Golden State basketball players beat Atlanta 134:112 this morning, in a game in which they said goodbye to their assistant coach Dejan Milojević, who died of a heart attack.
In an emotional ceremony before the game, the players of both teams stood quietly on the field while the national anthem of Serbia was sung in honor of Milojević. The Golden State players came out for warm-up in T-shirts with Dejan Milojević's initials written in the heart and the words "Deki" and "brother", which the former basketball player often used while working with the players.
"Deki's smile, his joy, his laughter were always present. Tonight, in lieu of a minute's silence, I would like you to join me in honoring Deki and his wonderful family, I would like us to greet him with a standing ovation that he can hear in heaven," he said Golden State coach Steve Kerr.
The fans in the hall listened to the coach and greeted Milojević with a standing ovation, who died of a heart attack on January 17 at the age of 47.
A video and photos of Milojević, who won the championship ring with the Warriors in 2022, were also broadcast.
After the singing of the American national anthem, the Golden State players took off their shirts and lined them up one by one on the chair where Milojević had been sitting for the previous two and a half years. A white rose was left on that chair.
Milojević's wife Nataša and two children Nikola and Maša tearfully watched the ceremony, and at the end they were presented with a bouquet of white roses.
This morning, the Warriors played their first game since Milojevic's death and beat Atlanta. They did not play a game for eight days, which is the first time for an NBA team to do so in the regular season, not counting the all-star break or the corona virus pandemic, since 2021 when San Antonio did not play for nine days.
The team was led by Steph Curry with 25 points and eight assists, Jonathan Cumminga with 25 points and nine rebounds and Klay Thompson with 24 points.
In the Atlanta team, Dejonta Murray scored 23 points with seven rebounds and seven assists, Jaylen Johnson scored 21 points with nine rebounds and six assists, while Bogdan Bogdanovic added 17 points.
Also present was Atlanta's assistant coach Igor Kokoškov, the former coach of Serbia who once brought Milojević to the coaching staff.
Oklahoma basketball players beat San Antonio 140:114 and recorded their fourth consecutive victory. Shay Gilgeous-Alexander led the team with 32 points and 10 assists, and Chet Holgram added 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
In the San Antonio team, Victor Vembanjama scored 24 points with 12 rebounds, and Devin Vesel had 21 points and seven assists.
Milwaukee basketball players beat Cleveland 126:116 and ended its eight-game winning streak. The Bucks were led by Janis Adetokumbo with a triple-double performance of 35 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists. It's his seventh triple-double of the season.
Damian Lillard contributed to the victory with 28 points, and Khris Middleton with 24.
In the Cleveland team, Donovan Mitchell was the most effective with 23 points with eight assists and seven rebounds and Jarrett Allen with 21 points with 12 rebounds and five assists.
Phoenix basketball players beat Dallas 132:109 and achieved their seventh consecutive victory. The Suns were led by Devin Booker with 46 points, 22 of which he scored in the third period, and he also had seven rebounds and three assists. Bradley Beal added 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and Kevin Durant added 12 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Dallas lost for the fourth time in the last five games, and Luka Dončić was the most effective player in the team with 34 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Tim Hardaway added 17 points.
In other games, Portland beat Houston after overtime with 137:131, while Detroit was better than Charlotte with 113:106.
Memphis beat Miami, and Minnesota, led by Anthony Edwards who scored 38 points, beat Washington 118:107 and ended a two-game losing streak.
Bonus video: