Antetokounmpo, Bucks hold off Celtics

Ingram scores 49 as New Orleans ends Utah’s 10-game win streak

MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 17 rebounds, Khris Middleton scored 23 and the Milwaukee Bucks held off the Boston Celtics 128-123 on Thursday night.

With the victory, the NBAleading Bucks (37-6) extended their winning streak to five games.

Kemba Walker scored a gamehigh 40 points to lead the Celtics, who took the floor without Jaylen Brown. The 6-foot-6 forward suffered a sprained right thumb in a 13-point loss to Detroit on Wednesday.

Marcus Smart, who started in place of Brown, had 24 points.

Antetokounmpo, who also had seven assists, had his 35th double-double of the season.

After trailing by as many as 27, the Celtics outscored Milwaukee 36-22 to pull within 127123 with 38 seconds to play. But Smart missed a 3-pointer and Middleton knocked down one of two free throws to seal the victory.

PELICANS 138, JAZZ 132

(OT): In New Orleans, Brandon Ingram scored a career-high 49 points, and New Orleans stopped Utah’s 10-game win streak. Utah led 132-127 on Bojan Bogdanovic’s 3 with 2:28 to go in overtime, but went scoreless the rest of the way. The Pelicans scored 11 straight on layups by Derrick Favors and E’Twaun Moore and seven free throws.

Favors finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks against his former team. Moore had 16 points for New Orleans, which has won 10 of 14 and has two games to play before the NBA’s top overall draft choice, Zion Williamson, is slated to make his Pelicans debut on Wednesday night.

SUNS 121, KNICKS 98: In New York, Deandre Ayton had 26 points and a career-high 21 rebounds, and Phoenix pounded New York.

The Suns shot 51% (47 for 92) from the field and placed five players in double figures in their third win in four games. Devin Booker scored 29 points, and Ricky Rubio had 25 points and 13 assists.

Ayton, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft, was 11 for 15 from the field in his 11th game this season. The 6-foot-11 center played on opening night, and then served a 25-game suspension for violating the league’s anti-drug program after testing positive for a diuretic. He sprained an ankle in his return to the lineup Dec. 17.

Julius Randle led the Knicks with 26 points.