By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Scoring half of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, Lauri Markkanen was not enough to prevent the Utah Jazz from falling to the Philadelphia 76ers, 127-124, in Delta Center on Thursday. He made 10/15 field goals, including 4/9 from beyond the arc. Ten rebounds shaped his 16th double-double of the 2023-24 campaign. Lasting 33 minutes, the Finnish forward also tallied three assists and one steal.
Starting alongside Markkanen, Italian Simone Fontecchio finished with seven points, four rebounds, and two assists. Turkish Omer Yurtseven registered a brief appearance and Croatian Luka Samanic was left on the bench. Leading the winning side, explosive Tyrese Maxey produced a career-high 51 points, while Turkish Furkan Korkmaz chipped in five points, two assists, and two rebounds. French Nicolas Batum (left hamstring) was among the sidelined players.
In TD Garden, the Los Angeles Lakers were shorthanded but stunned standings leaders Boston Celtics, 114-105. Latvian Kristaps Porzingis went for 17 points, seven rebounds, five blocks, three assists, and one steal in the third losing effort at home in the Regular Season. Coming off the bench, Portuguese Neemias Queta registered seven points, seven rebounds, one assist, and one block. Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk did not play.
German Isaiah Hartenstein posted a 12-point, 19-rebound double-double alongside six assists and one block over 36 minutes as the New York Knicks beat the Indiana Pacers, 109-105, in the Madison Square Garden and recorded a ninth win in a row. British O.G. Anunoby (right elbow inflammation) has yet to be cleared for action and French Evan Fournier once more stayed on the bench.
Moving to FedExForum, the Cleveland Cavaliers notched a fourth straight win by taking down the Memphis Grizzlies, 108-101. Dealing with tailbone soreness, Spanish Santi Aldama started and delivered 18 points behind 7/12 field goals plus nine rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. Recent addition, British Tosan Evbuomwan did get the opportunity to debut in the NBA.
Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics 37-12
2. Milwaukee Bucks 32-16
3. New York Knicks 32-17
4. Cleveland Cavaliers 30-16
5. Philadelphia 76ers 30-17
6. Indiana Pacers 27-22
7. Miami Heat 25-23
8. Orlando Magic 25-23
9. Chicago Bulls 23-26
10. Atlanta Hawks 20-27
11. Brooklyn Nets 19-28
12. Toronto Raptors 17-30
13. Charlotte Hornets 10-36
14. Washington Wizards 9-38
15. Detroit Pistons 6-41
Western Conference
1. Minnesota Timberwolves 34-14
2. Oklahoma City Thunder 33-15
3. Los Angeles Clippers 31-15
4. Denver Nuggets 33-16
5. Sacramento Kings 27-19
6. Phoenix Suns 28-20
7. New Orleans Pelicans 27-21
8. Dallas Mavericks 26-22
9. Los Angeles Lakers 25-25
10. Utah Jazz 24-26
11. Houston Rockets 22-25
12. Golden State Warriors 20-24
13. Memphis Grizzlies 18-30
14. Portland Trail Blazers 15-33
15. San Antonio Spurs 10-38
-Teams ranking first through sixth advance directly to the Playoffs
-Teams ranking seventh through tenth compete in the Play-Ins
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