By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
With Dirk Nowitzki watching courtside, the Dallas Mavericks overpowered the Cleveland Cavaliers, 143-101, at the American Airlines Center on Friday evening. Luka Doncic put in 30 out of the 143 points, also dished 14 assists and grabbed seven rebounds. Kristaps Porzingis added 17 points, seven boards, four rejections and one steal, Boban Marjanovic finished with nine points, six rebounds, one dime and one steal, and Maxi Kleber had four points, five rebounds, one steal and one block. Cedi Osman went for 18 points, four boards, three assists and one rejection but was on the wrong side of the result alongside Ante Zizic who posted seven points, three rebounds and one interception.
Kemba Walker was stretchered off the court after hurting his head and the Boston Celtics dropped a tight affair to the Denver Nuggets, 96-92. Nikola Jokic notched a triple-double with 18 points, 16 rebounds and ten dimes to go along with three steals and one rejection at the Pepsi Center. Juan Hernangomez ended up with two points and Vlatko Cancar was inactive. Daniel Theis had seven points, three boards, two blocks and one interception for the losing side, Javonte Green five points, two steals, one rebound and one dime, Enes Kanter four points, five boards, a couple of assists, one interception and one block, but Vincent Poirier did not leave the bench.
Davis Bertans matched his NBA career-high with six threes en route for 20 points for the Washington Wizards in the 125-118 win over the Charlotte Hornets at the Capital One Arena. The Latvian big tallied eight boards, four dimes and one steal as well. Teammate Moritz Wagner had seven points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal, but Isaac Bonga did not leave the bench and Ian Mahinmi remained sidelined. On the losing side, Nicolas Batum posted six points, seven assists and five boards, but Willy Hernangomez did not play.
Bojan Bogdanovic banked three shots beyond the arc en route for his 17 points, also posted five boards, three assists and one steal aiding the Utah Jazz to the 113-109 victory against the Golden State Warriors at the Vivint Smart Home Arena. Fellow European starter Rudy Gobert contributed to the “W” with eight points, 19 rebounds, seven blocks, one dime and one steal. For the Warriors that dropped to 3-14, Alen Smailagic remained on the injury list.
A 16-point outing from Goran Dragic helped the Miami Heat overcome the Chicago Bulls, 116-108, at the United Center. The Slovenian combo guard added seven assists and a couple of boards to his tally in the 2019-20 NBA Regular Season contest. Lauri Markkanen finished with nine points, seven rebounds and one dime for the hosts, and Tomas Satoransky with six points, five assists, two rebounds and a pair of interceptions, but Adam Mokoka was inactive.
Furkan Korkmaz poured 17 points including four threes to go along with his four boards and a pair of interceptions aiding the Philadelphia 76ers defeat the slumping San Antonio Spurs, 115-104, at the Wells Fargo Center. Marco Belinelli notched seven points, two dimes, one steal and one board for the losing team, and Jakob Poeltl four points, five rebounds, one assist and one block. Fellow European Luka Samanic was inactive.
Other action saw Ivica Zubac get to eight points, five boards and two assists for the Los Angeles Clippers that beat the Houston Rockets, 122-119, at the Staples Center. Clint Capela posted a 17-point, 19-rebound double-double, also rejected a pair of shots, but was not enough for the visitors. Thabo Sefolosha ended up with eight points, one board and one steal, but Isaiah Hartenstein did not gain any playing time.
The Los Angeles Lakers improved to 13-2 on the 130-127 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Lone European Kostas Antetokounmpo was not part of the squad. For the losing side, Danilo Gallinari went for 15 points behind 5/13 from the field, four boards, three assists and one steal, while Dennis Schroder ended up with 13 points, four dimes and three rebounds.
Dzanan Musa was on hand for ten points, six rebounds, one dime and one interception in 20 minutes for the Brooklyn Nets in 116-97 victory versus the Sacramento Kings at the Barclays Center. Assigned Rodions Kurucs and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot were inactive. The visitors missed injured Bogan Bogdanovic, but Nemanja Bjelica started for 13 points, seven boards, a pair of assists and one steal.
The Detroit Pistons marched by the Atlanta Hawks, 128-103, at the Little Caesars Arena. Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk chipped in with five points, four dimes and two steals with fellow European Sekou Doumbouya inactive. The opposite side featured Alex Len and his 12 points, three rebounds, one dime, one steal and rejection from the bench.
Standings:
Eastern Conference
1. Milwaukee Bucks 12-3
2. Miami Heat 11-3
3. Boston Celtics 11-4
4. Toronto Raptors 10-4
5. Philadelphia 76ers 10-5
6. Indiana Pacers 8-6
7. Brooklyn Nets 7-8
8. Orlando Magic 6-8
9. Washington Wizards 5-8
10. Charlotte Hornets 6-10
11. Detroit Pistons 5-10
12. Chicago Bulls 5-11
13. Cleveland Cavaliers 4-11
14. New York Knicks 4-11
15. Atlanta Hawks 4-11
Western Conference
1. Los Angeles Lakers 13-2
2. Denver Nuggets 11-3
3. Houston Rockets 11-5
4. Los Angeles Clippers 11-5
5. Dallas Mavericks 10-5
6. Utah Jazz 10-5
7. Minnesota Timberwolves 8-7
8. Phoenix Suns 7-7
9. Sacramento Kings 6-8
10. New Orleans Pelicans 6-9
11. Memphis Grizzlies 5-9
12. Oklahoma City Thunder 5-10
13. Portland Trail Blazers 5-11
14. San Antonio Spurs 5-11
15. Golden State Warriors 3-14
Photo Credit: Getty Images