NBA

Pöltl secures Toronto’s second away win of the season

Jakob Pöltl

(Bild: AP)

Jakob Pöltl secured the Toronto Raptors' second away win of the season in the National Basketball Association (NBA) on Thursday (local time). 

The Vienna native converted two free throws in the final seconds of the 122:119 win against the Atlanta Hawks to seal the victory. He finished with 17 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals and two blocks. The 29-year-old center played 28:08 minutes.

The Canadians are currently experiencing their best phase of the NBA season. They have won four of their last five games. At the Hawks, they turned a six-point deficit into a win in the final period after leading for a long time. Pöltl kept his cool at the free throw line with 2.7 seconds left. Scottie Barnes was the Raptors' top scorer with 25 points and they now have a 2:19 away record. The Canadians face the Hawks again on Saturday.

Cheers for Wembanyama in Paris
In Paris, almost 16,000 spectators cheered for Victor Wembanyama in particular. The young French star led the San Antonio Spurs to a 140:110 win over the Indiana Pacers in his first NBA game on home soil with 30 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and five blocks. The Texans clearly dominated the third quarter in particular (45:23) on the Seine. The rematch will take place again on Saturday in the French capital.

Oklahoma City Thunder, leaders of the Western Conference, suffered a 115:121 home defeat against the Dallas Mavericks. Spencer Dinwiddle scored 28 points for the visitors. Nikola Jokic shone in the Denver Nuggets' 132:123 win over the Sacramento Kings with a triple-double of 35 points, 22 rebounds and 17 assists. The Serbian scored in triple figures for the fifth time in a row. In the duel between the most successful title collectors in the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers gave the Boston Celtics no chance and won 117:96. Anthony Davis contributed 24 points, while LeBron James scored 20 points.

James in the All-Star team for the 21st time
James was once again selected for the NBA All-Star team. The 40-year-old will be taking part in the show event for the 21st time. He is the record holder in NBA history, ahead of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (19 All-Star nominations). The starting line-up for the Western Conference also includes Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Kevin Durant (Phoenix Suns), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder) and Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets). In the East, Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks), Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks), Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics) and Karl-Anthony Towns (New York Knicks) were nominated.

The All-Star Game will take place on February 16 in San Francisco, this time in a new format: in a mini-tournament, four teams will face each other in a semi-final and a final.