2 |
| 7
|
27 | 21 | .563 | 7 | 19-17 | 6-6 | 14-10 | 13-11 | 0-1 | 4-6 | W 1 |
| 8
|
26 | 22 | .542 | 8 | 18-18 | 7-5 | 14-12 | 12-10 | 0-0 | 4-6 | L 1 |
| 9
|
24 | 25 | .490 | 10.5 | 18-16 | 6-4 | 17-8 | 7-17 | 2-1 | 5-5 | L 2 |
| 10
|
24 | 25 | .490 | 10.5 | 12-18 | 4-6 | 15-6 | 9-19 | 2-2 | 5-5 | L 2 |
| 11
|
22 | 25 | .468 | 11.5 | 16-12 | 7-3 | 17-9 | 5-16 | 1-4 | 3-7 | L 1 |
| 12
|
20 | 24 | .455 | 12 | 11-19 | 3-8 | 13-13 | 7-11 | 1-3 | 4-6 | W 1 |
| 13
|
18 | 29 | .383 | 15.5 | 12-22 | 6-6 | 5-16 | 13-13 | 1-1 | 4-6 | L 2 |
| 14
|
15 | 33 | .313 | 19 | 6-26 | 1-7 | 9-13 | 6-20 | 3-2 | 5-5 | W 2 |
| 15
|
10 | 38 | .208 | 24 | 7-20 | 1-7 | 5-19 | 5-19 | 1-1 | 3-7 | L 2 |