Holiday’s late jumper lifts Bucks over Grizzlies
With seconds remaining, no timeouts and down a point, the Milwaukee Bucks knew they had to push the pace.
Jrue Holiday took care of the rest.
Holiday’s 11foot baseline jumper with two seconds remaining gave the Bucks a 112111 victory over the host Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night in a game in which the teams exchanged the lead five times in the final minute.
“I was the first one down the court, so it was pretty much me and (Grizzlies forward) Dillon Brooks,” Holiday said. “I just took the opportunity.”
Memphis rookie Desmond Bane had a final chance for the Grizzlies, but his 3pointer hit the front of the rim, giving the Bucks their sixth victory in seven games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 26 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, and Khris Middleton added 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Ja Morant led Memphis with 35 points, 28 of them in the second half. Brooks finished with 23 points, and Jonas Valanciunas had 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Wizards 119, Clippers 117:
Bradley Beal scored 33 points and Washington pushed ahead with a late run to beat visiting Los Angeles after AllStar Paul George was a late scratch due to dizziness before tipoff. The Wizards have won eight of 11 heading into the AllStar break to move into the fringes of contention in the bunched Eastern Conference. The Clippers have lost six of nine but are still one of the top teams in the West.
Celtics 132, Raptors 125:
Jayson Tatum had 27 points and 12 rebounds and Boston won its fourth straight game, outlasting shorthanded Toronto at home. The Raptors, losers of four of their last five, played without three starters as they remained in the health and safety protocols.
Nuggets 113, Pacers 103:
Nikola Jokic racked up 24 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists to push Denver past host Indiana. The Nuggets closed out the first half of the season with four straight road wins.
Knicks 114, Pistons 104:
Julius Randle had 27 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists, sending New York into the break with a winning record after a victory at home against Detroit. RJ Barrett added 21 points to help the Knicks improve to 1918 in their first season under Tom Thibodeau.
Heat 103, Pelicans 93: Jimmy Butler had 29 points and nine assists, and Miami took advantage of Zion Williamson’s absence to get a win in New Orleans. Brandon Ingram scored 17 points and Steven Adams scored 15 for the Pelicans.
Thunder 107, Spurs 102:
Shai GilgeousAlexander had 33 points and visiting Oklahoma City rallied in the second half to beat San Antonio. Mike Muscala added 18 points, and Luguentz Dort had 15 for the Thunder.
Trail Blazers 123, Kings 119:
Damian Lillard had 44 points and seven rebounds to drive host Portland to its third straight win. De’Aaron Fox had 32 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds for Sacramento.