By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Luka Doncic and Maxi Kleber returned to action on Tuesday and helped the Dallas Mavericks beat the Portland Trail Blazers 111-102. Doncic played through his sore hip, sank some clutch buckets on his way for a total of 21 points and also grabbed nine rebounds, Kleber added eight points in 16 minutes. Jusuf Nurkic scored nine points for the losing side.
Jakob Poeltl only needed 19 minutes for a career-high 20 points, but the San Antonio Spurs lost to the Utah Jazz 139-105. Davis Bertans and Marco Belinelli were also in action for the Texans. Rudy Gobert helped the winning side with a 18-point, 10-rebound double-double, Ricky Rubio sprained his right index finger but returned and added 12 points, while Thabo Sefolosha had seven.
The Indiana Pacers overcame the Chicago Bulls with a 96-90 victory despite Victor Oladipo’s (right knee) absence. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 14 points and Domantas Sabonis added nine. Lauri Markkanen poured 21 points including five three-pointers and grabbed ten rebounds in the Bulls’ first match after Fred Hoiberg’s removal.
Bogdan Bogdanovic with 14 points, Kostas Koufos with 11 and Nemanja Bjelica with two aided the Sacramento Kings in their easy 122-105 away win against the Phoenix Suns. Elie Okobo started but only notched six points, Dragan Bender added four for the struggling home team.
The Orlando Magic also scored an away victory, 105-90 over the Miami Heat. Nikola Vucevic posted a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double, Evan Fournier added 13 points.
Goran Dragic (right knee) and Timofey Mozgov (right knee) didn’t play in the game between NBA’s Florida teams. Dirk Nowitzki (left ankle) and Pau Gasol (right foot) also remained on the sidelines.
Wednesday’s results, the European scorers and the standings:
| Indiana Pacers | Chicago Bulls | 96-90 | Bojan Bogdanovic 14pts, 6reb, 2ast, 1stl, Domantas Sabonis 9pts, 11reb, 2ast, 3stl, 1blk – Lauri Markkanen 21pts, 10reb, 1ast, 2stl, 1blk |
| Miami Heat | Orlando Magic | 90-105 | Nikola Vucevic 19pts, 10reb, 3ast, 1stl, Evan Fournier 13pts, 3reb |
| Dallas Mavericks | Portland Trail Blazers | 111-102 | Luka Doncic 21pts, 9reb, 3ast, Maxi Kleber 8pts, 5reb, 2ast, 3stl, 1blk – Jusuf Nurkic 9pts, 11reb, 1ast, 1stl, 2blk |
| Phoenix Suns | Sacramento Kings | 105-122 | Elie Okobo 6pts, 3reb, 1ast, 1blk, Dragan Bender 4pts, 2reb, 1ast – Bogdan Bogdanovic 14pts, 5reb, 2ast, 1stl, 1blk, Kostas Koufos 11pts, 5reb, 1ast, Nemanja Bjelica 2pts, 7reb, 3ast, 1stl, 1blk |
| Utah Jazz | San Antonio Spurs | 139-105 | Rudy Gobert 18pts, 10reb, 4ast, 3blk, Ricky Rubio 12pts, 5reb, 7ast, 3stl, Thabo Sefolosha 7pts, 4reb, 1ast, 1stl – Jakob Poeltl 20pts, 7reb,1ast, 1blk, Davis Bertans 8pts, 6reb, 2stl, 1blk, Marco Belinelli 5pts, 3ast |
Eastern Conference
1. Toronto Raptors 20-5
2. Milwaukee Bucks 15-7
3. Philadelphia 76ers 17-8
4. Detroit Pistons 13-8
5. Indiana Pacers 14-10
6. Boston Celtics 13-10
7. Orlando Magic 12-12
8. Charlotte Hornets 11-12
9. Washington Wizards 10-14
10. Miami Heat 9-14
11. Brooklyn Nets 8-17
12. New York Knicks 8-17
13. Cleveland Cavaliers 5-18
14. Atlanta Hawks 5-19
15. Chicago Bulls 5-20
Western Conference
1. Denver Nuggets 16-7
2. Los Angeles Clippers 16-7
3. Oklahoma City Thunder 15-7
4. Golden State Warriors 16-7
5. Los Angeles Lakers 14-9
6. Memphis Grizzlies 13-9
7. Dallas Mavericks 12-10
8. Portland Trail Blazers 13-11
9. Sacramento Kings 12-11
10. Minnesota Timberwolves 12-12
11. Utah Jazz 12-13
12. New Orleans Pelicans 12-13
13. Houston Rockets 11-12
14. San Antonio Spurs 11-13
15. Phoenix Suns 4-20