By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Among multiple overtime battles on Sunday, the Houston Rockets dug their way out of an 11-point hole in the fourth quarter and prevailed, 117-113, over the Orlando Magic after five extra minutes in Toyota Center. Turkish Alperen Sengun scored 30 points with 11/31 from the field, grabbed seven out of his 12 rebounds in overtime, dished out eight assists, and registered two blocks.
“We talk a lot during the game, before the game. We trust each other a lot. We know what we can bring to this team, and we can finish well and win the game. It’s just good. It’s going to get better and better,” mentioned the 23-year-old center in a postgame press conference, describing his relationship with Kevin Durant, with the 37-year-old combo forward landing a game-high 35 points.
In contrast, Swiss Clint Capela did not play for the team coached by Ime Udoka. For the Magic, German Franz Wagner logged a team-high 29 points, with fellow German starter Tristan da Silva at 13 points, Georgian reserve Goga Bitadze at four points, French Noah Penda on the bench, and German Moritz Wagner (left knee injury recovery) on the sidelines.
After two extra periods in Delta Center, the Utah Jazz beat the Chicago Bulls, 150-147. Finnish Lauri Markkanen banked in 47 points, with fellow European starters, Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk at ten points and Bosnian Jusuf Nurkic at five points plus 14 rebounds. On the wrong end, Montenegrin Nikola Vucevic produced a 21-point, 13-rebound double-double, and Lithuanian Matas Buzelis finished with 18 points, but French Noa Essengue stayed on the bench.
French Zaccharie Risacher was forced to an early exit with a left hip contusion, following 15 points in 26 minutes, but the Atlanta Hawks rallied from a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter to edge out the Phoenix Suns, 124-122, in Mortgage Matchup Center. Czech Vit Krejci put in seven points, but Latvian Kristaps Porzingis (right knee soreness) sat out with Serbian Nikola Djurisic and Spanish Eli Ndiaye also inactive.
Despite missing French superstar Victor Wembanyama (left calf tightness), the San Antonio Spurs overpowered the Sacramento Kings, 123-110, in Frost Bank Center. Coming off the bench, Polish Jeremy Sochan put in 11 points with 4/5 field goals. On the wrong end, Lithuanian starter Domantas Sabonis posted a 17-point, 13-rebound double-double, and German reserve Dennis Schroder dropped 22 points, but Croatian Dario Saric and French Maxime Raynaud did not play.
Queta, Fernandez, Avdija
In TD Garden, Portuguese Neemias Queta chipped in 14 points and Bosnian Luka Garza scored 13 points for the Boston Celtics in a win, 121-118, over the Los Angeles Clippers. In contrast, Spanish Hugo Gonzalez did not play, and British Amari Williams and Ukrainian Max Shulga remained out of the lineup. On the losing side, Croatian Ivica Zubac got a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double, Serbian Bogdan Bogdanovic reached 11 points, and French Nicolas Batum recorded six points, but Swiss Yanic Konan Niederhauser stayed on the bench.
Meanwhile, Spanish Jordi Fernandez collected a rare win in the 2025-26 NBA Regular Season, guiding the Brooklyn Nets to a 129-106 victory versus the Washington Wizards in Capital One Arena. With French Nolan Traore, alongside Israelis Danny Wolf and Ben Saraf, on G League assignments with the Long Island Nets, European participation was limited to Russian Egor Demin at five points and five assists.
On the wrong end of the battle of struggling teams, French Bilal Coulibaly returned from a left calf contusion with six points, four assists, three rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. Fellow French starter Alex Sarr registered nine points, with Swiss Kyshawn George rising to a team-high 29 points behind 9/16 from the field, including five three-pointers. Serbian reserve Tristan Vukcevic had two points.
Israeli Deni Avdija scored 29 points but fouled out, and the Portland Trail Blazers fell to the Dallas Mavericks, 138-133, in overtime at American Airlines Center. “Sadly, we are learning through losses right now,” said fellow starter, Belgian Toumani Camara, after posting an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double. French reserves Sidy Cissoko and Rayan Rupert went from one point in 11 minutes to four scoreless minutes.
Dutch Quinten Post tallied four points and seven rebounds as the Golden State Warriors strolled past the New Orleans Pelicans, 124-106, in Smoothie King Center. For the hosts, Croatian Karlo Matkovic went for four points, three assists, two steals, and two rebounds.
Sunday results
Boston Celtics – Los Angeles Clippers 121-118
San Antonio Spurs – Sacramento Kings 123-110
Washington Wizards – Brooklyn Nets 106-129
Houston Rockets – Orlando Magic 117-113 OT (102-102)
New Orleans Pelicans – Golden State Warriors 106-124
Dallas Mavericks – Portland Trail Blazers 138-133 OT (118-118)
Phoenix Suns – Atlanta Hawks 122-124
Utah Jazz – Chicago Bulls 150-147 2OT (136-136, 127-127)
Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Detroit Pistons 11-2
2. New York Knicks 8-4
3. Cleveland Cavaliers 9-5
4. Atlanta Hawks 9-5
5. Toronto Raptors 8-5
6. Philadelphia 76ers 7-5
7. Milwaukee Bucks 8-6
8. Miami Heat 7-6
9. Boston Celtics 7-7
10. Orlando Magic 7-7
11. Chicago Bulls 6-6
12. Charlotte Hornets 4-9
13. Brooklyn Nets 2-11
14. Indiana Pacers 1-12
15. Washington Wizards 1-12
Western Conference
1. Oklahoma City Thunder 13-1
2. Denver Nuggets 10-2
3. Houston Rockets 9-3
4. Los Angeles Lakers 10-4
5. San Antonio Spurs 9-4
6. Minnesota Timberwolves 8-5
7. Golden State Warriors 9-6
8. Phoenix Suns 8-6
9. Portland Trail Blazers 6-7
10. Utah Jazz 5-8
11. Los Angeles Clippers 4-9
12. Dallas Mavericks 4-10
13. Memphis Grizzlies 4-10
14. Sacramento Kings 3-11
15. New Orleans Pelicans 2-11
-Top 6 teams from each conference advance directly to the Playoffs
-Teams seventh through tenth from each conference advance to the Play-Ins
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