Giannis Antetokounmpo capped his game-high 33-point performance on Monday with a buzzer-beating, turnaround fadeaway to lift the Milwaukee Bucks past the Indiana Pacers, 117-115, in Indianapolis.
Antetokounmpo’s big night included 13 rebounds for his fifth double-double in six games. His 33 points also marked his fifth performance of at least 30 points this season. Complementing him were Kyle Kuzma with 15 points off the bench, Cole Anthony with another 11 points in reserve duty, Gary Trent Jr. with 11 points and AJ Green with 13.
The loss dropped the reigning Eastern Conference champion Pacers to 1-6 on the season, and Indiana’s fourth loss of six points or fewer. Pascal Siakam finished with 32 points to lead the Pacers, Quenton Jackson posted a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds, Jarace Walker added 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists and Aaron Nesmith contributed 17 points and seven rebounds.
The Pacers trailed most of the night, but stayed within striking distance thanks both to forcing 18 Milwaukee turnovers and the Bucks’ dreadful 13-of-22 shooting at the free-throw line. After Green made one of two free throws, Indiana knotted the score at 115-115 on the ensuing possession when Nesmith winded his way through the Bucks defense for a layup with 15 seconds remaining.
Timberwolves 125, Nets 109
Donte DiVincenzo scored 25 points as Minnesota pulled away in the fourth quarter for a victory over winless Brooklyn in New York.
DiVincenzo hit two 3-pointers in the fourth when the Timberwolves outscored the Nets 34-21. The guard shot 8 of 17 overall and made six 3s after hitting five in Saturday’s win over Charlotte. Julius Randle totaled 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his 15th career triple-double. Jaden McDaniels added 22 on 9-of-11 shooting. Reid added 21 points off the bench as the Wolves shot 56.4% from the field and 40% on 3-pointers.
Cam Thomas scored 25 points for the Nets, who were 6-of-26 shooting in the fourth quarter and shot 40.4% overall. Nic Claxton added 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists and Noah Clowney contributed 15 points in place of Michael Porter Jr. (personal reasons).
Knicks 119, Wizards 102
Josh Hart scored 10 points during a decisive third-period run for host New York, which pulled away and beat Washington.
Hart (12 points, 10 rebounds) and Karl-Anthony Towns (33 points, 13 rebounds) each posted double-doubles for the Knicks, who won both ends of a back-to-back at home. Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby had 16 points apiece. The duo combined for 12 points in the third quarter, when the Knicks outscored the Wizards 41-24 to take a 98-78 lead.
Alex Sarr scored 19 points for the Wizards, who have lost five straight. Starters Bilal Coulibaly and Kyshawn George and reserve Corey Kispert had 15 each while Tre Johnson added 10 off the bench.
Nuggets 130, Kings 124
Nikola Jokic scored a season-high 34 points to go with 14 assists, Christian Braun added a season-best 21 points and host Denver held off Sacramento.
Aaron Gordon added 20 points, Jamal Murray scored 15 despite missing all five of his 3-point attempts, Bruce Brown contributed 13 off the bench and Cam Johnson finished with 10 points for Denver.
Sacramento’s Russell Westbrook recorded season highs in points (26), rebounds (12) and turnovers (six) in his first game against his former team. Westbrook helped Denver reach the second round of the playoffs last spring in his only season with the team. He was given a warm welcome by the Denver crowd. Domantas Sabonis contributed 13 points and 17 rebounds, DeMar DeRozan added 19 points, while Dennis Schroder finished with 18 points.
Jazz 105, Celtics 103
Jusuf Nurkic scored with 0.6 seconds to play to give visiting Utah the victory over Boston.
Nurkic’s game-winning putback off a Keyonte George missed shot was part of an 11-point, 11-rebound effort for the Bosnian big man. George led the Jazz with 31 points, while Lauri Markkanen added 20 and Kyle Filopowski chipped in with 13.
Jaylen Brown led all scorers with 36 points but missed all nine of his 3-point attempts. He was also called for an offensive foul during an inbounds play after Nurkic’s bucket to seal the loss for the Celtics. Supporting Brown were Payton Pritchard, who notched 18 points, and Anfernee Simons, who dropped 15 off the bench.
Rockets 110, Mavericks 102
Alperen Sengun paired 26 points with 11 rebounds, Amen Thompson chipped in 27 points, and host Houston fended off short-handed Dallas.
Sengun helped the Rockets get late separation with a pair of free throws and a spinning eight-footer down the stretch. His pass to Josh Okogie yielded two free throws with 1:01 remaining that helped the Rockets extend to a 107-102 lead and seal a fourth straight win.
Sengun added a team-high six assists to his ledger. Kevin Durant scored 21 points and overcame an off-shooting night with back-to-back 3-pointers that resulted in a late 99-94 lead.
Lakers 123, Trail Blazers 115
Deandre Ayton, Rui Hachimura and Nick Smith Jr. all achieved season-best point totals as short-handed Los Angeles notched a victory over host Portland.
Ayton had 29 points on 14-of-19 shooting and collected 10 rebounds and three blocked shots. Hachimura had 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting. Smith was the biggest surprise with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including 5 of 6 from 3-point range. He added a season-best six assists as the Lakers won their fourth consecutive contest. Los Angeles held out Luka Doncic (leg contusion) and Austin Reaves (groin soreness) on the second night of a back-to-back. Also, LeBron James (sciatica) has yet to play this season.
Deni Avdija scored a season-best 33 points for Portland, which had a three-game winning streak snapped. Shaedon Sharpe added 23 points and seven rebounds, reserve Jerami Grant scored 18 points and Toumani Camara had 14 points and seven rebounds.
Pistons 114, Grizzlies 106
Cade Cunningham scored 19 of his season-high 33 points in the fourth quarter as visiting Detroit led wire to wire in a victory over Memphis.
Cunningham scored nine straight Pistons points late in the fourth to give Detroit a nine-point lead. Isaiah Stewart backed up Cunningham’s electric performance with season highs of his own, recording 26 points and 14 rebounds. Stewart also added four blocks to help the Pistons win their third straight game.
Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies with a season-high 21 points. Ja Morant recorded an 18-point, 10-assist double-double in his return from a one-game suspension, but he also missed all four of his 3-point attempts and committed five turnovers. Rookie Cedric Coward added 17 points off the bench.
Heat 120, Clippers 119
Bam Adebayo scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Norman Powell scored 21 against his former team as Miami earned a victory over Los Angeles in Inglewood, Calif.
Andrew Wiggins scored 17 points and Kel’el Ware added 16 as the Heat won for the first time in three games on a four-game road trip. Powell, who was traded by the Clippers to the Heat in the offseason, made his return from a three-game absence because of a groin injury.
James Harden scored 29 points and Kawhi Leonard scored 15 of his 27 points in the first quarter for the Clippers, who lost for the first time in four home games. Ivica Zubac scored nine points and recorded 18 rebounds, while Derrick Jones Jr., Bradley Beal and John Collins each scored 12 for Los Angeles.
–Field Level Media
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