By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks to their 116-113 win over the Chicago Bulls with 36 points. The Greek Freak also notched 11 rebounds and eight assists. His teammate Ersan Ilyasova (right knee) returned to action with nine points in 20 minutes, but Bulls’ Lauri Markkanen (right elbow) remained on the sidelines.
Luka Doncic was questionable due to illness, but put on an sensational performance for the Dallas Mavericks that beat the Houston Rockets with 128-108. Maxi Kleber added nine points and Dirk Nowitzki (left ankle) remained out. Clint Capela scored 18 points and Isaiah Hartenstein five for the home team.
Rudy Gobert poured 23 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in the Utah Jazz’s 101-91 away victory against the Brooklyn Nets. His teammate Ricky Rubio missed all the field goal shots he attempted, while Thabo Sefolosha didn’t participate in the rotation.
Danilo Gallinari sank 28 points and grabbed ten boards in the Los Angeles Clippers’ 115-99 win against the Phoenix Suns. Boban Marjanovic started replacing injured Marcin Gortat (back spasms) and also posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, but Milos Teodosic didn’t get any action. Elie Okobo scored a career-high 19 points for the losing side, Dragan Bender didn’t play.
A few days after his right shoulder injury, Jusuf Nurkic posted a 16-point, 13-rebound double-double and helped the Portland Trail Blazers get a 115-112 win over the Orlando Magic. Nikola Vucevic’s 20 points and Evan Fournier’s 17 weren’t enough for the visitors. Timofey Mozgov (right knee) remained on his team’s injury list.
Alex Abrines got his first 2018-19 start, but only scored three points in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 100-83 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Dennis Schroder and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot added a total of seven points from the bench. Cedi Osman scored a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Cavs, Ante Zizic also played.
Enes Kanter and Mario Hezonja notched 17 points each, but the New York Knicks suffered a 117-91 defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers. Frank Ntilikina also played, but Kristaps Porzingis (left knee) remained out. Furkan Kormaz had 11 points for the winning side.
Former 76er Dario Saric scored 10 points in the Minnesota Timberwolves 128-89 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, in which Luol Deng got a rare appearance. Jakob Poetlt posted 14 points for the Texans, Marco Belinelli had 11 and Davis Bertans six, while Pau Gasol (right foot) remained on the injury list.
Wednesday’s results, the ten games’ European scorers and the standings:
| Charlotte Hornets | Atlanta Hawks | 108-94 | Nicolas Batum 13pts, 6reb, 3ast, 2stl, 1blk, Tony Parker 6pts, 3ast, Willy Hernangomez 1reb |
| Philadelphia 76ers | New York Knicks | 117-91 | Furkan Kormaz 11pts, 1reb, 1ast – Enes Kanter 17pts, 6reb, 1ast, Mario Hezonja 17pts, 5reb, 1ast, 4stl, Frank Ntilikina 2ast |
| Brooklyn Nets | Utah Jazz | 91-101 | Rudy Gobert 23pts, 16reb, 3ast, 1stl, 4blk, Ricky Rubio 6pts, 3reb, 4ast |
| Houston Rockets | Dallas Mavericks | 108-128 | Clint Capela 18pts, 8reb, 2ast, 2blk, Isaiah Hartenstein 5pts, 3reb – Luka Doncic 20pts, 6reb, 2ast, 1stl, Maxi Kleber 9pts, 2reb, 1ast |
| Milwaukee Bucks | Chicago Bulls | 116-113 | Giannis Antetokounmpo 36pts, 11reb, 8ast, 2stl, 1blk, Ersan Ilyasova 9pts, 6reb |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | San Antonio Spurs | 128-89 | Dario Saric 10pts, 6reb, Luol Deng 5pts, 1reb, 1ast, 1stl – Jakob Poetlt 14pts, 8reb, 1blk, Marco Belinelli 11pts, 1reb, 2ast, Davis Bertans 6pts, 5reb, 1ast, 1blk |
| New Orleans Pelicans | Washington Wizards | 125-104 | Nikola Mirotic 15pts, 9reb, 2ast, 2stl, 1blk – Tomas Satoransky 7pts, 2reb, 1ast, 1stl |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | Cleveland Cavaliers | 100-83 | Dennis Schroder 6pts, 2reb, 1ast, 1stl, Alex Abrines 3pts, 3reb, 1ast, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot 1pt, 1stl – Cedi Osman 14pts, 10reb, 6ast, Ante Zizic 5reb, 1ast, 1blk |
| Portland Trail Blazers | Orlando Magic | 115-112 | Jusuf Nurkic 16pts, 13reb, 5ast, 1stl – Nikola Vucevic 20pts, 8reb, 7ast, 2blk, Evan Fournier 17pts, 3reb, 4ast, 2blk |
| Los Angeles Clippers | Phoenix Suns | 115-99 | Danilo Gallinari 28pts, 10reb, 4ast, 1stl, 2blk, Boban Marjanovic 12pts, 12reb, 1ast – Elie Okobo 19pts, 2reb, 4ast, 3stl |
Eastern Conference
1. Toronto Raptors 18-4
2. Milwaukee Bucks 15-6
3. Philadelphia 76ers 15-8
4. Indiana Pacers 13-8
5. Detroit Pistons 11-7
6. Charlotte Hornets 11-10
7. Boston Celtics 11-10
8. Orlando Magic 10-12
9. Washington Wizards 8-13
10. Brooklyn Nets 8-14
11. Miami Heat 7-13
12. New York Knicks 7-16
13. Chicago Bulls 5-17
14. Atlanta Hawks 5-17
15. Cleveland Cavaliers 4-16
Western Conference
1. Los Angeles Clippers 14-6
2. Golden State Warriors 15-7
3. Denver Nuggets 14-7
4. Oklahoma City Thunder 13-7
5. Portland Trail Blazers 13-8
6. Memphis Grizzlies 12-8
7. Los Angeles Lakers 11-9
8. Dallas Mavericks 10-9
9. Minnesota Timberwolves 11-11
10. New Orleans Pelicans 11-11
11. Sacramento Kings 10-10
12. San Antonio Spurs 10-11
13. Utah Jazz 10-12
14. Houston Rockets 9-11
15. Phoenix Suns 4-17