By Johnny Askounis/ [email protected]
French starter Rudy Gobert anchored the Minnesota Timberwolves with 18 points on a perfect 5 of 5 from the field, adding nine rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal in a 127-117 victory over the Warriors of the Golden State at Chase Center, not to mention Anthony Edwards exploded with 42 points on Friday. Fellow starter, Italian Donte DiVincenzo contributed seven points, six rebounds, an assist and a steal, while Frenchman Joan Beringer was unavailable due to G League assignment. On the opposing side, Latvian center Kristaps Porzingis started the game with 20 points, four rebounds and two steals. However, Dutchman Quinten Post suffered a sprained left ankle after returning from a bilateral foot injury and scored seven points, while fellow Dutchman Malevy Leons had six points.
In the presence of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver at the Moda Center, Israeli Deni Avdija fueled the Portland Trail Blazers to a 124-114 victory against the Utah Jazzrecording 17 points, eight assists and six rebounds. His fellow starter, Belgian Toumani Camara, filled the stat sheet with five points and three steals, while Frenchman Sidy Cissoko and Czech Vit Krejci scored 14 and two points respectively. THE Jazz played shorthanded without Finland’s Lauri Markkanen (right hip impingement) and Bosnian Jusuf Nurkic (recovering from nose injury), while Ukraine’s Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk did not see time on the floor.
Elsewhere during the 2025-26 NBA regular season, British starter OG Anunoby delivered 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists to lead the New York Knicks to a 101-92 victory against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. With the absence of his Polish teammate Jeremy Sochan (illness), the KnicksEuropean depth went to Frenchmen Mohamed Diawara and Pacome Dadiet with four and three points respectively, although German Ariel Hukporti did not score. For the PacersCroatian Ivica Zubac recorded 11 points and eight rebounds in his second game back from injury.
THE Houston Rockets bordered the New Orleans Pelicans 107-105 at Toyota Center, overcoming the absence of Turkiye’s Alperen Sengun (low back pain). Swiss center Clint Capela contributed two points and three rebounds to the winning effort. For the Pels, Croatian Karlo Matkovic established a well-balanced stat line with eight points, four rebounds and two blocks.
In a dominant performance at the American Airlines Center, the Cleveland Cavaliers delivered the Dallas Mavericks 138-105. German veteran Dennis Schroder had eight points and six assists, while Dutch forward Tristan Enaruna added two points. Frenchman Olivier Sarr and Greek John Poulakidas both remained with their respective G League affiliates.
At Scotiabank Arena, Serbian head coach Darko Rajakovic led the Toronto Raptors to a 122-115 victory against the Phoenix Suns. Austrian starter Jakob Poeltl had six points and six rebounds, while Georgian Sandro Mamukelashvili provided a spark coming off the bench with nine points and eight rebounds.
Finally, at Little Caesars Arena, the Detroit Pistons defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 126-110. Finnish Tuomas Iisalo missed Spaniard Santi Aldama (managing a right knee injury), and Frenchman Rayan Rupert was on mission in the G League. At the same time, Swede Bobi Klintman did not attend the match during the Pistons.
Friday results
Detroit Pistons – Memphis Grizzlies 126-110
Indiana Pacers – New York Knicks 92-101
Toronto Raptors – Phoenix Suns 122-115
Dallas Mavericks – Cleveland Cavaliers 105-138
Houston Rockets – New Orleans Pelicans 107-105
Portland Trail Blazers –Utah Jazz 124-114
Warriors of the Golden State – Minnesota Timberwolves 117-127
Los Angeles Clippers – Chicago Bulls 119-108
Ranking
Eastern Conference
1. Detroit Pistons 48-18
2. Boston Celtics 43-23
3. New York Knicks 43-25
4. Cleveland Cavaliers 41-26
5. Magic of Orlando 37-28
6. Miami Heat 38-29
7. Toronto Raptors 37-29
8. Atlanta Falcons 35-31
9. Philadelphia 76ers 35-31
10. Charlotte Frelons 34-33
11. Milwaukee Bucks 27-38
12. Chicago Bulls 27-40
13.o-Brooklyn fillets 17-49
14.o-Wizards of Washington 16-49
15. o-Indiana Pacers 15-52
Western Conference
1. Oklahoma City Thunder 52-15
2. San Antonio Spurs 48-18
3. Houston Rockets 41-25
4. Los Angeles Lakers 41-25
5. Denver Nuggets 41-26
6. Minnesota Wolves 41-26
7. Phoenix Suns 39-28
8. Los Angeles Clippers 34-32
9. Golden State Warriors 32-34
10. Portland Trail Blazers 32-35
11. Memphis Grizzlies 23-43
12. Dallas Mavericks 22-45
13. New Orleans Pelicans 22-46
14. Utah Jazz 20-47
15.o-Kings of Sacramento 16-51
-The top 6 teams in each conference advance directly to the Playoffs
-Teams seventh through tenth in each conference advance to the Play-Ins
o-eliminated
