Raptors take down Bucks
Leonard, Siakam each get 30 to offset Antetokounmpo
Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam each scored 30 points, with Siakam setting a career high, and the Toronto Raptors beat the Milwaukee Bucks 123-116 on Saturday night in a matchup of the top two teams in the NBA standings.
Serge Ibaka added 25 points and nine rebounds, Fred Vanvleet had 21 points, and Danny Green 12 points and nine rebounds. The Raptors slowly took charge in the second and third quarters and withstood the Bucks’ comeback attempt in the fourth.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 43 points and 18 rebounds for Milwaukee. Malcolm Brogdon added 15 points, and Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe each had 14. The Bucks had won five straight.
Nuggets 123, Hornets 110: Nikola Jokic scored a seasonhigh 39 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, reserve Paul Millsap added 18 and Western Conference-leading Denver knocked off Charlotte for its 10th straight home victory. Pelicans 133, Cavaliers 98: Jrue Holiday and Julius Randle both scored 22 points, and New Orleans handed Cleveland its ninth straight loss.
76ers 106, Mavericks 100: Joel Embiid had 25 points and 12 rebounds, and Ben Simmons had 20 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists and Philadelphia beat Dallas. Embiid hit two key free throws late for Philadelphia.
Jazz 110, Pistons 105: Donovan Mitchell scored 24 of his 26 points in the second half, and Utah rallied from an 18-point, second-quarter deficit to beat Detroit. Blake Griffin scored 34 points for the Pistons.
Spurs 108, Grizzlies 88: Derrick White scored 19 points, Lamarcus Aldridge added 18 and San Antonio overcame a sluggish start to beat Memphis. Notes: New York center Enes Kanter will not travel to London for the Knicks’ upcoming international game because he believes he could be assassinated because of his opposition to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Kanter announced his plan Friday night after the Knicks’ 119-112 win over the Lakers. Kanter will stay in New York while the Knicks travel to face Washington in London on Jan. 17. He says he can’t travel anywhere except the U.S. and Canada because “there’s a chance I could get killed out there.” Kanter has been a vocal critic of Erdogan for years, and his Turkish passport was revoked last year. Kanter is a follower of a U.s.-based Turkish cleric accused of masterminding a failed military coup in 2016.