By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Dallas Mavericks‘ late comeback bid fell short, as the Houston Rockets prevailed, 108-102, in the American Airlines Center on Thursday evening.
Among the standout showings in Dallas, Alperen Sengun posted a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double, pushing his side to 3-2 in the 2024-25 NBA Regular Season.
Lasting nearly 35 minutes, the Turkish center added four assists and one block.
The Mavs fell into a 23-point hole during the third quarter but reduced the deficit to three points down the stretch, before accepting a drop to 3-2.
“I take the blame because I got to do way better than that,” leading star Luka Doncic commented on the latest slow start.
The Slovenian sensation scored 15 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, fueling the rally for the team coached by Jason Kidd. He made 12/25 field goals, including three triples, five rebounds, two assists, and one steal over 37 minutes.
“It is just the elbow, a big bruise,” Doncic referred to picking up an injury during the third quarter, “It is fine. Just my fingers got a little tingly, but it is fine.”
His teammate, German Maxi Kleber remained sidelined with a right hamstring strain.
Suns rally past Clippers
In contrast to the Mavericks, the Phoenix Suns completed a comeback from a 21-point deficit and defeated the Los Angeles Clippers, 125-119, in Intuit Dome. Besides Devin Booker’s 40 points, Bosnian Jusuf Nurkic chipped in 11.
The opposite starting center, Croatian Ivica Zubac registered a 22-point, 12-rebound double-double, including 9/10 two-pointers. French Nicolas Batum finished with three points, five rebounds, four blocks, and three assists.
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