Defending champ Bucks rout Pacers for 7th straight win
INDIANAPOLIS >> Giannis Antetokounmpo had 26 points and 13 rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks extended their winning streak to seven, routing the Indiana Pacers 118-100 on Sunday night.
The Bucks led by five at halftime and pulled away with a 39-27 third quarter. Guard Jrue Holiday scored 11 of his 23 points in the quarter.
“We’re playing together and everybody is contributing,” Holiday said. “It’s been fun.”
Much like the surging Bucks, who improved to 138, Holiday has been hot in averaging 19.7 points in the last four victories. He also had nine assists and seven rebounds against Indiana.
“Being able to go through the things we went through last year was huge,” Holiday said of winning the NBA title. “We know we can make a run at any time.”
Bobby Portis scored 15 points, Khris Middleton and Pat Connaughton each had 14, and Indianapolis native George Hill added 13 for the Bucks.
Caris LeVert led the Pacers with a season-high 23 points. Malcolm Brogdon had 16.
LAKERS 110, PISTONS 106 >> LeBron James had 33 points, nine assists and no confrontations with Isaiah Stewart in the Los Angeles Lakers’ victory over Detroit.
Russell Westbrook had 25 points and nine assists, and Anthony Davis added 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers. They returned to .500 with their second win over Detroit in eight days.
Stewart was booed repeatedly and zealously by the Lakers’ crowd, but he appeared to have no significant interactions with James after both players were ejected from the teams’ meeting in Detroit a week earlier for an ugly altercation.
James was assessed a Flagrant-2 foul and ejected when he hit Stewart in the face while they jockeyed for rebounding position. An infuriated Stewart repeatedly attempted to charge at James in the aftermath, earning his own ejection.
James served a one-game suspension and Stewart got a two-game ban.
Jerami Grant scored 32 points for Detroit. Stewart had five points and six rebounds in 27 minutes in the rematch.
CELTICS 109, RAPTORS 97 >> Marcus Smart scored 21 points, Al Horford had 17 points and 11 rebounds and Boston beat Toronto to snap a two-game losing streak.
Josh Richardson scored 18 of Boston’s 32 bench points. Jaylen Brown added 16 points, and Grant Williams had 15 to help the Celtics improve to 11-10.
Fred VanVleet led Toronto with 27 points. The Raptors lost for the sixth time in eight games to fall to 9-12.
GRIZZLIES 128, KINGS 101 >> Dillon Brooks scored 21 points, Desmond Bane added 18 and Memphis took advantage of Sacramento’s poor shooting.
Memphis was playing its first game without scoring leader Ja Morant. He sprained his left knee Friday night in a loss to Atlanta.
Buddy Hield led the Kings with 14 points, but was 5 of 17 from the field.