Giannis has big block to help Bucks beat 76ers

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 40 points and had a game-deciding block of Joel Embiid in the final seconds to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 118-116 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night in a matchup of two of the Eastern Conference's top teams.

Khris Middleton added 22 points and Jrue Holiday had 18 for the Bucks, who pulled within a half-game of idle Miami for first place in the East.

James Harden had 32 points and nine rebounds for the 76ers, and Embiid recovered from a slow start and finished with 29 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. Philadelphia dropped 1½ games behind the Heat in the conference.

Antetokounmpo added 14 rebounds, six assists and three blocks for the defending NBA champion Bucks. BULLS 107, WIZARDS 94 >> DeMar DeRozan scored 14 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, and the Chicago Bulls pulled away for a victory over the Washington Wizards.

Nikola Vucevic scored 27 points for Chicago, which is trying to stay in the top six in the Eastern Conference and avoid the play-in round of the postseason. The Bulls (44-32) took a half-game lead over Toronto (43-32) for fifth place in the East, and they lead seventhplace Cleveland (42-33) by 1 ½ games.

Rui Hachimura scored 21 points for the Wizards. MAVERICKS 128, LAKERS 110 >> Luka Doncic scored 34 points in a triple-double and the Dallas Mavericks routed the Lakers with Los Angeles, missing LeBron James because of an ankle issue while anticipating the return of injured Anthony Davis. Malik Monk scored 28 points and Russell Westbrook had 25 for the Lakers. NETS 130, PISTONS 123 >> Kevin Durant collected 41 points and 11 rebounds as the Brooklyn Nets rallied in the second half for a victory over the Detroit Pistons. Kyrie Irving added 24 in his second home game of the season . Bruce Brown contributed 15 points and Andre Drummond totaled 14 points and 13 boards for the Nets.