In a duel between NBA championship contenders, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks got the best of Kawhi Leonard and the LA Clippers, 105-100 in Milwaukee.
Los Angeles Clippers 100 – 105 Milwaukee Bucks
Antetokounmpo scored 36 points, 14 rebounds and five assists becoming the second player in Milwaukee history to score 35 or more points in four consecutive games.
The Bucks, who won their fifth consecutive game, ended the contest on a 9-0 run.
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Leading 101-100 after a pair of Antetokounmpo free throws, the Bucks regained possession after a missed jumper by Paul George. Following a timeout, the Bucks rotated the ball on the perimeter and fed Antetokounmpo, who blew past Marcus Morris Sr and delivered an emphatic one-handed dunk with 10.3 seconds left.
Leonard had a chance to tie at the other end, but his three-pointer hit the front of the rim and bounced to Khris Middleton, who was fouled with 2.1 seconds left. Middleton hit both free throws to seal the victory.
Leonard finished with 25 points and nine rebounds as the Clippers used a 13-0 run to take a 73-70 lead late in the third. But the Clippers shot 0-for-7 over the final 4:01 of the game.
Washington Wizards 110 – 111 Boston Celtics
Jayson Tatum scored 31 points, including the game-winning bucket with 4.7 seconds remaining, as the shorthanded Boston Celtics edged the visiting Washington Wizards 111-110.
Kemba Walker had 21 points, and Daniel Theis added 20 for the Celtics, who won back-to-back games for the first time since January 24-25 to even their record at .500. Boston played without All-Star Jaylen Brown (left knee soreness).
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Bradley Beal scored 46 points but missed his chance at a game-winner with one second remaining. He finished 16-of-29 with 11 free throws. Russell Westbrook had 24 points and 11 rebounds, and Davis Bertans scored 20 as the Wizards lost for just the second time in their last nine games.
Washington was ahead 106-98 before a 7-0 stretch had Boston within one with 1:33 remaining. After Robin Lopez and Beal put the Wizards back up by five with 46.9 seconds left, Tatum struck twice to return the Celtics’ deficit to one.
Washington regained possession, but Beal stepped out of bounds under the rim to set up Tatum’s game-winner.
New York Knicks 109 – 90 Detroit Pistons
Julius Randle had 25 points, eight rebounds and six assists and the visiting New York Knicks recorded their third straight victory by rolling past the Detroit Pistons 109-90.
RJ Barrett supplied 21 points and five rebounds, while Alec Burks contributed 16 points off the bench. Derrick Rose, who was traded by the Pistons earlier this month, had 14 points and five assists for New York against his former team.
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Immanuel Quickley tossed in 12 points for the Knicks and Nerlens Noel added eight points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and three steals.
Jerami Grant led the Pistons, who have lost three straight, with 21 points and eight rebounds. Wayne Ellington contributed 15 points off the bench. Josh Jackson added 12 points and Saddiq Bey chipped in 10 for Detroit.
Atlanta Hawks 99 – 109 Miami Heat
Kendrick Nunn scored a team-high 24 points as the Miami Heat extended their winning streak to six games with a 109-99 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
Miami received 16 points and 13 rebounds from Bam Adebayo, while Precious Achiuwa and Tyler Herro each had 14 points. Goran Dragic, starting his first game for Miami since February 5, had 13 points.
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South Florida native John Collins returned home and had 34 points with 10 rebounds to lead Atlanta. Collins had 19 points in the third, his career-high for a quarter. His 34 points were one short of his season-high.
Atlanta also got 20 points and 14 rebounds from Clint Capela. The NBA’s leader in offensive rebounds, Capela had nine of his boards off missed shots from his own team.
Hawks star Trae Young, who entered the game averaging 27.8 points, was held to just 15. He missed his first five shots and had just six points until 6:04 left in the fourth.
Jimmy Butler, who leads Miami in scoring, assists and steals, missed the game due to inflammation in his right knee. The Heat is now 4-9 without Butler this season and 13-8 when he plays.
Memphis Grizzlies 133 – 84 Houston Rockets
With Brandon Clarke and Justise Winslow pacing a strong bench performance, the Memphis Grizzlies rolled to a 133-84 victory over the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center.
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Clarke produced a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds while Winslow, a Houston native, thoroughly enjoyed his homecoming with 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting in just his fourth game this season. The Grizzlies amassed 85 bench points, including 32 in a runaway first half.
The Grizzlies cruised despite an off game from guard Ja Morant and a modest contribution from center Jonas Valanciunas, who picked up his fourth foul with just under nine minutes remaining in the first half and logged only 13 minutes. Morant finished with six points on 2-for-8 shooting.
John Wall scored 14 points for the game but missed 12 of 16 shots and failed to record a rebound or an assist. The Rockets shot 27.7 percent overall and finished 4 for 45 from behind the arc with Wall, Gordon and House combining to shoot 0 for 16 on 3-pointers.
Golden State Warriors 91 – 117 Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James scored 19 points, and the Los Angeles Lakers pounded the visiting Golden State Warriors 117-91.
James, who also had six rebounds, hit 7 of 12 shots, including 3 of 5 3-pointers in a season-low 24 minutes. He and the Lakers’ starters rested the entire fourth quarter.
Markieff Morris contributed 13 points and eight rebounds, Alex Caruso also scored 13 and Dennis Schroder collected 12 points and six assists for the Lakers. Kyle Kuzma had 12 points and 11 rebounds and Talen Horton-Tucker scored 11 off the bench.
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Stephen Curry, who entered the game averaging 29.9 points per game, managed just 16 points, seven assists and three steals as the Warriors had their three-game winning streak end. Curry misfired on five of the seven 3-pointers he attempted.
The Warriors lost Draymond Green late in the second quarter with a left ankle sprain. Green, who recorded a career-high 19 assists in Friday’s win over the Charlotte Hornets, finished with six points and two assists in 13 minutes.
Phoenix Suns 118 – 99 Minnesota Timberwolves
Devin Booker scored a season-high 43 points on 15-of-26 shooting to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 118-99 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis.
Deandre Ayton scored 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting and collected 10 rebounds as the Suns won for the 14th time in their past 17 games.
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Dario Saric scored 13 points off the bench and Chris Paul added 11 points and matched his season-high of 15 assists for Phoenix.
Anthony Edwards scored 24 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota, which owns an NBA-worst 7-28 record.
Jake Layman tallied 11 points for the Timberwolves, who have lost a season-worst eight straight games as well as 14 of their past 16 games.
Minnesota is 0-4 under new coach Chris Finch and has allowed an average of 129.5 points during the span.
