NBA roundup: Bucks knock off rival Bulls in OT

 

[December 12, 2023]  Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points, 12 rebounds and six assists to help the Milwaukee Bucks outlast the visiting Chicago Bulls 133-129 in overtime on Monday.

Brook Lopez and Malik Beasley scored 19 points apiece and Khris Middleton had 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Bucks. Milwaukee led by as many as 14 points in the second quarter before Chicago forced overtime on DeMar DeRozan's floating jumper with 3.7 seconds remaining in regulation.

The Bucks scored eight of the first nine points in overtime before Chicago cut the deficit to 131-129 on DeRozan's dunk with 12.8 seconds left. Damian Lillard converted two free throws for the final margin.

DeRozan scored a season-high 41 points and Coby White added a season-high 33 for Chicago, which had its winning streak stopped at four games.

Pacers 131, Pistons 123

Bennedict Mathurin piled up 30 points, eight assists and seven rebounds and visiting Indiana handed Detroit its single-season franchise-record-tying 20th consecutive loss.

Indiana was coming off a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA in-season tournament championship game on Saturday.

Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 23 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Ausar Thompson had 20 points and six rebounds, while Jaden Ivey tossed in 18 points. Bojan Bogdanovic added 17 points and Alec Burks chipped in 14.

Rockets 93, Spurs 82

Tari Eason recorded a double-double off the bench while Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. flirted with double-doubles as Houston extended its home winning streak to 10 games with a victory over visiting San Antonio.

Eason paired season highs of 18 points and 14 rebounds to help the Rockets steer through an ugly shooting performance. Houston shot 34.4 percent but sent the Spurs to their 17th consecutive defeat thanks in part to a plus-9 rebounding advantage and 17 turnovers by San Antonio.

Victor Wembanyama tallied 15 points, 18 rebounds and five blocks to lead five scorers in double figures for the Spurs. Keldon Johnson added 12 points and Devin Vassell scored 14 but missed 11 of 16 shots.

Heat 116, Hornets 114

Duncan Robinson scored 24 points and Miami overcame some shoddy final-minute sequences to hold on for a victory against host Charlotte.

Jimmy Butler (23 points) and Caleb Martin (20 points and nine rebounds) combined with reserves Kevin Love (19 points) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. (18 points) to give Miami enough offense.

Terry Rozier shot 8-for-13 from 3-point range on his way to 34 points for the Hornets. Rozier also had 13 assists. With Butler committing two turnovers in the final minute, Charlotte had a chance despite trailing 114-108 at the 50-second mark, but it failed to complete the comeback.

Magic 104, Cavaliers 94

Paolo Banchero led a balanced scoring effort with 20 points, and Orlando used a stout defensive effort to record its 11th win in the past 13 games with a defeat of visiting Cleveland.

Orlando limited Cleveland -- which had won three games in a row -- to 30-of-85 shooting from the floor, including a 2-of-17 showing in a pivotal third quarter. The Magic outscored the Cavaliers 30-15 in the period, shooting 12-for-19 on their end of the floor.

Banchero and Franz Wagner -- who registered 19 points -- shot a combined 16-for-39 from the field. Both led the way on the glass for the Magic with 10 and eight rebounds, respectively. Cavaliers star Darius Garland led all scorers with 36 points, while Donovan Mitchell scored 22.

76ers 146, Wizards 101

Joel Embiid had 34 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in three quarters and host Philadelphia blitzed Washington.

It was the eighth straight game with at least 30 points for Embiid. Tyrese Maxey added 24 points for the Sixers, who have won three in a row. Philadelphia went 20-for-46 on 3-pointers.

Kyle Kuzma led the reeling Wizards with 21 points. Bilal Coulibaly added 13 points while Jared Butler scored 12 and Jordan Poole had 11. Washington, which has only three wins this season, has lost 14 of its past 15 games.

Nuggets 129, Hawks 122

Jamal Murray came back from a first-quarter ankle sprain to score 29 points and lead Denver to a win over host Atlanta.

Murray had to leave the game midway through the first quarter after stepping on teammate Nikola Jokic's foot and twisting his left ankle. Murray returned in the second quarter and finished the game 12-for-15 from the floor, including 4-for-5 on threes, with nine rebounds.

Dec 11, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) drives to the basket past Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23) in the second quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

Jokic regained his shooting touch and scored 25 points to go along with eight rebounds and nine assists. The Hawks have lost a season-high four straight games and have dropped six of their past seven. Bogdan Bogdanovic led Atlanta with a career-high 40 points.

Knicks 136, Raptors 130

Julius Randle put the finishing touches on a 34-point performance by hitting a clutch jumper with 1:17 remaining and host New York outlasted Toronto.

Randle produced his second-highest scoring showing of the season and scored his only basket of the fourth quarter by sinking a contested 13-footer in the lane that put New York up 131-123.

OG Anunoby scored a season-best 29 points, but the Raptors dropped their fourth straight game and lost for the sixth time in seven games. Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam and Dennis Schroder added 20 apiece as Toronto shot 49 percent from the floor.

Pelicans 121, Timberwolves 107

Zion Williamson scored a season-high 36 points, Jonas Valanciunas had a double-double and host New Orleans ended Minnesota's six-game winning streak.

Williamson made 13 of 17 field-goal attempts and 10 of 12 free throws after totaling just 23 points in his past two games while Valanciunas finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 17 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out for the Timberwolves, who had won nine of 10 games to claim the NBA's best record but played without leading scorer Anthony Edwards (hip) on Monday.

Thunder 134, Jazz 120

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points to lead Oklahoma City over visiting Utah.

The Thunder have won back-to-back games and 10 of their past 13, while the Jazz lost for the third consecutive game and for the ninth time in 12 games.

The Jazz were led by a career-high 30 points from rookie Keyonte George on 10-of-17 shooting, while Collin Sexton added 20 points off the bench.

Mavericks 120, Grizzlies 113

Luka Doncic poured in 35 points to help lead visiting Dallas to a win over Memphis.

Jaden Hardy added a season-high 19 points for the Mavericks, who won their third consecutive game. The Grizzlies led 11-10 at the 7:15 mark of the first quarter, but Doncic hit a floater on the next possession to give the lead back to Dallas, one that would stand for the remainder of the contest.

Jaren Jackson Jr. led Memphis with a season-high 41 points, as the struggling Grizzlies have lost three of their past four games. Desmond Bane tallied 28 points and Vince Williams Jr. had 10.

Clippers 132, Trail Blazers 127

Kawhi Leonard scored 34 points as Los Angeles held on to beat visiting Portland and extend its winning streak to a season-best four games.

James Harden and Paul George each scored 20 points and Ivica Zubac had 18 as the Clippers improved to 9-3 since Nov. 17. Los Angeles is also 9-8 since the addition of Harden in a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers.

Anfernee Simons scored a season-high 38 points for the Trail Blazers, who lost their fourth consecutive game. Shaedon Sharpe had 27 points for Portland, which played without leading scorer Jerami Grant (concussion protocol), leading rebounder Deandre Ayton (knee) and Malcolm Brogdon (knee).

Kings 131, Nets 118

De'Aaron Fox buried five of his team's 25 3-pointers, Domantas Sabonis missed a triple-double by one assist and Sacramento got double-figure scoring from four other players in a home triumph over Brooklyn.

Fox finished with a game-high 29 points to go with eight assists, while Sabonis collected 15 points, a game-high 16 rebounds and nine assists for the Kings, who won for the fifth time in their past seven games.

Mikal Bridges had a team-high 22 points for the Nets, whose three-game win streak ended on the opening night of a five-game road trip.

--Field Level Media

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