Holiday has 40, Bucks top Celtics for 11th straight
Jrue Holiday scored a season-high 40 points and made a goahead 3-pointer with 25.2 seconds left in overtime as the Milwaukee Bucks edged the short-handed Boston Celtics 131-125 on Tuesday for their 11th consecutive victory.
Giannis Antetokounmpo added 36 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists as the Bucks (4017) moved within a halfgame of the Celtics (41-17) in the Eastern Conference standings.
Boston was playing without both its All-Stars – Jayson Tatum (non-COVID illness) and Jaylen Brown (facial fracture) – as well as Marcus Smart (sprained right ankle) and Al Horford (swelling in right knee).
The Celtics still nearly earned their fifth straight win.
Wisconsin native Sam Hauser made a game-tying 3-pointer from 29 feet away with three seconds left in regulation to force overtime. Boston's Derrick White then scored the first five points of overtime.
The Celtics still had a five-point lead with two minutes left, but the Bucks scored the final seven points of the game.
Holiday stole the ball from White and dunked to cut Boston's lead to 123-122 with 1:32 left. After each team made two free throws, Holiday put the Bucks ahead for good with his 3-pointer.
SUNS 120, KINGS 109 >> Devin Booker scored 32 points, Deandre Ayton had 29 points and 11 rebounds, and Phoenix beat Sacramento with superstar acquisition Kevin Durant watching from the bench.
It was the first home game for the Suns since they completed a trade with Brooklyn for Durant, who is recovering from a right knee injury and hasn't played since Jan. 12. He was introduced during a timeout in the third quarter and received a standing ovation. Durant is expected back sometime after this weekend's All-Star break.
Booker was 13 of 20 from the field and did not attempt a 3-pointer in 29 minutes. Chris Paul had a season-high 19 assists and scored 17 points for
Phoenix, which has won 11 of its last 14. Josh Okogie scored 19 points and made a team-high three 3-pointers.
De'Aaron Fox led the Kings with 35 points, following up his 36-point performance in a win over Dallas on Saturday.
Domantas Sabonis had 24 points and 15 rebounds, and Kevin Huerter scored 18 for Sacramento, which saw its lead over Phoenix in the Pacific Division shrink to one game.
The Suns led by as many as 13 points in the third quarter, but the Kings closed within four at the end of the period. Sacramento kept it close in the fourth, but Okogie's 3 with 1:42 remaining turned out to be the Kings' final basket. Paul responded with a step-back jumper to put the Suns ahead by nine. RAPTORS 123, MAGIC 113 >> Jakob Poeltl scored 30 points, Pascal Siakam had 26 and Toronto beat Orlando for its fifth win in six games.
Scottie Barnes scored 17 points, Fred VanVleet had 10 points and a season-high 15 assists, and Precious Achiuwa had 11 points and 13 rebounds for the Raptors.
Wendell Carter Jr. scored 26 points, Jalen Suggs had 24 off the bench and Markelle Fultz scored 19 points for the Magic.
A former Raptor who was reacquired from San Antonio last week, Poeltl shot 15 for 17 and added nine rebounds. The 30 points were the most he's scored as a Raptors player. His career high is 31, set with San Antonio last Nov. 15 at Portland. 76ERS BEEF UP FRONTCOURT WITH ADDITION OF C DEDMON >> The Philadelphia 76ers added some frontcourt depth for the playoffs and signed veteran center Dewayne Dedmon for the rest of the season, the team announced Tuesday.
Dedmon, a 10-year-veteran, averaged 5.7 points and 3.6 rebounds in 30 games with the Miami Heat. The 7-footer spent the past three-plus seasons with Miami, averaging 6.2 points and 5.1 rebounds. He shot 56.6% from the field.
The Sixers have been thin at center behind AllStar Joel Embiid. They have used Montrezl Harrell and Paul Reed at the backup spots.