There is certainly nothing left to complain about Nikola Jokić’s dominance and importance on the pitch. Saturday night in Chicago, the Serbian once again had an exceptional performance to rise to the top of the greatest players in NBA history. The Denver Nuggets defeated the Bulls 136-120.
There were still more than seven minutes left in the third quarter, when Jokić scored his 182 career regular-season triple to pass Oscar Robertson for second in NBA history. He is only 25 such performances away from joining Russell Westbrook with 207 triples.
He also reached the mark of 1,000 career steals.
Jokić finally finished his evening with 22 points, 17 assists and 14 rebounds. His teammates Jamal Murray (28 points, 11 assists), Tim Hardaway Jr (23 points) and Julian Strawther (19 points) also did well.
Denver thus obtains a 34e victory this season and ends a series of three defeats. They are still third behind the Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference standings.
Among the Bulls, seven players were able to obtain at least 10 points. Matas Buzelis was the best of his team with 21 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists.
This is a fourth straight defeat for the Bulls who have a record of 24-29 good for 11e rank in the East. They are behind the Charlotte Hornets who occupy 10e and last rank which gives access to the play-off matches before the playoffs.
OKC still struggling without SGA
Life without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is not easy in Oklahoma City. Once again deprived of the services of their star player, the Thunder lost by a score of 112-106 against the Houston Rockets.
Among the Rockets players who stood out, veteran Kevin Durant who finished the game with 20 points and four assists. The best for Houston was Tari Eason, accumulating 26 points, including five successful shots from the three-point line. Alperen Sengun collected 12 rebounds, in addition to accumulating 17 points and 11 assists.
“My teammates controlled the game and made OKC pay in the second half. We knew the team was missing some important players, but it’s still a champion organization. We did what we had to do to win,” Durant told ESPN after the game.
For the Thunder, Cason Wallace led the charge with 23 points. That’s two more than his teammate Isaiah Joe. Defensively, Chet Holmgren also did well, grabbing 14 rebounds and accumulating 17 points.
Oklahoma City suffers a second setback in as many games since the injury to SGA, who is expected to miss at least two weeks of activity, he who will not return to play before the All-Star break.
The Rockets, for their part, are still at 4e rank of the NBA Western Conference, they who are battling with the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers, to consolidate their place among the six teams who will qualify directly for the playoffs.
Elsewhere in the NBA:
Washington 113 – Brooklyn 127
WAS : Will Riley scored 27 points in the loss, while Justin Champagnie grabbed 9 rebounds and scored 21 points.
BRO : Michael Porter Jr was the best of his team with 23 points. The Nets end a series of three losses.
Dallas 125 – San Antonio 138
DAL : Seven players were able to score 10 or more points. Klay Thompson was the most prolific with 19 points, while Marvin Bagley finished the game with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
AT : Exceptional performance from Stephon Castle with 40 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists.
Utah 117 – Orlando 120
UTA : Lauri Markkanen (27 points), Jaren Jackson Jr. (22 points), Isaiah Collier (20 points) and Jusuf Nurkic (14 rebounds) were the driving force for the Jazz
ORL : Paolo Banchero totaled 23 points and Desmond Bane added 22.
Charlotte 126 – Atlanta 119
CHA : Moussa Diabate was the author of a double with 11 points and 15 rebounds. Miles Bridges added 26 points and Kon Knueppel added 23.
ATL : Jalen Johnson had a blast in defeat with 31 points. Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored twice with 13 points and 10 assists while Zaccharie Risacher had 18 points.
Golden State 99 – Lakers de LA 105
GS : Moses Moody did well with 25 points. Gui Santos finished the evening with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. Stephen Curry did not take part in the match due to his knee injury.
LAL : LeBron James was the best of his team with 20 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists. Rui Hachimura (19 points) and Austin Raves (16 points and 8 assists) also did well. Luka Dončić also missed the match due to injury.
Philadelphia 109 – Phoenix 103
PHi : Joel Embiid had another strong game with 33 points and nine rebounds. His teammate Tyrese Maxey also had nine rebounds while contributing 29 points.
PHO : Dillon Brooks was the best for the Suns in the defeat by scoring 28 points. Devon Booker added 28, while Royce O’Neale and Mark Williams each had 11 rebounds.
Memphis 115 – Portland 122
MEM : Quebecer Olivier-Maxence Prosper was the Grizzlies’ top scorer, hitting seven three-pointers. He finished the game with 25 points. Javon Small also did well with 20 points.
BY : The Trail Blazers made 21 three-pointers. Six of them were made by Jerami Grant who finished the game with 29 points. Donovan Clingan also stood out with 18 points and 19 rebounds.
Cleveland 132 – Sacramento 126
CLE : James Harden scored 22 points in his first game with his new team, eclipsed by teammate Donovan Mitchell’s 35-point performance and Jarrett Allen’s 29-point performance.
SAC : Nique Clifford led the Kings attack with 30 points. Six other Sacramento players managed to score more than 10 points including Russell Westbrook (21 points) and DeMar De Rozan (13 points)
