By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Matching a team-high four consecutive wins in the 2023-24 NBA Regular Season, the Dallas Mavericks blew out the Oklahoma City Thunder, 146-111, in the American Airlines Center on NBA Saturdays.
A game-high 32 points shaped the main contribution by Luka Doncic. The Slovenian superstar made 9/14 field goals before sitting out the fourth quarter. Nine assists and eight rebounds fell short of yet another triple-double. However, German Maxi Kleber chipped in a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double alongside three assists, one steal, and one block.
Among the three Europeans coming off the bench for the visitors, French Olivier Sarr produced eight points and three rebounds in eight minutes. French Ousmane Dieng had three points, two assists, and one block over 14 minutes. Serbian Aleksej Pokusevski missed one shot in six minutes.
Wembanyama meets Schroder in Brooklyn
A brief heated moment between Victor Wembanyama and Dennis Schroder was included in the Brooklyn Nets defeating the San Antonio Spurs, 123-103, on Saturday. The French upstart ended up with a team-high 21 points in Barclays Center. He added four rebounds, three assists, and one block over 29 minutes.
Fellow starter from Poland, Jeremy Sochan registered eight points, five rebounds, three assists, and one steal in the losing effort. Turkish Cedi Osman paired eight points and five rebounds. Georgian Sandro Mamukelashvili had two points. French Sidy Cissoko was on assignment with the Austin Spurs.
In his debut with the Nets, Schroder lasted 27 minutes and posted a 15-point, 12-assist double-double. The 2023 FIBA World Cup MVP also pulled down three rebounds.
Franz Wagner nears career-high again
Recording 30 points for the third time in four outings, German Franz Wagner stayed close to a new career-high with 36 points behind 12/22 field goals leading the Orlando Magic to an overtime win, 114-108, versus the Chicago Bulls in Kia Center. A solid display complemented by five assists and three rebounds in 44 minutes.
In European help off the bench, his brother Moritz Wagner threw in seven points and one rebound, and Georgian Goga Bitadze put in five points, two rebounds, and one block. British Admiral Schofield did not suit up.
Montenegrin Nikola Vucevic went for 26 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, three steals, and one block, but was not enough for the Bulls. Turkish Onuralp Bitim was assigned to the Windy City Bulls.
More NBA Saturdays and European showings
Los Angeles Clippers – Detroit Pistons 112-106 (Ivica Zubac 6pts, 5reb, 2blk, 1ast, Daniel Theis DNP, Moussa Diabate INJ – Simone Fontecchio 20pts, 9reb, 1ast, 1stl, Evan Fournier INA, Malcolm Cazalon INA)
Charlotte Hornets – Memphis Grizzlies 115-106 (Vasilije Micic 18pts, 9ast, 1reb, Davis Bertans 9pts, 2reb, 2stl, 1ast – Santi Aldama 11pts, 6reb, 3ast, 2stl)
Washington Wizards – Philadelphia 76ers 113-119 (Deni Avdija 21pts, 13reb, 5ast, 1blk, Bilal Coulibaly 13pts, 5reb, 1ast – Nicolas Batum INJ)
Atlanta Hawks – Houston Rockets 122-113 (Bogdan Bogdanovic 8pts, 7reb, 2ast, Clint Capela INJ, Vit Krejci INA – Boban Marjanovic DNP, Alperen Sengun INJ)
New York Knicks – Indiana Pacers 111-125 (Bojan Bogdanovic 11pts, 3reb, 1ast, 1stl, O.G. Anunoby INJ, Isaiah Hartenstein INJ)
Toronto Raptors – Cleveland Cavaliers 95-119 (Jakob Poeltl 6pts, 7reb, 1ast, 1blk)
Golden State Warriors – Phoenix Suns 113-112 (Dario Saric 2ast, 1reb, Usman Garuba INA – Jusuf Nurkic 6pts, 6reb, 4ast, 1blk, Theo Maledon DNP)
Portland Trail Blazers – New Orleans Pelicans 84-93 (Toumani Camara 5pts, 3reb, 1ast, 1stl, Rayan Rupert DNP – Jonas Valanciunas 16pts, 9reb, 1ast, 1blk)
Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics 40-12
2. Cleveland Cavaliers 35-16
3. Milwaukee Bucks 34-19
4. New York Knicks 33-20
5. Philadelphia 76ers 31-21
6. Indiana Pacers 30-24
7. Orlando Magic 29-24
8. Miami Heat 28-24
9. Chicago Bulls 25-28
10. Atlanta Hawks 24-29
11. Brooklyn Nets 21-31
12. Toronto Raptors 19-34
13. Charlotte Hornets 11-41
14. Washington Wizards 9-43
15. Detroit Pistons 8-44
Western Conference
1. Minnesota Timberwolves 36-16
2. Los Angeles Clippers 35-16
3. Denver Nuggets 36-17
4. Oklahoma City Thunder 35-17
5. Sacramento Kings 30-21
6. Phoenix Suns 31-22
7. New Orleans Pelicans 31-22
8. Dallas Mavericks 30-23
9. Los Angeles Lakers 28-26
10. Golden State Warriors 25-25
11. Utah Jazz 26-27
12. Houston Rockets 23-29
13. Memphis Grizzlies 18-35
14. Portland Trail Blazers 15-37
15. San Antonio Spurs 10-43
-Teams ranking first through sixth advance directly to the Playoffs
-Teams ranking seventh through tenth compete in the Play-Ins
Photo Credit: Getty Images