Antetokounmpo powers Bucks past Knicks; Harden, Irving have big nights

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 30 points and 14 rebounds in his Christmas debut, and the Bucks celebrated their return to the holiday schedule by beating the Knicks, 109-95, on Tuesday.

Brook Lopez scored 20 points for the Bucks, who played on Christmas for the first time since 1977. They were selected for the showcase slate of games largely because of Antetokounmpo but the timing also was perfect to show an emerging team, which improved the NBA’s second-best record to 23-10.

Malcolm Brogdon finished with 17 points for the Bucks, who bounced back from a loss to Miami on Saturday to win for the fifth time in six games.

Rookie Kevin Knox scored 21 points for the Knicks, who have lost six straight Christmas Day games and fell to 22-31 in their NBA-record 53 appearances on the holiday.

New York has lost five in a row and 10 of 11 since rallying to stun the Bucks, 136134, in overtime on Dec. 1 at Madison Square Garden.

It was only a sevenpoint game midway through the third quarter when Antetokounmpo began to seize control. His jumper followed by layup pushed the lead into double digits, and his 11 points in the period helped the Bucks open an 84-65 cushion.

The Bucks were held to a season-low 87 points Saturday in Miami, but the NBA leaders with 116.9 points coming into the game surpassed that early in the fourth quarter against the Knicks.

Noah Vonleh had 14 points and 15 rebounds, while Tim Hardaway Jr. had 14 points and 10 boards but shot just 4 for 18 for New York.

HARDEN SCORES 41,

ROCKETS BEAT THUNDER >> James Harden scored 41 points and the Rockets beat the Thunder, 113-109, on Tuesday for their seventh win in the last eight games.

Harden has scored 30 points or more in a careerhigh seven games in a row, marking the first time a player has done that since Russell Westbrook had eight consecutive 30-point games in November 2016.

A 3-pointer by Paul George with less than two minutes left got Oklahoma City within 4 before Harden missed a 3. Westbrook missed a shot for the Thunder, but George stole the ball from Harden and was fouled by him.

George made both free throws to get the Thunder within 2 with 43.6 seconds left. Harden then drove past George and into the lane for a layup to make it 112-108 with 20.4 seconds left.

Westbrook made 1 of 2 free throws to cut it to 3 with 15 seconds left, and Austin Rivers made a free throw with 7.4 seconds left to secure the win.

George had 28 points and 14 rebounds for the Thunder, and Westbrook added 21 points with nine rebounds and nine assists.

Harden became the first player to score 40 or more points on Christmas since Kevin Durant had 44 for the Thunder in 2010. Harden’s latest big game came as the Rockets played without Chris Paul, who missed his second straight game with a strained left hamstring. The 9-time All-Star is out for at least the next two weeks with the injury suffered Thursday night.

Clint Capela had 16 points and tied a season high with 23 rebounds.

IRVING SCORES 40, LEADS CELTICS TO WIN >> Kyrie Irving hit back-to-back 3-pointers in overtime for six of his 40 points and the Celtics rallied to a 121-114 win over the 76ers on Tuesday night.

Irving, who forced OT on a jump shot with 20 seconds left in the fourth, also pulled down 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who trailed, 113-108, with 3:33 left in the extra period before rallying behind Irving down the stretch.

Ben Simmons’ two free throws with 2:15 left to put the Sixers up, 114-112, but Philadelphia didn’t score again.

Irving’s 3-pointer with 3:01 left gave Boston its first lead of overtime at 115-114, then after a miss by Philadelphia, Irving hit another 3-pointer with 1:28 left and Boston fans leaped to their feet and cheered louder than they had all night.

Jayson Tatum and Marcus Morris scored 23 apiece for Boston and Terry Rozier had 10 points.

Joel Embiid led Philadelphia with 34 points, making 12 of 12 free throws, and pulled down 16 rebounds. Jimmy Butler scored 24, JJ Redick had 17 points and Ben Simmons added 11 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists for the Sixers.