Bucks start strong, hold off 76ers in battle of Eastern powerhouses
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 27 points and Khris Middleton had 24 as the Mil- waukee Bucks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 124-117 on Thursday night in a matchup of two of the Eastern Conference’s top teams.
Bobby Portis added a sea- son-high 23 points as the Bucks ended a five-game home losing streak.
Milwaukee never trailed andledbyasmanyas21to defeat Philadelphia for the fourth consecutive time. In their only previous meeting this season, the Bucks won 109-105 in overtime at Philadelphia on March 17.
Joel Embiid scored 24 points for the Sixers. Shake Milton had 20 off the bench.
The Bucks, who hadn’t played since Monday, im- proved to 36-22 and hold the third seed in the East. The Sixers, playing for the fifth time in eight days, fell to 3920 and into a tie with idle Brooklyn for the top spot. Philadelphia plays in Milwaukee again Saturday.
The Sixers got closer to full strength with the return of two starters. Tobias Harris, who has been deal- ing with a right knee issue, came back after missing three games. Seth Curry, who missed Wednesday’s game with left hip flexor soreness, also returned to the lineup.
Another starter, Ben Simmons, one of the league’s top defenders, missed a third consecutive game with an unspecified illness. CELTICS 99, SUNS 86 >> Kemba Walker matched his season high with 32 points and Boston rolled over visiting Phoenix.
Walker was 11 of 17 from the field, hitting five 3-pointers. The Celtics were without Jaylen Brown because of a sore left shoulder, and Jayson Tatum struggled shooting for the second straight game, going 3 of 17. He had 15 points and 11 rebounds.
The Celtics led by 21 points in the second half. They have won nine of their last 11.
Coming off a victory in Philadelphia on Wednesday night, the Suns (42-17) dropped two games behind idle Utah Jazz for the best record in the NBA. Phoenix has the NBA’s best road record at 19-8.
PELICANS 135, MAGIC 100 >> Zion Williamson scored 23 points in 23 minutes in his first game against Orlando, and visiting New Orleans beat the Magic to snap a four-game losing streak.
Brandon Ingram added 29 points and the Pelicans got double-figure scoring from six players. Eric Bledsoe chipped in 15 points by hitting five 3-pointers. Lonzo Ball had 12 assists. Willy Hernangomez had a season-best 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Mo Bamba had 17 points and 12 rebounds for his first double-double of the season and the fourth of his career for Orlando. Rookie Devin Cannady scored a careerbest 17 points.
SPURS 106, PISTONS 91 >> Derrick White had 26 points, Jakob Poeltl added 17 points and 11 rebounds and San Antonio beat Detroit to snap a five-game home losing streak.
HAWKS’ YOUNG TO MISS TWO GAMES >> Atlanta Hawks star guard Trae Young will miss at least two games after an MRI on Thursday revealed a lateral left ankle sprain, the team announced.
He has already been ruled out of today’s game against the Miami Heat, and the team ruled him out for Sunday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Young leads Atlanta with 25.3 points per game and he ranks third in the NBA at 9.6 assists. He missed two games with a calf injury earlier in April.
WIZARDS’ AVDIJA SUFFERS HAIRLINE FRACTURE IN LEG >> Washington Wizards forward Deni Avdija will be out the rest of the season because of a hairline fracture in his lower right leg, the team announced.