By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
With Jamal Murray setting his career-high at 55 points and Nikola Jokic producing a 25th triple-double in the 2024-25 NBA Regular Season, the Denver Nuggets rocked the Portland Trail Blazers, 132-121, on Wednesday.
Fueling an eighth win in a row, the Serbian superstar combined 26 points with 15 rebounds and ten assists. In addition to becoming the third player with 25 triple-doubles in a single year, following Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson, he put in two steals. Croatian teammate Dario Saric grabbed two rebounds in seven minutes, but Slovenian Vlatko Cancar (left knee surgery) remained sidelined.
On the losing end of the meeting in Ball Arena, Israeli Deni Avdija went for 14 points, five rebounds, and one assist. Fellow starter, Belgian Toumani Camara ended up with 13 points, three rebounds, two rebounds, two assists, and one steal. French options off the bench, Rayan Rupert did not get on the board in five minutes and Sidy Cissoko did not play.
In his debut with the Los Angeles Clippers, Serbian Bogdan Bogdanovic logged seven points, two rebounds, one steal, and one assist over 18 minutes, enjoying a win, 128-114, over the Memphis Grizzlies in Intuit Dome. Croatian Ivica Zubac threw in a 12-point, 13-rebound double-double plus three assists, three steals, and one block. French Nicolas Batum settled at three points, three rebounds, and one steal. For the visitors, Spanish Santi Aldama recorded 14 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and one block.
Returning to action after missing eight games, French Alex Sarr (left ankle sprain) was held to 3/13 field goals and the Washington Wizards fell to the Indiana Pacers, 134-130, in overtime. The second pick of the 2024 draft finished with nine point, six rebounds, four assists, and two blocks in a losing display at Capital One Arena. Fellow French import Bilal Coulibaly had three points, eight assists, and five rebounds. Serbian Tristan Vukcevic was limited to two minutes, tallying three points, two rebounds, and one steal.
In Paycom Center, the Oklahoma City Thunder scored for the first 24 points of the fourth quarter en route to a comeback win, 115-101, against the Miami Heat. With French Ousmane Dieng (right soleus strain), Belgian Ajay Mitchell (right great toe surgery), and Nikola Topic (left knee surgery) out, European contribution was limited to German Isaiah Hartenstein packing eight points, eight rebounds, two steals, one block, and one assist. For the Heat, Serbian Nikola Jovic combined 11 points with four assists and three rebounds, while Swedish Pelle Larsson pulled down three rebounds.