Giannis takes game to world stage as Bucks win in Paris

With the world’s two most expensive soccer players cheering him on in Paris on Friday night, Giannis Antetokounmpo took a while to entertain them.

The Greek star found his rhythm late in the game and had 30 points and 12 rebounds to help the NBAleading Milwaukee Bucks beat the Charlotte Hornets 116-103 for their eighth straight win.

The first NBA regularseason game in France drew some famous faces to the Bercy Arena, among them Paris Saint-Germain stars Neymar and Kylian Mbappé — France’s World Cup-winning star.

“It’s insane. The crazy part is that we’re really big fans of them, and they’re big fans of the team. You never expect them to know who we are and what we do, and be fans of the Bucks,” said Antetokounmpo, the NBA MVP and PSG fan. “But it was amazing they came to the game.”

Milwaukee improved to 40-6. The Bucks have the best 46-game start in franchise history. They were 39-7 in 1970-71 when they went on to win the NBA championship.

NUGGETS DENY ZION, PELICANS >> Nikola Jokic had 27 points and 12 rebounds, and the Denver Nuggets beat the New Orleans Pelicans 113-106 on the road.

Zion Williamson scored 15 points in about 21 minutes for New Orleans. The Pelicans dropped to 0-2 since the NBA’s top overall draft choice was activated for the first time this season Wednesday night. WESTBROOK SCORES SEASON-HIGH

45 AS ROCKETS BEAT WOLVES >> Russell

Westbrook scored a season-high 45 points and had 10 assists, and the Houston Rockets overcame another tough night from James Harden to rally past the Minnesota Timberwolves 131-124. Harden finished with a season-low 12 points. BULLS EXPECT MARKKANEN

TO MISS 4-6 WEEKS WITH HIP INJURY >> The Chicago Bulls expect forward Lauri Markkanen to miss four to six weeks because of an injured right hip.