By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Returning to Golden 1 Center and facing mentor Mike Brown, Spanish Jordi Fernandez led the Brooklyn Nets to a win, 108-103, over the Sacramento Kings. German Dennis Schroder (right ankle soreness) was ruled out for the NBA Sundays affair, joining Croatian Bojan Bogdanovic (left foot) on the injury list. Cam Thomas stood out with 34 points.
Posting a 14th double-double over 15 appearances in the 2024-25 NBA Regular Season, Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis finished with 13 points and 18 rebounds alongside seven assists and one steal.
Croatian Ivica Zubac paired 16 points with 12 rebounds as the Los Angeles Clippers rocked the Philadelphia 76ers, 125-99, in Wells Fargo Center. French teammate Nicolas Batum added three points, three rebounds, and three assists. Starting for the Sixers, French Guerschon Yabusele logged six points and six rebounds.
A double-double consisting of ten points and 20 rebounds by Rudy Gobert was not enough for the Minnesota Timberwolves in a narrow loss, 107-105, to the Boston Celtics in TD Garden on Sunday. It was the eighth double-double of the season for the 32-year-old French center.
More French action in Gainbridge Fieldhouse with Alex Sarr pairing 17 points with 14 rebounds and Bilal Coulibaly sharing a team-high 17 points for the Washington Wizards in a loss, 115-103, to the Indiana Pacers. Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas had four points and eight rebounds.
Austrian Jakob Poeltl posted a 12-point, 19-rebound double-double plus two blocks, two assists and one steal over 33 minutes. Still, the Toronto Raptors, guided by Serbian head coach Darko Rajakovic, were overpowered by the Cleveland Cavaliers, 122-108, in Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
Missing Slovenian Luka Doncic (right wrist sprain) in Kaseya Center, the Dallas Mavericks fell to the Miami Heat in overtime, 123-118. Besides Jimmy Butler scoring a season-high 33 points, Swedish Pelle Larsson produced 14 points in 36 minutes.
NBA Sundays games
Boston Celtics – Minnesota Timberwolves 107-105
Indiana Pacers –Washington Wizards 115-103
Miami Heat – Dallas Mavericks 123-118 OT (114-114)
Philadelphia 76ers – Los Angeles Clippers 99-125
Cleveland Cavaliers – Toronto Raptors 122-108
Sacramento Kings – Brooklyn Nets 103-108
Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Cleveland Cavaliers 17-1
2. Boston Celtics 14-3
3. Orlando Magic 11-7
4. New York Knicks 9-7
5. Miami Heat 7-7
6. Milwaukee Bucks 8-9
7. Brooklyn Nets 7-10
8. Indiana Pacers 7-10
9. Atlanta Hawks 7-10
10. Detroit Pistons 7-11
11. Chicago Bulls 7-11
12. Charlotte Hornets 6-10
13. Toronto Raptors 4-13
14. Philadelphia 76ers 3-13
15. Washington Wizards 2-13
Western Conference
1. Oklahoma City Thunder 12-4
2. Golden State Warriors 12-4
3. Houston Rockets 12-6
4. Los Angeles Lakers 10-6
5. Los Angeles Clippers 11-7
6. Denver Nuggets 9-6
7. Memphis Grizzlies 10-7
8. Phoenix Suns 9-7
9. Dallas Mavericks 9-8
10. San Antonio Spurs 9-8
11. Minnesota Timberwolves 8-8
12. Sacramento Kings 8-9
13. Portland Trail Blazers 7-10
14. Utah Jazz 4-12
15. New Orleans Pelicans 4-13
-The top six teams from each conference clinch a berth in the Playoffs
-Teams ranking seventh to tenth advance to the Play-Ins