By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Goran Dragic tied his season-high with 25 points, posted six rebounds and four assists as well for the Miami Heat in the 124-108 victory over the Phoenix Suns at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in 2019-20 NBA Regular Season action on Thursday evening. Fellow European Ricky Rubio had an 11-11-6 line for the hosts, Dario Saric notched nine points to go along with four rebounds, two assists and one steal, but Elie Okobo did not get on the board in limited action.
Danilo Gallinari poured a season-high 27 points with five threes, also grabbed five rebounds, made a couple of interceptions and dished one assist, but the Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the San Antonio Spurs, 121-112, at the AT&T Center. European teammate Dennis Schroder finished with 11 points, nine dimes and three boards from the bench. On the winning side Marco Belinelli knocked down 1/5 shots beyond the arc for three points, also notched three rebounds and one assist, Jakob Poeltl took down six rebounds and Luka Samanic was inactive.
A couple of clutch buckets brought home by Lou Williams sent the Los Angeles Clippers to the 107-101 victory against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Staples Center. Ivica Zubac contributed to the win with a 15-point, 13-rebound double-double tying his career-high of nine offensive boards, added two blocks, one assists and one steal. Mario Hezonja finished with two points, five rebounds and one steal for the losing side, while injured Pau Gasol and Jusuf Nurkic were unavailable, so was Jaylen Hoard.
Other action saw the Boston Celtics improve to 6-1 with the 108-87 win versus the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center. Former member of the Montenegrin national team Javonte Green scored 12 points, Daniel Theis posted five points, seven rebounds, two dimes and a couple of rejections, Vincent Poirier ended up with three boards, one steal and one block, while Enes Kanter remained sidelined. Willy Hernangomez notched five points in losing effort with injured Nicolas Batum out.
Standings:
Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics 6-1
2. Milwaukee Bucks 6-2
3. Miami Heat 5-2
4. Philadelphia 76ers 5-2
5. Toronto Raptors 5-2
6. Charlotte Hornets 4-4
7. Indiana Pacers 4-4
8. Detroit Pistons 4-5
9. Atlanta Hawks 3-4
10. Brooklyn Nets 3-4
11. Chicago Bulls 3-6
12. Washington Wizards 2-5
13. Cleveland Cavaliers 2-5
14. Orlando Magic 2-6
15. New York Knicks 1-7
Western Conference
1. Los Angeles Lakers 6-1
2. Dallas Mavericks 5-2
3. Denver Nuggets 5-2
4. Phoenix Suns 5-2
5. Los Angeles Clippers 6-3
6. Utah Jazz 5-3
7. Houston Rockets 5-3
8. San Antonio Spurs 5-3
9. Minnesota Timberwolves 4-5
10. Portland Trail Blazers 3-5
11. Oklahoma City Thunder 3-5
12. Memphis Grizzlies 2-5
13. Golden State Warriors 2-6
14. Sacramento Kings 2-6
15. New Orleans Pelicans 1-6
Photo Credit: Getty Images