By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
With Giannis Antetokounmpo on the bench, the Utah Jazz rallied from a 17-point deficit and eventually beat the Milwaukee Bucks 115-111 at the Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Greek Freak got back on the court and finished with 43 points, one short of his career-high, but missed three free throws in the final ten seconds.
Jonas Valanciunas notched a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double and Joakim Noah added 12 points from the bench for the Memphis Grizzlies that overpowered the Dallas Mavericks with a 111-81 away win. Luka Doncic poured 22 points for the losing side in the NBA 2018-19 Regular Season contest.
The Orlando Magic continued their playoffs push with a 117-112 victory against the Indiana Pacers on the road. Nikola Vucevic had 27 points and Evan Fournier added 19. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 25 for the hosts.
Nikola Jokic went against foul trouble once again, but managed to put up 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. He wasn’t enough for the Denver Nuggets that suffered a 120-112 home defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Goran Dragic (left calf), Ante Zizic (head), Furkan Korkmaz (right knee), Domantas Sabonis (left ankle), Boban Marjanovic (right knee), Kristaps Porzingis (left knee) and Timofey Mozgov (right knee) were inactive due to injury.
Results and European action:
| Cleveland Cavaliers | Detroit Pistons | 93-129 | Osman 10pts, 4reb, 2ast, 1stl – Mykhailiuk 3pts, 2ast, Pachulia 1reb, Calderon INA |
| Indiana Pacers | Orlando Magic | 112-117 | Boj. Bogdanovic 25pts, 3reb, 3ast, 1stl – Vucevic 27pts, 8reb, 3ast, 2stl, 1blk, Fournier 19pts, 5reb, 8ast |
| Miami Heat | Brooklyn Nets | 117-88 | Kurucs 11pts, 7reb, 1blk, Musa G-LEA |
| Philadelphia 76ers | Golden State Warriors | 117-120 | Jerebko 0pts |
| Dallas Mavericks | Memphis Grizzlies | 81-111 | Doncic 22pts, 4reb, 2ast, 2stl, 2blk, Nowitzki 7pts, 7reb, 1ast, Kleber 2pts, 5reb, 1ast, 1blk, K. Antetokounmpo G-LEA – Valanciunas 20pts, 10reb, 4ast, 1stl, Noah 12pts, 8reb, 5ast, 2blk, Dorsey 1pt |
| San Antonio Spurs | Oklahoma City Thunder | 116-102 | Dav. Bertans 7pts, 2reb, 1blk, Poeltl 5pts, 7reb, 1ast, 2stl, 3blk, Belinelli 4pts, 1ast – Schroder 18pts, 5reb, 3ast, 1stl |
| Denver Nuggets | New Orleans Pelicans | 112-120 | Jokic 20pts, 9reb, 7ast, 2stl, 2blk, J. Hernangomez 1reb, 1ast |
| Phoenix Suns | Los Angeles Lakers | 118-109 | Bender 5pts, 3reb, 1stl, Okobo DNP – Wagner 0pts, Bonga G-LEA |
| Utah Jazz | Milwaukee Bucks | 115-111 | Rubio 6pts, 3reb, 3ast, 3stl, Gobert 5pts, 9reb, 1ast, 1blk, Sefolosha 5pts, 2reb, Mitrou-Long DNP – G. Antetokounmpo 43pts, 14reb, 8ast, 2stl, 1blk, Ilyasova 5pts, 3reb, 1stl, Mirotic 3pts, 6reb, 1ast, 1stl |
Standings:
Eastern Conference
1. x-Milwaukee Bucks 48-15
2. Toronto Raptors 46-17
3. Indiana Pacers 41-23
4. Philadelphia 76ers 40-23
5. Boston Celtics 38-25
6. Brooklyn Nets 32-33
7. Detroit Pistons 30-31
8. Orlando Magic 30-34
9. Charlotte Hornets 29-33
10. Miami Heat 28-34
11. Washington Wizards 25-37
12. Atlanta Hawks 21-42
13. Chicago Bulls 18-45
14. Cleveland Cavaliers 15-48
15. New York Knicks 13-49
Western Conference
1. Golden State Warriors 44-19
2. Denver Nuggets 42-20
3. Oklahoma City Thunder 38-24
4. Portland Trail Blazers 38-24
5. Houston Rockets 37-25
6. Utah Jazz 36-26
7. San Antonio Spurs 35-29
8. Los Angeles Clippers 35-29
9. Sacramento Kings 31-31
10. Los Angeles Lakers 30-33
11. Minnesota Timberwolves 29-33
12. New Orleans Pelicans 29-36
13. Dallas Mavericks 27-35
14. Memphis Grizzlies 25-39
15. e-Phoenix Suns 13-51
x-secured a playoffs spot
e-eliminated from playoffs
Photo Credit: Getty Images