1 week Ago By The Straits Times
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 25 of his 41 points in the third quarter and the Milwaukee Bucks pulled away in the final minutes to beat the visiting Chicago Bulls 122-106 on Wednesday. Brook Lopez had 21 points and Damian Lillard added 20 points and 10 assists for Milwaukee, which shot a season-high 55 percent from the field and won for the fourth time in its last five games. Milwaukee closed the game on an 18-4 run to even the season series against Chicago at a game apiece.
The Bucks never trailed after moving ahead 27-25 late in the first quarter. Zach LaVine made four 3-pointers and led Chicago with 27 points. Torrey Craig scored 15 in his first start of the season.
Grizzlies 117, 76ers 111 Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 25 points and Desmond Bane recovered from a dismal performance to post 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead host Memphis past Philadelphia. Bane was coming off a 12-point effort in a home loss to Denver on Tuesday, when he finished with five points after shooting 1-of-10 from the floor.
He recovered against the 76ers with his second double-double in three games and added six assists. Sixers star Paul George left the game early in the third quarter after hyperextending his left knee while grabbing a rebound. Joel Embiid registered 35 points and 11 rebounds for Philadelphia, which took its fifth loss in a row.
Knicks 138, Suns 122 Jalen Brunson torched Phoenix again with 36 points, 10 assists and seven 3-pointers as New York never trailed in its road victory. Karl-Anthony Towns added 34 points on 12-of-19 shooting and collected 10 rebounds as the Knicks notched their fourth consecutive victory. Devin Booker scored 33 points for the Suns, who have lost five straight games and dropped to 1-6 since star Kevin Durant (calf) has been sidelined.
Bradley Beal (calf) missed his fifth straight game. Warriors 120, Hawks 97 Andrew Wiggins scored a game-high 27 points, Stephen Curry added 23 and Golden State recorded its fifth straight home win, routing Atlanta in San Francisco. Trayce Jackson-Davis had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Warriors, who bounced back after losing Monday on the road to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Jalen Johnson produced 15 points and a game-high 14 rebounds for the Hawks, who were playing their third game in four days. Rockets 130, Pacers 113 Alperen Sengun had 31 points and 12 rebounds and Houston used a third-quarter surge to beat visiting Indiana. Jabari Smith Jr.
added 23 points and eight rebounds while Fred VanVleet chipped in 18 points and six assists for Houston, which has won six of its past seven games. Quenton Jackson scored a career-high 24 points for the Pacers, who have lost four of their last five. Pascal Siakam scored 16 of his 21 points in the second quarter.
Clippers 104, Magic 93 James Harden scored 24 points and Amir Coffey added 18 as Los Angeles defeated Orlando in Inglewood, Calif., to extend its home winning streak to six games. Ivica Zubac posted 17 points and 12 rebounds as the Clippers won the battle of strong defensive teams by holding their second straight opponent under 100 points.
Los Angeles was without leading scorer Norman Powell (hamstring). Anthony Black scored 17 points and Jalen Suggs added 16 as the Magic's six-game winning streak ended. Orlando gave up 100 points for the first time in seven games.
Cavaliers 128, Pelicans 100 Ty Jerome scored a career-high 29 points and made seven 3-pointers as host Cleveland bounced back from its first loss of the season to rout depleted New Orleans. Georges Niang scored 20 points, Jarrett Allen added 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Jaylon Tyson had 16 points and 11 rebounds as the Cavaliers completed a back-to-back that began with a 120-117 loss at Boston on Tuesday. Rookie second-round draft choice Antonio Reeves scored a season-high 34 points to lead the Pelicans, who lost for the ninth time in 10 games.
New Orleans played without its top eight players. Thunder 109, Trail Blazers 99 Jalen Williams scored 30 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 28 as Oklahoma City defeated visiting Portland. It was the Thunder's 14th consecutive win over the Blazers, dating back to January 2022.
Williams added eight assists and seven rebounds, and he hit five of Oklahoma City's nine 3-pointers. Shaedon Sharpe led the Trail Blazers with 21 points, going 6 of 16 from the floor. The Blazers were once again without Deandre Ayton and Anfernee Simons.
--Field Level Media REUTERS.
