NBA roundup: Raptors end 15-game skid, add to Bucks' woes

 

[April 06, 2024]  Gary Trent Jr. finished 7-of-15 shooting from 3-point range en route to 31 points, and with Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined, the visiting Toronto Raptors snapped the second-longest losing streak in franchise history with Friday's 117-111 win.

Toronto had lost 15 straight heading into Milwaukee, two shy of matching the longest skid for the organization. But RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley went for 26 and 25 points, respectively, and Quickley also flirted with a triple-double, grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing nine assists.

Quickley snared the last of his rebounds in traffic off a missed Khris Middleton 3-point attempt with 19 seconds remaining that would have given Milwaukee the lead.

The Bucks have lost three straight, all against opponents eliminated from playoff contention. Damian Lillard returned to the lineup and scored 36 points with six assists.

Mavericks 108, Warriors 106

P.J. Washington made a tiebreaking layup with 4.5 seconds remaining as Dallas overcame the absence of Luka Doncic to hold off visiting Golden State.

Washington, who went 5-for-8 from beyond the arc, finished with a game-high 32 points and Kyrie Irving had 26 for the Mavericks, who avenged a 104-100 loss at Golden State on Tuesday, the only defeat in their past 10 games.

Stephen Curry scored a team-high 28 points for the Warriors, whose six-game winning streak ended. Thompson scored 16 points but missed a 3-point attempt for the win at the buzzer.

Suns 97, Timberwolves 87

Grayson Allen recorded 23 points and eight rebounds and Phoenix never trailed while dropping Minnesota into a tie for first place in the West.

Kevin Durant added 22 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Suns, who have won 11 of its past 16 games. Jusuf Nurkic contributed 11 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and three steals.

Anthony Edwards had 17 points and eight rebounds for Minnesota, which lost for just the third in 12 games. Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 13 points as the Timberwolves fell into a tie with the idle Denver Nuggets.

Pacers 126, Thunder 112

Pascal Siakam scored 21 points to lift host Indiana over Oklahoma City.

Tyrese Haliburton had 11 assists to break Mark Jackson's Pacers franchise record for assists in a season. Haliburton has 714, one more than Jackson's total in 1997-98.

Luguentz Dort led the Thunder, who have dropped three consecutive games for the first time this season, with 22 points, while Kenrich Williams added 18 off the bench. Josh Giddey contributed 14 points and 12 assists.

Clippers 131, Jazz 102

James Harden delivered a triple-double, Terance Mann scored 19 points and Los Angeles overpowered visiting Utah to strengthen its hold on fourth place in the West.

Harden finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists as the Clippers improved to 2-1 without Kawhi Leonard (knee) this week. They won for the fifth time in their last six games.

Talen Horton-Tucker scored 17 points for the Jazz (29-48), who have lost 11 consecutive games and 14 of their last 15. Utah leading scorer Lauri Markkanen (shoulder), leading rebounder John Collins (back) and leading assist man Jordan Clarkson (pelvis) all remained out.

Trail Blazers 108, Wizards 102

Deandre Ayton collected 34 points and 13 rebounds to lift visiting Portland to a victory over Washington.

The double-double was the third in a row for Ayton, who made 13 of 25 shots from the floor and 8 of 9 attempts from the free-throw line. Dalano Banton recorded 21 points, eight rebounds and eight assists off the bench. The Trail Blazers have won two in a row following a season-high 10-game skid.

Washington's Deni Avdija collected 22 points and 12 rebounds and Jordan Poole added 20 points and nine assists. The Wizards have dropped five of their last six games to match the franchise record for losses in a season.

Celtics 101, Kings 100

Xavier Tillman's pull-up jumper with 7.4 seconds left lifted Boston over visiting Sacramento.

The Celtics led by as many as 19 in the fourth quarter, but a 16-1 run the opposite way -- including two 3-pointers by De'Aaron Fox and another by Harrison Barnes -- made it interesting down the stretch.

Fox hit seven 3-pointers and had a game-high 40 points for the Kings, who have lost four of their past six and are tied with the Lakers for the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference.

Bulls 108, Knicks 100

Javonte Green had 25 points and 13 rebounds for his first career double-double, and Ayo Dosunmu added 24 points to boost host Chicago past New York.

The Bulls moved one game ahead of the Atlanta Hawks for the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference and home-court advantage in a play-in tournament game. The Knicks remained tied with the Orlando Magic for fourth in the East.

The Bulls never trailed while overcoming the third straight double-double for New York's Jalen Brunson, who had 35 points and 11 assists. DeMar DeRozan (20 points, 10 assists), Nikola Vucevic (16 points, 13 rebounds) and Andre Drummond (10 points, 16 rebounds) each posted double-doubles for Chicago.

Heat 119, Rockets 104

Jimmy Butler scored a game-high 22 points, Tyler Herro returned to action to contribute 17 points and visiting Miami defeated Houston.

Herro played 25 minutes off the bench for the Heat -- his first action since Feb. 23. He missed 20 games due to a foot injury.

The Rockets, who lost their fourth straight game, were led by Jalen Green, who scored 21 points but shot just 2-for-9 from 3-point range. He made 6 of 18 shots overall.

Hornets 124, Magic 115

Rookie Brandon Miller shot 10-for-10 in the first half and finished with 32 points as Charlotte beat visiting Orlando for a rare victory.

Miles Bridges scored 23 points and Grant Williams poured in 18 points as the Hornets won for the second time in 11 games.

Paolo Banchero wound up with 32 points and Franz Wagner posted 22 points for the Magic, who had a three-game winning streak end.

Grizzlies 108, Pistons 90

Trey Jemison collected 17 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks, helping Memphis to subdue visiting Detroit.

Maozinha Pereira also scored 17 points for the Grizzlies, who won their third straight game.

Jaden Ivey scored 31 points to lead the Pistons, who have dropped three in a row and 11 of 12.

Spurs 111, Pelicans 109

Devonte' Graham scored 20 points, Victor Wembanyama finished one assist shy of a triple-double and visiting San Antonio defeated fading New Orleans.

Wembanyama finished with 17 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists and five teammates finished with at least 14 points as the Spurs defeated the Pelicans for the first time after three losses this season.

CJ McCollum scored 31 points and Jonas Valanciunas had 26 for New Orleans, which lost its fourth straight game and fifth in its last six.

--Field Level Media

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