By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Amid trade speculation, Marc Gasol put up his fifth career triple-double, but the Memphis Grizzlies lost to the Charlotte Hornets, 118-107, in the FedEx Forum. The 33-year-old Spaniard finished with 22 points, 17 rebounds and ten assists despite his back issues. Omri Casspi (illness) returned to action with four points, but Joakim Noah (personal) remained inactive. Nicolas Batum had 18 points, Tony Parker 17 and Willy Hernangomez eight for the winning side.
Nikola Jokic posted a monster double-double with 28 points and 21 rebounds, but the Denver Nuggets lost 114-108 to the Utah Jazz in the Vivint Smart Home Arena. Juan Hernangomez (abdomen) got back on the court but failed to score for the losing side. Ricky Rubio aided the hosts with 17 points and six assists, while Rudy Gobert finished with 15 points and 11 boards. Naz Mitrou-Long didn’t leave the bench and Thabo Sefolosha (right hamstring) remained on the injury list.
The Detroit Pistons overpowered the New Orleans Pelicans in the Smoothie King Center, 98-94. In his third straight start, Zaza Pachulia posted eight points and grabbed ten boards including five offensive ones. Jose Calderon added three points for the visitors. The Pelicans continued without Anthony Davis, but to make matters worse Nikola Mirotic left the match with a right calf strain. The Montenegrin-Spanish forward had eleven points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes.
Victor Oladipo suffered a serious right knee injury, which might keep him out for the rest of NBA 2018-19 season. However, the Indiana Pacers took down the Toronto Raptors, 110-106, after he was carried off the court on a stretcher. Bojan Bogdanovic with 16 points and Domantas Sabonis with 12 helped the hosts get the “W” in their troubled night. Serge Ibaka had 23 points and 11 rebounds for the losing side, but Jonas Valanciunas (left thumb) and OG Anunoby (personal) remained out.
James Harden posted a career-high 61 points tying the record for most points from a visitor in the current Madison Square Garden. He scored a clutch bucket for the Houston Rockets in their 114-110 win over the New York Knicks. Clint Capela (right thumb) remained in his team’s injury list, so did Kristaps Porzingis (left knee). Enes Kanter and Mario Hezonja were left out of the rotation. Frank Ntilikina played but failed to score.
Cedi Osman posted a NBA personal-best 25 points and Ante Zizic went on with a solid 19-point performance, but the Cleveland Cavaliers suffered their 17th defeat in their last eighteen Regular Season games. On Wednesday, the Cavs were defeated 123-103 by the Boston Celtics in the TD Garden. Daniel Theis and Guerschon Yabusele scored two points apiece for the winning side.
Rodions Kurucs put up 13 points for the Brooklyn Nets in their 114-110 victory over the Orlando Magic. His teammate, Dzanan Musa (left shoulder) remained sidelined. Nikola Vucevic notched 21 points and 14 rebounds, but missed a bucket that would have cut the hosts lead to one point with 1:25 to go. Evan Fournier finished with nine points in the Barclays Center and Timofey Mozgov (right knee) remained out.
Danilo Gallinari (back) was out, Milos Teodosic inactive and Boban Marjanovic didn’t leave the bench, but the Los Angeles Clippers managed to beat the Miami Heat, 111-99, in the American Airlines Arena. Marcin Gortat helped out returning to the starting lineup with ten points. Goran Dragic (right knee) remained on the Heat’s injury list.
Alex Len notched a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double aiding the Atlanta Hawks beat the Chicago Bulls, 121-101, in the United Center. Tyler Dorsey also got some action, but didn’t get on the board. Lauri Markkanen made 8/16 from the field en route for his 22-point performance, which wasn’t enough for the hosts.
The Philadelphia 76ers achieved a 122-120 home win against the San Antonio Spurs. Furkan Kormaz didn’t play, neither did visiting Pau Gasol. Davis Bertans (personal) was inactive, but Marco Belinelli had 16 points for the losing side in the Wells Fargo Center and Jakob Poeltl added two of his own.
