Bucks take showdown, move into second in East
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday each scored 29 points and the Bucks edged the shorthanded Boston Celtics 127121 on Thursday night in Milwaukee to take over second place in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Bucks (50-30) scored the game's final nine points to move a halfgame ahead of the Celtics (50-31) and a full game ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers (49-31), who lost at Toronto on Thursday.
Milwaukee withstood a triple-double from Jaylen Brown, who had 22 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for Boston. Brown's 11 assists matched his career high.
Marcus Smart shot 7 of 12 from 3-point range and was the Celtics' leading scorer with a season-high 29 points. Daniel Theis had 22 points and Derrick White added 19 for the Celtics.
Khris Middleton had 22 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds for the Bucks.
One night after a win at Chicago, the Celtics held Jayson Tatum and Al Horford out of Thursday's game. TIMBERWOLVES 127, SPURS 121>> Anthony Edwards scored 49 points to offset eight Spurs scorers in double figures as Minnesota won at home.
RAPTORS 119, 76ERS 114>> Pascal Siakam had 37 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds for his third career triple-double, Gary Trent Jr. scored 30 points and the Raptors won in Toronto. Siakam shot 14 for 28, going 1 for 7 from 3-point range. He made 8 for 10 free throws. Precious Achiuwa scored 20 points and made a career-high five 3-pointers, and Scottie Barnes had 13 points and 10 rebounds to help the Raptors win for the seventh time in eight games. Joel Embiid had 30 points and 10 rebounds, and James Harden had 13 points and 15 assists for the 76ers,
HORNETS 128, MAGIC 101>> LaMelo Ball had 26 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds for the Hornets in Charlotte. Terry Rozier added 22 points as Charlotte pulled within one game of the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets, who are tied for eighth place in the Eastern Conference with two games remaining in the regular season.
PELICANS 127, TRAIL BLAZERS 94>> CJ McCollum scored 23 points in 29 minutes against his former team and host New Orleans moved closer to clinching a home playin game. Jonas Valanciunas, who returned from a sore right ankle, scored 14 points in 21 minutes for the Pelicans, who were without leading scorer Brandon Ingram (right hamstring).
NOTES>> Brooklyn waived veteran forward James Johnson, opening a roster spot ahead of the postseason. The move would allow the Nets to convert Kessler Edwards' two-way contract to a standard NBA deal, making him eligible for the postseason.