By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Triple-doubles are his thing, Luka Doncic once again demonstrated his ability to fill up his stat sheet with 29 points, 15 assists and 14 boards for the Dallas Mavericks in the 131-111 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. He made 5/10 beyond the arc, 9/17 from the field en route for his second consecutive 2019-20 NBA regular season triple-double and the eleventh of his NBA career.
Kristaps Porzingis was also on hand on Sunday evening with 18 points, nine boards, six rejections and one steal. Mainly playing alongside his Latvian teammate, Boban Marjanovic contributed to the “W” with 12 points and eight rebounds. However Maxi Kleber was sidelined due to a right knee bruise. Cavs’ Ante Zizic was also out injured, but Cedi Osman notched ten points, four rebounds, one dime and one block in losing effort.
Goran Dragic poured 15 points from the bench, also tallied four dimes, a couple of steals and two boards for the Miami Heat that defeated the Houston Rockets, 129-100, at the AmericanAirlines Arena. Swiss Clint Capela and Thabo Sefolosha posted five points each for the losing side, with the former putting up seven rebounds and two steals as well, the latter two boards, one dime and one block. European teammate Isaiah Hartenstein was inactive.
Despite missing Domantas Sabonis and a couple more starters, the Indiana Pacers beat the Chicago Bulls, 108-95, at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse. First-time starter Goga Bitadze made nine points to go along with his four rebounds, four blocks and three dimes, but Naz Mitrou-Long did not get on the court. For the losing side, Lauri Markkanen had 11 points and six rebounds, Tomas Satoransky nine points, nine dimes, four rebounds and two interceptions, but Adam Mokoka was inactive.
Ivica Zubac produced 11 points, nine rebounds, one dime, one steal and one block in 18 minutes of work helping the Los Angeles Clippers to their second consecutive win in the form of the 105-94 victory versus the Utah Jazz at the Staples Center. Fellow European Bojan Bogdanovic ended up for 19 points, four assists, three boards, one steal and one rejections for the losing side, while Rudy Gobert posted a 12-point, 14-rebound double-double.
Nemanja Bjelica went for 10 points, eight boards, six assists and one steal, and Bogdan Bogdanovic added six points, three rebounds, three dimes and one steal for the Sacramento Kings in the 113-92 win over the New York Knicks at the Madison Square Garden. Frank Ntilikina has two points, three rebounds, two boards and one steal for the home team, Ignas Brazdeikis posted four points and one assist in his NBA debut.
Marco Belinelli notched three points, two rebounds and one dime, Jakob Poeltl had one point, two boards, one interception and one rejection for the San Antonio Spurs that suffered home defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers, 103-96. The hosts’ Luka Samanic was inactive, so was Kostas Antetokounmpo of the winning side.
Standings:
Eastern Conference
1. Philadelphia 76ers 5-0
2. Miami Heat 5-1
3. Boston Celtics 4-1
4. Milwaukee Bucks 4-2
5. Toronto Raptors 4-2
6. Charlotte Hornets 3-3
7. Indiana Pacers 3-3
8. Detroit Pistons 3-4
9. Atlanta Hawks 2-3
10. Orlando Magic 2-4
11. Cleveland Cavaliers 2-4
12. Brooklyn Nets 2-4
13. Chicago Bulls 2-5
14. Washington Wizards 1-4
15. New York Knicks 1-6
Western Conference
1. Los Angeles Lakers 5-1
2. Minnesota Timberwolves 4-1
3. Los Angeles Clippers 5-2
4. Dallas Mavericks 4-2
5. Denver Nuggets 4-2
6. Phoenix Suns 4-2
7. San Antonio Spurs 4-2
8. Utah Jazz 4-3
9. Houston Rockets 3-3
10. Portland Trail Blazers 3-3
11. Oklahoma City Thunder 2-4
12. Sacramento Kings 2-5
13. Memphis Grizzlies 1-4
14. Golden State Warriors 1-5
15. New Orleans Pelicans 1-5
Photo Credit: Getty Images