“Nurkics Return Overshadowed by Magics Dominance and Late-Game Tension in NBA Action”

In the fourth quarter, the Orlando Magic took control, defeating the Charlotte Hornets 102-86 at the Kia Center. Franz Wagner from Germany contributed 16 points, shooting 6 out of 11 from the field. His teammate Goga Bitadze from Georgia managed to score just one point but recorded seven rebounds, four blocks, and two assists. German reserve player Tristan da Silva added two assists and one rebound to the effort. Moritz Wagner, another German player recovering from left knee surgery, was unavailable and is anticipated to miss the remainder of the 2024-25 NBA regular season.

The Hornets saw the return of Bosnian Jusuf Nurkic, who made his debut after over a month away and started in the lineup. After the game, he remarked, “It felt good. Just to be out there, playing basketball, having fun,” finishing with nine points, eight rebounds, one block, one steal, and one assist in 15 minutes. French player Tidjane Salaun came off the bench, logging 20 minutes and scoring three points. Another French player, Moussa Diabate, was unable to play due to a right eye abrasion.

At Scotiabank Arena, the Cleveland Cavaliers easily defeated the Toronto Raptors 131-108, marking their fourth consecutive win. However, a dunk by Tristan Thompson with only four seconds left sparked some tension. Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic expressed his disapproval, stating, “I think what Tristan did there was no class and disrespectful. I’m not going to stand for that, for sure.” The Raptors’ starting center, Jakob Poeltl from Austria, remained out due to a right hip pointer injury.

Similarly on a four-game winning streak, the Detroit Pistons achieved a clean back-to-back win against the Chicago Bulls, triumphing 128-110 at United Center. German Dennis Schroder scored eight points along with four assists, while Italian Simone Fontecchio added six points. Swedish player Bobi Klintman was assigned to the G League. Montenegrin Nikola Vucevic, starting for the Bulls, delivered a solid performance with a double-double of 21 points and 14 rebounds, while Lithuanian Matas Buzelis recorded 11 points.

After dealing with back pain, Turkish player Alperen Sengun made a significant impact for the Houston Rockets, posting a double-double of 17 points and 13 rebounds in a 119-111 victory over the Phoenix Suns at Toyota Center. “I feel good. I am playing through the pain,” he stated in a post-game media session. Serbian Vasilije Micic was cleared to play after recovering from a left ankle sprain, but he did not participate in the game for the Suns.

In the Smoothie King Center, Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis produced a European double-double of 16 points and 15 rebounds as the Sacramento Kings defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 119-111. His fellow Lithuanian teammate Jonas Valanciunas added five points and four rebounds. For the Pelicans, Croatian Karlo Matkovic contributed with two blocks and one rebound.

Game Results:
– Boston Celtics 116, San Antonio Spurs 103
– Orlando Magic 102, Charlotte Hornets 86
– Washington Wizards 130, Indiana Pacers 134 (OT, tied 120-120)
– Brooklyn Nets 100, Philadelphia 76ers 96
– New York Knicks 149, Atlanta Hawks 148 (OT, tied 137-137)
– Toronto Raptors 108, Cleveland Cavaliers 131
– Chicago Bulls 110, Detroit Pistons 128
– Minnesota Timberwolves 101, Milwaukee Bucks 103
– New Orleans Pelicans 111, Sacramento Kings 119
– Oklahoma City Thunder 115, Miami Heat 101
– Houston Rockets 119, Phoenix Suns 111
– Denver Nuggets 132, Portland Trail Blazers 121
– Utah Jazz 131, Los Angeles Lakers 119
– Dallas Mavericks 111, Golden State Warriors 107
– Los Angeles Clippers 128, Memphis Grizzlies 114

Standings:
Eastern Conference:
1. Cleveland Cavaliers 44-10
2. Boston Celtics 39-16
3. New York Knicks 36-18
4. Indiana Pacers 30-23
5. Milwaukee Bucks 29-24
6. Detroit Pistons 29-26
7. Orlando Magic 27-29
8. Miami Heat 25-27
9. Atlanta Hawks 26-29
10. Chicago Bulls 22-33
11. Philadelphia 76ers 20-34
12. Brooklyn Nets 20-34
13. Toronto Raptors 17-38
14. Charlotte Hornets 13-39
15. Washington Wizards 9-45

Western Conference:
1. Oklahoma City Thunder 44-9
2. Memphis Grizzlies 36-18
3. Denver Nuggets 36-19
4. Houston Rockets 34-20
5. Los Angeles Lakers 32-20
6. Los Angeles Clippers 30-23
7. Minnesota Timberwolves 30-25
8. Dallas Mavericks 29-26
9. Sacramento Kings 28-26
10. Golden State Warriors 27-27
11. Phoenix Suns 26-28
12. San Antonio Spurs 23-29
13. Portland Trail Blazers 23-32
14. Utah Jazz 13-40
15. New Orleans Pelicans 12-42

– The top six teams from each conference qualify for the Playoffs.
– Teams ranked seventh to tenth move on to the Play-Ins.

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