By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Powering the Boston Celtics to a league-high 39-12 in the NBA Regular Season, Kristaps Porzingis tallied a game-high 31 points on Wednesday.
The Latvian big connected 13/19 from the field, including two triples, in the win, 125-117, against the Atlanta Hawks in TD Garden. Recording 31 minutes in a leading performance for the team coached by Joe Mazzulla, he added three rebounds, two blocks, and one assist. Portuguese Neemias Queta and Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk did not play.
Starting for the visitors, Serbian Bogdan Bogdanovic struggled with 5/18 field goals in a 12-point showing. He also put in six rebounds, three assists, and one steal over 35 minutes. Swiss Clint Capela (left adductor strain) stayed on the injury list and Czech Vit Krejci was on assignment with the College Park Skyhawks.
Losing effort for Wemby
In Kaseya Center, Victor Wembanyama posted his 25th double-double of the 2023-24 season. Combining 18 points and 13 rebounds plus three assists, one steal, and one block did not prevent the San Antonio Spurs from falling to the Miami Heat, 116-104. The French prodigy lasted 28 minutes.
Turkish Cedi Osman finished with eight points and five rebounds. Polish Jeremy Sochan registered six points, five rebounds, three assists, and one steal. Georgian Sandro Mamukelashvili had two points and two rebounds. French Sidy Cissoko was assigned to the Austin Spurs.
For the winning side, Serbian Nikola Jovic drew one turnover in a brief outing.
Upset in Sacramento
The Detroit Pistons overpowered the Sacramento Kings, 133-120, in Golden 1 Center. They overcame Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis packing 30 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, and one steal. Recovering from a sprained right ankle, Bulgarian Sasha Vezenkov recorded three points and one rebound, but Ukrainian Alex Len did not suit up.
The winning side ruled out Croatian Bojan Bogdanovic due to left calf soreness, has yet to officially add Italian Simone Fontecchio, and assigned French Malcolm Cazalon to the Motor City Cruise. Available players included French Killian Hayes starting and chipping in eight points, nine assists, and four rebounds. Italian Danilo Gallinari added two points, four rebounds, two assists, and one block.
Valanciunas picks up an injury
The New Orleans Pelicans suffered an early exit for Jonas Valanciunas but defeated the Los Angeles Clippers, 117-106, in Crypto.com Arena. The Lithuanian big produced eight points, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 11 minutes before leaving with a bruised right calf.
The hosts featured Croatian Ivica Zubac returning from injury with 12 points, eight rebounds, and one assist over 21 minutes as the starting center. German Daniel Theis ended up with two points and one rebound. French Moussa Diabate (right hand metacarpal fracture) remained sidelined.
More games and European showings
Charlotte Hornets – Toronto Raptors 117-123 (Frank Ntilikina INJ – Dennis Schroder 16pts, 5ast, 4reb, Jakob Poeltl 12pts, 12reb, 2ast, 1blk)
Washington Wizards – Cleveland Cavaliers 106-114 (Deni Avdija 9pts, 8reb, 3ast, Bilal Coulibaly 6pts, 3reb, 1ast)
Philadelphia 76ers – Golden State Warriors 104-127 (Furkan Korkmaz 4reb, 2blk, Nicolas Batum INJ – Dario Saric 9pts, 3reb, 2ast, 1stl, Usman Garuba INA)
Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics 39-12
2. Cleveland Cavaliers 33-16
3. Milwaukee Bucks 33-18
4. New York Knicks 33-18
5. Philadelphia 76ers 30-20
6. Indiana Pacers 29-23
7. Miami Heat 28-24
8. Orlando Magic 27-24
9. Chicago Bulls 24-27
10. Atlanta Hawks 22-29
11. Brooklyn Nets 20-30
12. Toronto Raptors 18-33
13. Charlotte Hornets 10-40
14. Washington Wizards 9-41
15. Detroit Pistons 7-43
Western Conference
1. Oklahoma City Thunder 35-16
2. Minnesota Timberwolves 35-16
3. Denver Nuggets 35-16
4. Los Angeles Clippers 30-21
5. Phoenix Suns 30-21
6. New Orleans Pelicans 30-21
7. Sacramento Kings 29-21
8. Dallas Mavericks 28-23
9. Los Angeles Lakers 27-25
10. Utah Jazz 26-26
11. Golden State Warriors 23-25
12. Houston Rockets 23-27
13. Memphis Grizzlies 18-33
14. Portland Trail Blazers 15-35
15. San Antonio Spurs 10-41
-Teams ranking first through sixth advance directly to the Playoffs
-Teams ranking seventh through tenth compete in the Play-Ins
Photo Credit: Getty Images