Rising Star Risacher Shines with 30 Points Despite Hawks Defeat to Cavaliers

The Atlanta Hawks continued to face challenges, suffering a defeat against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, with a final score of 137-115, on Thursday.

One of the highlights for the Hawks under coach Quin Snyder was French player Zaccharie Risacher, who led the team with a remarkable 30 points, achieving 11 of 14 shooting from the field, including five successful three-pointers. In just over 25 minutes of play, the anticipated 2025 NBA draft top pick also contributed with two steals, one rebound, and an assist.

Vit Krejci, restricted to a bench role, played 20 minutes and managed to score six points along with one rebound. Meanwhile, Serbian Bogdan Bogdanovic and Swiss Clint Capela remained unavailable due to personal matters and back spasms, respectively.

In a separate matchup, the Los Angeles Lakers had a comfortable lead, allowing Bronny James to feature in the entire fourth quarter, scoring five points as they triumphed over the Washington Wizards, 134-96, at Capital One Arena. On the other side of the court, Serbian Tristan Vukcevic brought in nine points, three rebounds, and one assist; Frenchman Bilal Coulibaly tallied six points and three rebounds; and Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas concluded the game with five points, three rebounds, and three assists. French player Alex Sarr was unable to play due to a sprained left ankle.

At Delta Center, the Minnesota Timberwolves had a solid win against the Utah Jazz, registering a score of 138-113, even as Julius Randle exited early with right groin discomfort. Bosnian Luka Garza stepped up impressively with 16 points, four assists, four rebounds, and one steal in just under 14 minutes. French Rudy Gobert also stood out, contributing 16 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. On the Jazz’s side, Finnish Lauri Markkanen managed 15 points, two rebounds, and one block, while Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk remained on the bench.

The Houston Rockets narrowly lost to the Memphis Grizzlies, 120-119, at FedExForum, while Turkish Alperen Sengun was sidelined due to a left calf contusion shortly after earning an All-Star Game selection. Spanish Santi Aldama came off the bench for the Grizzlies, contributing 15 points, including five in the fourth quarter, along with five rebounds, two blocks, and an assist.

The Portland Trail Blazers secured their sixth victory in the last seven games of the 2024-25 regular season as they dominated the Orlando Magic, winning 119-90 at Moda Center. Israeli Deni Avdija added 11 points, five assists, five rebounds, and two blocks; Belgian Toumani Camara recorded seven points, five rebounds, two blocks, and two assists; while Frenchman Rayan Rupert had three points and a rebound.

Although German Franz Wagner led the game with 24 points, three assists, and three rebounds, it was insufficient for the Magic’s efforts. Georgian Goga Bitadze managed only two points, three rebounds, two assists, one block, and one steal, while German Tristan da Silva contributed minimally with one rebound, one assist, one block, and one steal.

Match results:
– Washington Wizards vs. Los Angeles Lakers: 96-134
– Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Atlanta Hawks: 137-115
– Utah Jazz vs. Minnesota Timberwolves: 113-138
– Memphis Grizzlies vs. Houston Rockets: 120-119
– Portland Trail Blazers vs. Orlando Magic: 119-90

Standings:
1. Cleveland Cavaliers: 39-9
2. Boston Celtics: 33-15
3. New York Knicks: 32-16
4. Milwaukee Bucks: 26-19
5. Indiana Pacers: 26-20
6. Miami Heat: 23-23
7. Orlando Magic: 24-25
8. Detroit Pistons: 23-24
9. Atlanta Hawks: 22-26
10. Chicago Bulls: 20-28
11. Philadelphia 76ers: 19-27
12. Toronto Raptors: 15-32
13. Brooklyn Nets: 15-33
14. Charlotte Hornets: 12-32
15. Washington Wizards: 6-41

1. Oklahoma City Thunder: 37-9
2. Houston Rockets: 32-15
3. Memphis Grizzlies: 32-16
4. Denver Nuggets: 28-19
5. Los Angeles Lakers: 27-19
6. Los Angeles Clippers: 27-20
7. Minnesota Timberwolves: 27-21
8. Dallas Mavericks: 26-22
9. Phoenix Suns: 24-22
10. Sacramento Kings: 24-23
11. Golden State Warriors: 24-23
12. San Antonio Spurs: 20-24
13. Portland Trail Blazers: 19-29
14. New Orleans Pelicans: 12-36
15. Utah Jazz: 10-36

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

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