Bucks bet on duo to beat Cavs

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 27 points, Eric Bledsoe had 26 and the Bucks held off the Cleveland Cavaliers, 119-116, last night in Milwaukee.

The Bucks ended a five-game losing streak to the Cavaliers. Khris Middleton had 18 points and 10 assists for Milwaukee, and Malcolm Brogdon scored 16 points.

LeBron James scored 39 points for Cleveland, which lost for just the second time in its last 20 games. James had seven assists but grabbed just one rebound in the waning seconds. Kevin Love finished with 21 points for the Cavaliers.

After a slow start, the Bucks got to the Cavaliers for 39 second-quarter points. Milwaukee cracked the 100-point barrier early in the fourth, but then stalled.

Milwaukee led 103-83 when Cleveland launched a furious comeback. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Dwyane Wade put the Cavaliers up 107-105, capping a 24-3 run and giving the visitors their first lead since the second quarter.

A 3-pointer by Brogdon put the Bucks back in front with 3:38 remaining. A traditional three-point play by James put the Cavaliers ahead 113-112 with about two minutes left.

Tony Snell responded with a 3-pointer for Milwaukee with 58.9 seconds remaining. After a Cleveland miss, Antetokounmpo grabbed a loose ball, hit a short shot and was fouled. His free throw gave the Bucks a 117-113 lead with 5.9 seconds to go.

Wade finished with 14 points for Cleveland, and Jeff Green had 13.

Milwaukee took its first lead early in the second quarter at 41-40 with Love and James on the bench. The Bucks remained hot even after the duo returned and at one point extended their advantage to 14. They led 69-58 at the half.

Kings 101, 76ers 95 — Zach Randolph scored 27 points and Buddy Hield added 24 to lead Sacramento to the win against host Philadelphia, which lost for the seventh time in eight games and was missing Joel Embiid for a the second straight night due to a back injury.

Frank Mason III added 16 points for the Kings, who came back from a 16-point second-half deficit.

Ben Simmons had 13 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists for the 76ers, while Robert Covington led the scoring with 17 points.

Wizards 116, Pelicans 106 — Bradley Beal scored 26 points, Mike Scott had a season-high 24 and Washington beat visiting New Orleans for its third win in four games.

John Wall added 18 points and 10 assists for the Wizards. Marcin Gortat had 10 points, 14 rebounds and three blocked shots.

Anthony Davis scored 37 points for the Pelicans, who dropped a second straight game, and DeMarcus Cousins had 26 points and 13 rebounds.

Elsewhere in the NBA — Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry will miss at least one more week with a sprained right ankle. Golden State has won all five games since Curry was hurt, and he will miss three more games this week, as well as the Christmas Day showdown against Cleveland before getting evaluated again . . . .

Brook Lopez of the Los Angeles Lakers has a sprained ankle and will be re-evaluated in three weeks.