By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
In a meeting between the bottom seeds of the Eastern and Western Conferences, the Washington Wizards edged out the Utah Jazz, 125-122, in Capital One Arena on Wednesday.
In one of his best performances since being selected with the second overall pick of the 2024 NBA draft, Alex Sarr contributed 21 points with 5/10 from the field. The 19-year-old French big added five rebounds, three blocks, and two steals over 29 minutes.
Another starter from France, Bilal Coulibaly put in 11 points, five rebounds, three blocks, and two steals in 34 minutes. Lasting nearly 18 minutes off the bench, Serbian Tristan Vukcevic added eight points, seven rebounds, two blocks, and one steal.
The visitors featured Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk packing 11 points, six assists, and one rebound. Finnish Lauri Markkanen (lower back injury management) was inactive.
Complementing a 50-point showing by James Harden, Serbian Bogdan Bogdanovic finished with 23 points, three rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal, and Croatian Ivica Zubac put up a 22-point, 11-rebound double-double alongside three assists as the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Detroit Pistons, 123-115, in Intuit Dome. French Nicolas Batum was the third European starter and chipped in five points, three rebounds, two blocks, and one steal. On the losing end, German Dennis Schroder combined 21 points with seven assists and six rebounds, while Italian Simone Fontecchio produced two points, two rebounds, and one assist. Swedish Bobi Klintman did not play.
In FedExForum, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 41 points, leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 120-103 victory versus the Memphis Grizzlies. German Isaiah Hartenstein, playing through a nasal fracture, posted a 10-point, 15-rebound double-double plus three steals, two assists, and one block. French Ousmane Dieng threw in five points and one rebound. On the injury list, Belgian Ajay Mitchell (right great toe surgery) and Serbian Nikola Topic (left knee surgery) remained sidelined, as did Spanish Santi Aldama (right calf soreness) of the Grizzlies.
With French Rudy Gobert (lower back injury management) missing his ninth straight game of the 2024-25 NBA Regular Season and Dutch Jesse Edwards and Bosnian Luka Garza staying on the bench, the Minnesota Timberwolves cruised past the Charlotte Hornets, 125-110, in Spectrum Center. For the hosts, French Moussa Diabate tallied six points, four rebounds, one block, and one steal, French Tidjane Salaun recorded four points, seven rebounds, and three assists, and Bosnian Jusuf Nurkic had two points, five rebounds, and one steal.
Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers logged a 12th straight win and became the first team to clinch a berth in the 2025 NBA Playoffs by defeating the Miami Heat, 112-107, in Rocket Arena. On the losing end, Serbian Nikola Jovic (right hand fracture) was out, and Swedish Pelle Larsson paired three points with one assist.
Wednesday results
Boston Celtics – Portland Trail Blazers 128-118
Charlotte Hornets – Minnesota Timberwolves 110-125
Cleveland Cavaliers – Miami Heat 112-107
Washington Wizards – Utah Jazz 125-122
Memphis Grizzlies – Oklahoma City Thunder 103-120
Denver Nuggets – Sacramento Kings 116-110
Milwaukee Bucks – Dallas Mavericks 137-107
Los Angeles Clippers – Detroit Pistons 123-115
Standings
Eastern Conference
1. p-Cleveland Cavaliers 52-10
2. Boston Celtics 44-18
3. New York Knicks 40-21
4. Milwaukee Bucks 36-25
5. Indiana Pacers 35-25
6. Detroit Pistons 35-28
7. Miami Heat 29-32
8. Orlando Magic 29-34
9. Atlanta Hawks 28-34
10. Chicago Bulls 24-38
11. Philadelphia 76ers 21-40
12. Brooklyn Nets 21-40
13. Toronto Raptors 20-42
14. Charlotte Hornets 14-47
15. Washington Wizards 12-49
Western Conference
1. Oklahoma City Thunder 51-11
2. Los Angeles Lakers 39-21
3. Denver Nuggets 40-22
4. Memphis Grizzlies 38-24
5. Houston Rockets 37-25
6. Golden State Warriors 34-28
7. Minnesota Timberwolves 35-29
8. Los Angeles Clippers 33-29
9. Sacramento Kings 32-29
10. Dallas Mavericks 32-31
11. Phoenix Suns 29-33
12. Portland Trail Blazers 28-35
13. San Antonio Spurs 26-34
14. New Orleans Pelicans 17-45
15. Utah Jazz 15-47
p-clinched playoff berth
-The top six teams from each conference clinch a berth in the Playoffs
-Teams ranking seventh to tenth advance to the Play-Ins