NBA roundup: Heat improve to 2-0 vs. Bucks

[March 03, 2020]  The host Miami Heat held reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to 13 points and became the first team to beat the Milwaukee Bucks twice this season, winning 105-89 on Monday night.

Miami is 2-0 against Milwaukee, which has the best record in the NBA at 52-9.

The Heat have struggled on the road (13-18) but have the third-best home record in the league (26-4). Miami got 18 points apiece from Jae Crowder and Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo added 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Antetokounmpo was removed from the game with 4:33 left in the fourth quarter as Miami had a 15-point lead. His 13 points tied his season low. He made just 6 of 18 shots from the floor, including 0 of 4 from 3-point range. He had three assists and a game-high 15 rebounds.

Chicago Bulls 109 - Dallas Mavericks 107

Otto Porter Jr. scored 18 points in his first action since November, and Chicago held on to edge visiting Dallas.

Porter shot 7 of 11 from the field in his return from a broken foot that caused him to miss 51 games. He played 17 minutes. Coby White scored 19 points to lead Chicago, and Denzel Valentine finished with 17. Tim Hardaway Jr. paced the Mavericks with 26 points, and Luka Doncic had 23.

Dallas pulled to 108-107 when Dorian Finney-Smith made a 3-pointer with 4.9 seconds left. Finney-Smith had just connected from beyond the arc with 15.3 seconds remaining. Chicago's Wendell Carter Jr. made one of two free throws on the next possession, and Doncic missed a desperation heave at the buzzer.

New York Knicks 125 - Houston Rockets 123

Julius Randle's free throw with 4.6 seconds left sealed host New York's victory over Houston.

RJ Barrett tied a career high with 27 points and Randle finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds for the Knicks, who raced to a 21-point, first-half lead before staving off a furious rally by the Rockets. New York's Mitchell Robinson added 12 points and 13 rebounds.

James Harden had 35 points and went 16 of 16 from the free-throw line for the Rockets, who had their six-game winning streak snapped. Russell Westbrook scored 24 points, his 31st straight 20-point effort, but missed a potential game-tying jumper at the buzzer.

Portland Trail Blazers 130 - Orlando Magic 107

CJ McCollum matched his season high with 41 points, leading Portland to a victory at Orlando.

Playing without injured All-Star sidekick Damian Lillard (groin), McCollum shot 14 of 24 overall and 6 of 12 on 3-point attempts en route to the second-most points scored in Orlando by a Magic opponent this season. James Harden had 54 points at Orlando in December.

Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) battles for a rebound with Miami Heat forward Bam Adebayo (13) in the fourth quarter at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Nikola Vucevic countered with a team-high 30 points for Orlando, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Magic from losing their second straight after a three-game winning streak.

Memphis Grizzlies 127 - Atlanta Hawks 88

Gorgui Dieng and Jonas Valanciunas posted double-doubles to lead a balanced Memphis attack as the visiting Grizzlies trounced Atlanta.

Dieng had 17 points and 10 rebounds, his ninth double-double of the season, and Valanciunas had 15 points and 15 rebounds, his 30th double-double of the season and his fourth in a row. The Grizzlies had nine players score in double figures in claiming the first game of a three-city road trip.

Trae Young scored a team-high 19 points for the Hawks, but he sank only 5 of 17 shots from the floor.

Utah Jazz 126 - Cleveland Cavaliers 113

Bojan Bogdanovic scored 16 of his 28 points in the first half to help visiting Utah defeat injury-riddled Cleveland.

Bogdanovic highlighted his performance with five 3-pointers for the Jazz, who shot 56.6 percent from the field and 48.8 percent from beyond the arc. Rudy Gobert collected 20 points and nine rebounds for Utah.

Collin Sexton scored a career-high 32 points for the Cavaliers, who have lost three in a row overall and nine straight against Western Conference teams.

Indiana Pacers 116 - San Antonio Spurs 111

Malcolm Brogdon scored 26 points and T.J. Warren 23 as Indiana defeated host San Antonio to win its fourth straight game.

Myles Turner added 17 points for the Pacers, who have won six of their past seven games.

Patty Mills led the Spurs with 24 points off the bench while Trey Lyles added 20.

-Field Level Media

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