SATURDAY’S GAMES
HOME team in caps. MILWAUKEE 122, Atlanta 117: Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points and 12 rebounds, Khris Middleton added 23 points and the Milwaukee Bucks held on for a win over the Atlanta Hawks. The Bucks finished off the Eastern Conference’s worst team with a game-ending 11-5 run.
WASHINGTON 109, Indiana 102: Bradley Beal scored 19
points, Marcin Gortat had 18 and the Washington Wizards beat the Indiana Pacers in a possible playoff preview. Washington (40-30) earned its second straight win to move into a tie with Indiana for fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.
Houston 107, NEW ORLEANS 101: James Harden had 32 points and 11 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets won for the 21st time in 22 games, beating the New Orleans Pelicans. Harden’s highlights included his usual array of explosive drives and pull-up jumpers.
BROOKLYN 114, Dallas 106: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scored
23 points, D’Angelo Russell had 22 and the Brooklyn Nets recovered after blowing a double-digit lead to beat the Dallas Mavericks. DeMarre Carroll had 19 points and 12 rebounds, and Caris LeVert and Joe Harris each chipped in 11 points for the Nets, who snapped a three-game skid.
NEW YORK 124, Charlotte 101: Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 25 points, and the New York Knicks snapped a nine-game losing streak with a win over the Charlotte Hornets. New York had five players in double figures in its highest scoring game of the season. Frank Ntilikina had 15 points, Trey Burke scored 14 and Troy Williams finished with 13.
Cleveland at CHICAGO (late): Antonio Blakeney made two of three free throws with 1.8 seconds left to give the Bulls a 111-110 victory over Memphis on Thursday night, the Grizzlies’ 19th straight loss. On the game’s final play, Memphis got the ball to Marc Gasol for a baseline fadeaway that was long.
Denver at MEMPHIS (late): Nikola Jokic had 23 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his eighth triple-double of the season, Jamal Murray added 26 points and the Nuggets’ playoff hopes received a much-needed boost with a 120-113 victory over the Pistons on Thursday night.
Minnesota at SAN ANTONIO (late): Karl-Anthony Towns recovered from that hit to the jaw that left him face-down on the court late in the first half and finished with a season-high 37 points and 10 rebounds, leading the Timberwolves to a 116-111 victory over the Wizards on Tuesday night.
Sacramento at UTAH (late): Donovan Mitchell scored 23
points and Rudy Gobert had 21 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Jazz to a 116-88 victory over the Suns on Thursday night, their eighth consecutive victory. Joe Ingles scored 17 points, including four 3-pointers, and Jae Crowder added 12 for the Jazz.
Golden State at PHOENIX (late): Buddy Hield made three
free throws over the final 27.5 seconds, Willie Cauley-Stein had a late dunk and the Kings won for the second time this season on Golden State’s home floor, beating a Warriors team missing its top three scorers 98-93 on Friday night.
Detroit at PORTLAND (late): CJ McCollum scored 29 points and the Trail Blazers won their NBA-best 11th straight game with a 113-105 victory over the Cavaliers on Thursday night. Damian Lillard added 24 points for the Blazers.