Bucks top Hornets for 8th win in row
Harrell scores 27 to lead Washington
MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored on a driving layup with two seconds left to give Milwaukee a 127-125 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night, the Bucks’ eighth consecutive victory.
Antetokounmpo had 40 points and 12 rebounds and Khris Middleton added 21 points for the Bucks.
LaMelo Ball had a careerhigh 36 points for the Hornets, followed by Kelly Oubre Jr. with 25 and Miles Bridges with 22.
Middleton buried a 3-pointer from the top left to put Milwaukee in front 123-122 with 52 seconds left. Antetokounmpo’s layin on the Bucks’ next possession was negated by an offensive foul.
Gordon Hayward missed a jumper from the top of the key for the Hornets, and Middleton hit two free throws to make it 125-122 with 8.6 seconds remaining.
Ball made a fadeaway 3-pointer — his eighth of the game — with 5.9 seconds left to pull the Hornets even at 125. After a timeout, Jru Holliday fed Antetokounmpo near the top of the lane for the left-side layup.
WIZARDS 115, TIMBERWOLVES 107: In Washington, Montrezl Harrell scored 27 points and Bradley Beal added 19 to lift Washington.
Timberwolves star KarlAnthony Towns had to leave the game with 2:14 remaining after injuring himself on a dunk.
Towns scored only two of his 34 points in the final period — and that was when he got free along the baseline for a dunk. After slamming the ball through, his momentum caused his body to fall horizontally and he appeared to land on his tailbone.
HAWKS 114, PACERS 111: In Indianapolis, Trae Young made two crucial free throws in the final seconds of the game to help Atlanta fend off Indiana.
Pacers rookie Chris Duarte came up with a steal late in the game, but was unable to convert a contested layup. Young was subsequently fouled and made the final two of his 33 points.
After the final buzzer, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle yelled at the referees about the lack of a call on the Duarte drive.
Young also had 10 assists and eight rebounds for the Hawks, who shot 51.2% (44 of 86), including 16 of 33 on 3-pointers. Young found backcourt mate Kevin Huerter for several open looks as Huerter finished with 19 points.
MAGIC 108, NUGGETS 103: In Orlando, Fla., Cole Anthony scored 24 points, Wendell Carter Jr. added 18 and Orlando rallied from an early 16-point deficit to beat Denver and end its sevengame losing streak.
The Magic took its first lead of the night at 106-103 when rookie Franz Wagner drilled a stepback 3-pointer with 1:45 to play. Wagner had 15 points, while his brother, Moritz Wagner, chipped in 12 points off the bench.
CELTICS 88, 76ERS 87: In Boston, Jayson Tatum scored 26 points with a career-high 16 rebounds, shaking off a hard fourth-quarter fall to lead to lead Boston over Philadelphia.
Tatum scored 11 points in the fourth. Robert Williams III blocked Georges Niang’s shot at the buzzer to give the Celtics the victory.
Joel Embiid had 18 rebounds for Philadelphia. MAVERICKS 139, PELICANS
107: In New Orleans, Luka Doncic scored 18 of his team-high 28 points in the first quarter and had 14 assists in 27 minutes to power Dallas over New Orleans.
Dallas set a franchise record by shooting 57 of 83 from the floor (68.7%), beating the previous high of 67.7% from 1983.
ROCKETS 114, THUNDER 110: In Oklahoma City, Jae’Sean Tate scored a career-high 32 points and added 10 rebounds, seven assists and five blocked shots, sparking a fourth-quarter rally to lead Houston over OKC.
The Rockets won their fourth straight.
CAVALIERS 111, HEAT 85: In Miami, Kevin Love scored 22 points to help Cleveland snap a 20-game losing streak in Miami.
Jarrett Allen added 19 points and 11 rebounds and Darius Garland finished with 16 points for the Cavaliers, who had not won on the Heat’s home court since Jan. 25, 2010.