By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Jonas Valančiūnas recently joined Domantas Sabonis on the Sacramento Kings, and the Lithuanian duo is starting to take shape.
Keegan Murray led the scoring in a 101-118 road win over the Utah Jazz with 26 points, but Valančiūnas and Sabonis also made a big contribution.
Valančiūnas finished the game with 15 points, seven rebounds, and two assists in less than 14 minutes, while Sabonis was on the verge of a double-double with 12 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.
Two other European players made a big impact on their team’s win, as Bogdan Bogdanović and Ivica Zubac helped the LA Clippers secure a 117-122 victory over the Chicago Bulls.
Bogdanović hit a crucial three-pointer in the final moments, giving his team a 115-110 lead, and finished the game with 14 points and six assists. Zubac followed with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
On other courts, Kristaps Porziņģis’ 11 points didn’t help the Boston Celtics, as they lost on the road to the Detroit Pistons, 117-97. Darko Rajaković’s Toronto Raptors also fell to the Indiana Pacers on the road, 111-91, with Jakob Pöltl scoring 10 points and grabbing five boards.
O.G. Anunoby had better luck, finishing one rebound shy of a double-double, scoring 16 points in the New York Knicks‘ 110-105 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Elsewhere, Toumani Camara had 11 points and five rebounds, while Deni Avdija added five points in the Portland Trail Blazers‘ 121-129 road victory over the Washington Wizards. Bilal Coulibaly scored 16 for the losing side, with Tristan Vukčević adding eight and Kyshawn George chipping in seven points.
Killian Hayes played his best game as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, scoring 19 points with seven assists, but his team fell to the OKC Thunder, 121-129. Isaiah Hartenstein contributed 13 points for the winning side. Hayes’ compatriot, Zaccharie Risacher, scored 11 points in the Atlanta Hawks‘ 131-109 loss to the Miami Heat, with Clint Capela adding eight points in a losing effort.
And last but not least, Alperen Şengün scored nine points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Houston Rockets defeated the San Antonio Spurs in a Texas derby, 118-106. Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 12 points for the losing team.