By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The major highlight of the latest edition of NBA Sundays saw the Houston Rockets take down the Oklahoma City Thunder, 119-116, in Toyota Center. Fred VanVleet paved the way with a season-high 38 points.
Turkish Alperen Sengun posted a 20-point, 14-rebound double-double. With nine assists to his name, he fell narrowly short of a triple-double on Sunday evening. Lasting nearly 38 minutes, he also blocked one shot.
“Winning is fun. We learned that after I can say two years,” he talked about switching from a rebuilding squad to contending for the homecourt advantage throughout the 2025 NBA Playoffs with the Rockets, “We are happy. It’s giving the team more motivation.”
Opposite Sengun, German Isaiah Hartenstein produced a 19-point, 13-rebound double-double to go with four assists, one block, and one rebound over 30 minutes for the Thunder. Belgian Ajay Mitchell grabbed one rebound in seven minutes. French Ousmane Dieng (right ring finger fracture) and Serbian Nikola Topic (left knee surgery) remained sidelined.
A sixth straight win for the Orlando Magic in the 2024-25 NBA Regular Season. German Franz Wagner piled up 20 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, and two steals, lifting his side over the Brooklyn Nets, 100-92, in Barclays Center. Fellow starter, Georgian Goga Bitadze posted a 12-point, 13-rebound double-double. Coming off the bench, Germans Moritz Wagner and Tristan da Silva threw in 12 and four points, respectively. For the team coached by Spanish Jordi Fernandez, German Dennis Schroder netted 20 points.
Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Boston Celtics, 115-111, in Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Falling shy of a win in the battle of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, Latvian Kristaps Porzingis tallied 21 points, eight rebounds, three steals, and two assists over 32 minutes. Portuguese Neemias Queta stayed on the bench.
Austrian Jakob Poeltl chipped in a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double plus three assists, two steals, and one block as the Toronto Raptors beat the Miami Heat, 119-116, in Scotiabank Arena. For the visitors, Swedish Pelle Larsson logged eight points and two steals, but Serbian Nikola Jovic was sidelined with a left ankle sprain.
In Delta Center, the Los Angeles Lakers edged out the Utah Jazz, 105-104. Besides Anthony Davis scoring 33 points and LeBron James adding 27 points, French Armel Traore got two rebounds and one steal in just under 11 minutes. On the losing end, Finnish Lauri Markkanen tallied a team-high 22 points.
A comfortable win, 118-85, for the New York Knicks versus the New Orleans Pelicans in Madison Square Garden. British O.G. Anunoby logged seven points, four rebounds, four blocks, three steals, and two assists. German Ariel Hukporti ended up with three points, three rebounds, and one steal.
NBA Sundays games
Brooklyn Nets – Orlando Magic 92-100
Memphis Grizzlies – Indiana Pacers 136-121
Cleveland Cavaliers – Boston Celtics 115-111
New York Knicks – New Orleans Pelicans 118-85
Toronto Raptors – Miami Heat 119-116
Houston Rockets – Oklahoma City Thunder 119-116
Utah Jazz – Los Angeles Lakers 104-105
Portland Trail Blazers – Dallas Mavericks 131-137
Sacramento Kings – San Antonio Spurs 125-127
Los Angeles Clippers – Denver Nuggets 126-122
Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Cleveland Cavaliers 18-3
2. Boston Celtics 16-4
3. Orlando Magic 15-7
4. New York Knicks 12-8
5. Milwaukee Bucks 10-9
6. Miami Heat 9-9
7. Atlanta Hawks 10-11
8. Brooklyn Nets 9-12
9. Indiana Pacers 9-12
10. Detroit Pistons 9-13
11. Chicago Bulls 8-13
12. Charlotte Hornets 6-14
13. Toronto Raptors 6-15
14. Philadelphia 76ers 4-14
15. Washington Wizards 2-16
Western Conference
1. Oklahoma City Thunder 15-5
2. Houston Rockets 15-6
3. Memphis Grizzlies 14-7
4. Golden State Warriors 12-7
5. Dallas Mavericks 13-8
6. Los Angeles Lakers 12-8
7. Los Angeles Clippers 13-9
8. Phoenix Suns 11-8
9. Denver Nuggets 10-8
10. San Antonio Spurs 11-9
11. Minnesota Timberwolves 9-10
12. Sacramento Kings 9-12
13. Portland Trail Blazers 8-13
14. Utah Jazz 4-16
15. New Orleans Pelicans 4-17
-The top six teams from each conference clinch a berth in the Playoffs
-Teams ranking seventh to tenth advance to the Play-Ins