Headline: LeBrons 40-Point Surge Leads Lakers Past Blazers Despite European Stars Efforts

In the fourth quarter, the Los Angeles Lakers reclaimed a comfortable lead while compensating for the absence of Slovenian Luka Doncic (managing a left calf injury). They triumphed over the Portland Trail Blazers with a score of 110-102 at the Moda Center on Thursday. LeBron James led the charge, scoring 40 points, with 12 of those in the final quarter.

Coach JJ Redick faced limited options with German Maxi Kleber still recovering from right foot surgery and Ukrainian Alex Len remaining on the bench. For the Blazers, besides French teammate Rayan Rupert sitting out and Sidy Cissoko in the G League, Israeli Deni Avdija was the standout performer, posting a team-high 28 points on 9-of-14 shooting, along with five assists, four rebounds, and two steals. Belgian Toumani Camara contributed with 19 points, seven rebounds, five steals, and three assists.

In Madison Square Garden, Montenegrin Nikola Vucevic scored 21 points and secured nine rebounds for the Chicago Bulls but missed a chance to win at the end of regulation. In overtime, they narrowly lost to the New York Knicks, 113-111. Lithuanian Matas Buzelis supported with five points and seven rebounds. The Knicks were missing British O.G. Anunoby (right foot sprain) and French Pacome Dadiet, while German Ariel Hukporti put up two points, five rebounds, and one block.

The Orlando Magic rallied in the second half to defeat the Atlanta Hawks, 114-108, at State Farm Arena. German Franz Wagner was crucial, contributing 25 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Georgian Goga Bitadze and German Tristan da Silva chipped in with six and three points off the bench, respectively. German Moritz Wagner was absent due to left knee surgery. For Atlanta, French Zaccharie Risacher achieved a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds, while Swiss Clint Capela added three points; Czech Vit Krejci is nursing a lumbar fracture and did not play.

After ruling out French Victor Wembanyama (right shoulder blood clot) for the rest of the 2024-25 NBA Regular Season, the San Antonio Spurs secured a 120-109 victory over the Phoenix Suns at Austin’s Moody Center. With Georgian Sandro Mamukelashvili not participating, European contributions included Polish Jeremy Sochan’s 12 points, five rebounds, four assists, and one steal. Serbian Vasilije Micic was still awaiting his debut with the Suns.

Latvian Kristaps Porzingis provided 17 points for the Boston Celtics, who won 124-104 against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Portuguese Neemias Queta made a brief appearance, grabbing two rebounds in just under five minutes of play. For the 76ers, French Guerschon Yabusele combined four points with eight rebounds, whereas Turkish Adem Bona did not register any points.

In a bounce-back performance, French Killian Hayes notched five points, three assists, one block, and one rebound, though the Brooklyn Nets, led by Spanish head coach Jordi Fernandez, fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers 110-97 at Barclays Center. British Tosan Evbuomwan was occupied with a G League assignment.

The Indiana Pacers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies, 127-113, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Spanish Santi Aldama contributed ten points on 4-of-14 shooting, along with seven rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal, but couldn’t help his team clinch a victory.

Here are the game results:
– Indiana Pacers 127 – Memphis Grizzlies 113
– Philadelphia 76ers 104 – Boston Celtics 124
– Atlanta Hawks 108 – Orlando Magic 114
– Brooklyn Nets 97 – Cleveland Cavaliers 110
– New York Knicks 113 – Chicago Bulls 111 OT (104-104)
– Milwaukee Bucks 116 – Los Angeles Clippers 110
– Denver Nuggets 129 – Charlotte Hornets 115
– San Antonio Spurs 120 – Phoenix Suns 109
– Portland Trail Blazers 102 – Los Angeles Lakers 110

**Standings**
**Eastern Conference:**
1. Cleveland Cavaliers 45-10
2. Boston Celtics 40-16
3. New York Knicks 37-18
4. Indiana Pacers 31-23
5. Milwaukee Bucks 30-24
6. Detroit Pistons 29-26
7. Orlando Magic 28-29
8. Miami Heat 25-28
9. Atlanta Hawks 26-30
10. Chicago Bulls 22-34
11. Philadelphia 76ers 20-35
12. Brooklyn Nets 20-35
13. Toronto Raptors 17-39
14. Charlotte Hornets 14-40
15. Washington Wizards 9-45

**Western Conference:**
1. Oklahoma City Thunder 44-10
2. Denver Nuggets 37-19
3. Memphis Grizzlies 36-19
4. Houston Rockets 34-21
5. Los Angeles Lakers 33-21
6. Los Angeles Clippers 31-24
7. Minnesota Timberwolves 31-25
8. Dallas Mavericks 30-26
9. Sacramento Kings 28-27
10. Golden State Warriors 28-27
11. Phoenix Suns 26-29
12. San Antonio Spurs 24-29
13. Portland Trail Blazers 23-33
14. Utah Jazz 13-41
15. New Orleans Pelicans 13-42

– The top six teams from each conference earn a place in the playoffs, while teams ranked seventh to tenth will enter the play-in tournament.

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