Results and European action:
| Indiana Pacers | Toronto Raptors | 110-106 | Bojan Bogdanovic 16pts, 4reb, 2ast, 1stl, Domantas Sabonis 12pts, 6reb, 1ast, 1blk – Serge Ibaka 23pts, 11reb, 3ast, 3blk |
| Boston Celtics | Cleveland Cavaliers | 123-103 | Daniel Theis 2pts, 5reb, 3ast, 1stl, Guerschon Yabusele 2pts, 3reb, 1ast, 1stl – Cedi Osman 25pts, 8reb, 2ast, Ante Zizic 19pts, 8reb |
| Brooklyn Nets | Orlando Magic | 114-110 | Rodions Kurucs 13pts, 4reb, 1stl, 1blk – Nikola Vucevic 21pts, 14reb, 5ast, 2stl, 4blk, Evan Fournier 9pts, 2reb, 1ast |
| Miami Heat | Los Angeles Clippers | 99-111 | Marcin Gortat 10pts, 8reb, 1ast |
| New York Knicks | Houston Rockets | 110-114 | Frank Ntilikina 2reb, 6ast, 1stl |
| Philadelphia 76ers | San Antonio Spurs | 122-120 | Marco Belinelli 16pts, 2reb, 1ast, 1blk, Jakob Poeltl 2pts, 4reb |
| Chicago Bulls | Atlanta Hawks | 101-121 | Lauri Markkanen 22pts, 6reb, 1ast, 1blk – Alex Len 14pts, 10reb, 1ast, 2stl, Tyler Dorsey 0pts |
| Memphis Grizzlies | Charlotte Hornets | 107-118 | Marc Gasol 22pts, 17reb, 10ast, 3stl, Omri Casspi 4pts, 4reb, 1stl – Nicolas Batum 18pts, 4reb, 2ast, 1blk, Tony Parker 17pts, 3ast, 1stl, Willy Hernangomez 8pts, 9reb, 1ast, 1blk |
| New Orleans Pelicans | Detroit Pistons | 94-98 | Nikola Mirotic 11pts, 7reb, 1ast, 1blk – Zaza Pachulia 8pts, 10reb, 1ast, 1stl, 1blk, Jose Calderon 3pts, 1reb, 6ast |
| Utah Jazz | Denver Nuggets | 114-108 | Ricky Rubio 17pts, 3reb, 6ast, Rudy Gobert 15pts, 11reb, 3ast, 3blk – Nikola Jokic 28pts, 21reb, 6ast, 2stl, 1blk, Juan Hernangomez 1stl, 1blk |
The Standings:
Eastern Conference
1. Milwaukee Bucks 34-12
2. Toronto Raptors 36-14
3. Indiana Pacers 32-15
4. Philadelphia 76ers 32-17
5. Boston Celtics 30-18
6. Brooklyn Nets 26-23
7. Charlotte Hornets 23-24
8. Miami Heat 22-24
9. Detroit Pistons 21-26
10. Washington Wizards 20-26
11. Orlando Magic 20-28
12. Atlanta Hawks 15-32
13. Chicago Bulls 11-37
14. New York Knicks 10-36
15. Cleveland Cavaliers 9-40
Western Conference
1. Golden State Warriors 33-14
2. Denver Nuggets 31-15
3. Oklahoma City Thunder 29-18
4. Portland Trail Blazers 29-20
5. Houston Rockets 27-20
6. San Antonio Spurs 27-22
7. Utah Jazz 27-22
8. Los Angeles Clippers 26-22
9. Los Angeles Lakers 25-23
10. Sacramento Kings 24-24
11. Minnesota Timberwolves 23-24
12. New Orleans Pelicans 22-26
13. Dallas Mavericks 21-26
14. Memphis Grizzlies 19-29
15. Phoenix Suns 11-38