Bucks edge Suns, win 14th game in a row
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence couldn’t prevent the Milwaukee Bucks from extending the longest winning streak in the NBA this season.
Jrue Holiday scored 33 points and produced a critical steal, Brook Lopez made a tiebreaking layup with 24.8 seconds left and the host Bucks edged the Phoenix Suns 104-101 on Sunday for their 14th consecutive victory.
The rematch of the
2021 NBA Finals didn’t include either Antetokounmpo or new Suns superstar Kevin Durant, but it still featured 14 lead changes and plenty of late drama.
“Both teams obviously have history,” Lopez said. “Those are the fun games, where the refs let it get physical a little bit, you can really go after each other. It was a great atmosphere.” Durant has yet to appear in a game for the Suns and hasn’t played since Jan. 8 because of a sprained right medial collateral ligament. Antetokounmpo was out with a bruised right quadriceps after leaving in the first quarter of the Bucks’ 128-99 victory over the Heat on Friday.
“It’s enough where he can’t play today, but I think we’re also confident that this is just a fairly common occurrence in our league,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said before the game. “You hit knees, you knock, sometimes it takes a day or two, and it’s really nothing more than that.”
Holiday led all scorers, while Lopez had 22 points and 12 rebounds. Khris Middleton added 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Devin Booker scored 24 points, Deandre Ayton had 22 and Chris Paul added 18 for Phoenix. ●
Lakers 111, Mavericks 108:
Anthony Davis had 30 points and 15 rebounds, including a putback dunk for the late lead, and Los Angeles erased a 27-point deficit in a victory over host Dallas.
LeBron James scored 26 points as the Lakers won their fourth in five games. Luka Doncic scored 26 points for the Mavs, but the youngest of the four superstars was limited and frustrated after a 14-point first quarter that sent Dallas on its way to the huge lead.
Kyrie Irving had 21 points and 11 rebounds for Dallas.
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Trae Young sank a buzzer-beating jumper over Spencer Dinwiddie to score 34 points and lift host Atlanta to a win over Brooklyn. The Hawks recovered after blowing an 18-point lead to overcome
Hawks 129, Nets 127:
four Nets scorers with at least 20 points.
Cam Johnson scored 27 points for Brooklyn, including a three-pointer from the corner to tie the score at 127-all with 7.8 seconds remaining. Mikal Bridges had 24 points for the Nets, who have lost four of five.
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DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points, Zach LaVine added 27 and host Chicago Bulls overcame its shooting woes from long range to beat Washington.
Alex Caruso and LaVine each sank three-pointers midway through the third quarter to turn a onepoint deficit into a 57-52 lead the Bulls wouldn’t relinquish.
Before the consecutive threes, the Bulls converted only one of their first 16 3-point attempts. Bradley Beal scored 18 points for the Wizards who lost their second consecutive game.