By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Houston Rockets grabbed a 135-134 away overtime win against the Golden State Warriors. James Harden dished 15 assists and notched 10 rebounds in his 44-point triple-double performance on the road. The 29-year-old American sank ten threes including the game-tying shot in the fourth quarter and the winning bucket in extra time! Clint Capela aided tying his personal-high with 29 points and grabbing 21 boards on his way for his 26th 2018-19 double-double. Swede Jonas Jerebko scored five points for the losing side.
The streaking Denver Nuggets overpowered the Sacramento Kings, 117-113, in the Golden 1 Center. Red-hot 21-year-old Jamal Murray scored 34 of his 36 points in the second half and Nikola Jokic maintained his impressive form with 26 points including a coast-to-coast jam. The 23-year-old Serb forward/center also grabbed 13 rebounds and dished six assists on Thursday. His teammate Juancho Hernangomez added six points of his own. Nemanja Bjelica poured 17 points for the home team, Bogdan Bogdanovic had 14 and Kostas Koufos posted four in just five minutes of action.
Kawhi Leonard was heavily booed by the San Antonio Spur’s fans and DeMar DeRozan posted his first career triple-double leading the Texans to their 125-107 win over the Toronto Raptors. Europeans Marco Belinelli, Davis Bertans and Jakob Poeltl helped the former Raptors shooting guard with a total of 14 points, while Pau Gasol was active but didn’t leave on the bench. Serge Ibaka put up 14 points for the losing side, OG Anunoby played but didn’t score and Jonas Valanciunas (left hand) remained on the injury list.
Thursday’s results, the European scorers and the standings:
| San Antonio Spurs | Toronto Raptors | 125-107 | Marco Belinelli 7pts, 2reb, 2ast, Davis Bertans 5pts, 4reb, 1ast, 1stl, Jakob Poeltl 2pts, 7reb, 1ast – Serge Ibaka 14pts, 6reb, 1ast, 1stl, OG Anunoby 2reb, 1ast |
| Sacramento Kings | Denver Nuggets | 113-117 | Nemanja Bjelica 17pts, 6reb, 3ast, 1blk, Bogdan Bogdanovic 14pts, 5reb, 2ast, 1stl, Kostas Koufos 4pts, 1reb – Nikola Jokic 26pts, 13reb, 6ast, 1stl, 1blk, Juan Hernangomez 6pts, 5reb, 2ast |
| Golden State Warriors | Houston Rockets | 134-135 | Jonas Jerebko 5pts – Clint Capela 29pts, 21reb, 1ast, 2stl, 1blk |
Eastern Conference
1. Milwaukee Bucks 26-10
2. Toronto Raptors 28-12
3. Indiana Pacers 25-12
4. Philadelphia 76ers 25-14
5. Boston Celtics 22-15
6. Miami Heat 18-18
7. Charlotte Hornets 18-19
8. Detroit Pistons 17-19
9. Brooklyn Nets 18-21
10. Orlando Magic 17-20
11. Washington Wizards 15-23
12. Atlanta Hawks 11-26
13. Chicago Bulls 10-28
14. New York Knicks 9-29
15. Cleveland Cavaliers 8-30
Western Conference
1. Denver Nuggets 25-11
2. Oklahoma City Thunder 24-13
3. Golden State Warriors 25-14
4. Houston Rockets 22-15
5. Portland Trail Blazers 22-16
6. Los Angeles Clippers 21-16
7. San Antonio Spurs 22-17
8. Los Angeles Lakers 21-17
9. Sacramento Kings 19-19
10. Memphis Grizzlies 18-19
11. Dallas Mavericks 18-19
12. Utah Jazz 18-20
13. Minnesota Timberwolves 17-21
14. New Orleans Pelicans 17-22
15. Phoenix Suns 9-30