Antetokounmpo scores 30, Bucks top Celtics
MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 12 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, Khris Middleton hit a 3-pointer in the closing seconds and the NBAleading Milwaukee Bucks held off the Boston Celtics 98-97 on Thursday night.
On the second-to-last position, Marcus Smart forced a jump ball with Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo tipped the jump to Brook Lopez, who deflected it toward the basket, but missed as the shot clock expired.
The referees huddled during the timeout and put 3.5 seconds on the clock for the Celtics.
Smart inbounded the ball over the towering Lopez and dropped a pass into Kyrie Irving’s hands at the top of the key. With Eric Bledsoe draped all over him, Irving drove the lane, seemed to stumble and missed an awkward shot as time expired. The Bucks won the season series 2-1, their first over the Celtics since 2014-15.
For Antetokounmpo and Irving, who had 10 of his 22 points in the fourth, it was a rematch since squaring off Sunday at the All-Star Game. Antetokounmpo captained Team Giannis, while Irving started for Team LeBron.
Irving, who has battled a variety of injuries this season, used the All-Star Game to get ready for his return to action. He had missed the two previous games with a strained right knee and 11 overall.
WARRIORS 125, KINGS 123: In Oakland, Calif., Stephen Curry scored 36 points and Kevin Durant added 28 to lead Golden State past Sacramento.
Marvin Bagley III scored 28 to lead the Kings.
LAKERS 111, ROCKETS 106: In Los Angeles, LeBron James scored 29 points and added 11 rebounds to help Los Angeles knock off Houston.
James Harden scored 30 points and Chris Paul had 23 points, 10 rebounds and nine asissts for the Rockets.
76ERS 106, HEAT 102: In Philadelphia, Tobias Harris had 12 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, JJ Redick hit a late 3-pointer and Philadelphia overcame All-Star center Joel Embiid’s absence to beat Miami.
Ben Simmons added 21 points, Boban Marjanovic had 19 and Jimmy Butler 18. Embiid will be out at least a week with a sore left knee.
Dwyane Wade scored 19 points for Miami, and Dion Waiters added 18. CAVALIERS 111, SUNS
98: In Cleveland, Cedi Osman scored 19 points, Kevin Love had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Cleveland sent Phoenix to its franchise-record 16th straight loss.
NBA-worst Phoenix (1149) topped the record of 15 set March 2- April 1, 2018. The Suns’ last victory was Jan. 12 over Denver. TRAIL BLAZERS 113,
NETS 99: In New York, Jusuf Nurkic had 27 points and 12 rebounds, new backup Enes Kanter added 18 points and nine boards in his Portland debut, and the Trail Blazers beat Brooklyn. PELICANS: Coach Alvin Gentry said Anthony Davis was slated to start at Indiana tonight. And interim general manager Danny Ferry said Davis, if healthy, would continue to play for the Pelicans — albeit in a scaled-back role.
“League rules made it clear that Anthony has to play,” Ferry said on a conference call with New Orleans reporters on Thursday night. “As we’ve done previously, we’ll continue to follow their lead. But we’ll also be focused on the future of the team. Therefore, you’ll see a reduction in Anthony’s minutes.”
Davis has requested a trade. The Lakers tried to acquire Davis before this season’s Feb. 7 trade deadline, but the Pelicans declined to move him, opting instead to wait until the offseason, when more will be known about draft slots and more teams can make concrete offers.
NBA rules forbid clubs from resting healthy players in ways deemed detrimental to the league, particularly for nationally televised games and road games.
AGE LIMIT: The NBA and its players are continuing to move forward on plans to eliminate the “one-anddone” rule in college basketball, something that the sides have been working toward for months.
The league has sent a proposal to the National Basketball Players Association on lowering the minimum age for entering the NBA draft from 19 to 18, and the union discussed the contents at a meeting in the Bahamas earlier this week, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The NBPA has had previous talks with the NBA on the idea, which is likely to be in place by the 2022 draft.