By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
On the bottom end of a back-to-back and coming off three wins in a row, the Sacramento Kings were defeated, 121-110, by the shorthanded Miami Heat in Golden 1 Center on Monday.
Piling up 14 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists, Domantas Sabonis posted a league-high 21st triple-double in the 2023-24 NBA Regular Season. He also became the tenth player with 40 consecutive double-doubles in a season. “I just wish we won,” the Lithuanian big responsed to a question about individual stats, “We can look at that at the end of the season.” His side fell to 33-24.
Ukrainian Alex Len did not play and Bulgarian Sasha Vezenkov (right ankle sprain) remained sidelined for the Kings. Dealing with suspensions, including missing Serbian Nikola Jovic, the Heat improved to 32-25.
Chaotic finish in New York and more
In a wild ending, the New York Knicks edged out the Detroit Pistons, 113-111, in Madison Square Garden. Coming off the bench, Croatian Bojan Bogdanovic put in 13 points, six rebounds, and one assist. German Isaiah Hartenstein added six points, eight rebounds, four assists, and one block. British O.G. Anunoby (right elbow surgery) stayed on the injury list.
Officials admitted to missing a loose-ball foul during the chaotic final possession that would likely lift the Pistons to a win. Nevertheless, Italian Simone Fontecchio with 12 points, three rebounds, and one assist, French Evan Fournier with seven points, two steals, and one assist, and British Tosan Evbuomwan with two points settled with a loss.
In FedExForum, German Dennis Schroder recorded a game-high 18 points alongside five assists and two rebounds, paving the way for the Brooklyn Nets in the 111-86 victory versus the Memphis Grizzlies. On the opposite end, Spanish Santi Aldama tallied seven points, five rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
With Serbian play-caller Darko Rajakovic promising dinner on a three-game winning streak, the player delivered as the Toronto Raptors beat the Indiana Pacers, 130-122, in Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Austrian Jakob Poeltl chipped in a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double plus four assists and one block.
Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics 45-12
2. Cleveland Cavaliers 37-19
3. Milwaukee Bucks 37-21
4. New York Knicks 35-23
5. Philadelphia 76ers 33-24
6. Miami Heat 32-25
7. Indiana Pacers 33-26
8. Orlando Magic 32-26
9. Chicago Bulls 27-30
10. Atlanta Hawks 25-32
11. Brooklyn Nets 22-35
12. Toronto Raptors 22-36
13. Charlotte Hornets 15-42
14. Washington Wizards 9-48
15. Detroit Pistons 8-49
Western Conference
1. Minnesota Timberwolves 40-17
2. Oklahoma City Thunder 40-17
3. Denver Nuggets 39-19
4. Los Angeles Clippers 37-19
5. Phoenix Suns 34-24
6. New Orleans Pelicans 34-24
7. Sacramento Kings 33-24
8. Dallas Mavericks 33-24
9. Los Angeles Lakers 31-28
10. Golden State Warriors 29-27
11. Utah Jazz 27-31
12. Houston Rockets 25-32
13. Memphis Grizzlies 20-38
14. Portland Trail Blazers 15-41
15. San Antonio Spurs 11-47
-Teams ranking first through sixth advance directly to the Playoffs
-Teams ranking seventh through tenth compete in the Play-Ins
Photo Credit: Getty Images