Giannis Antetokounmpo leads Milwaukee Bucks to season sweep of Detroit Pistons
Written by News on 30/01/2019
Giannis Antetokounmpo stuffed the stat sheet as he led the Milwaukee Bucks to a 115-105 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
Milwaukee Bucks 115-105 Detroit Pistons
Giannis Antetokounmpo collected 21 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds and three steals as the visiting Milwaukee Bucks completed their first four-game season series sweep of the Detroit Pistons with a 115-105 victory on Tuesday night.
Eric Bledsoe had 20 points and seven assists and Pat Connaughton added 16 points off the bench for Milwaukee. Khris Middleton contributed 15 points, six rebounds and six assists, Brook Lopez tossed in 14 points and Tony Snell had 11 points.
Reggie Jackson paced the Pistons with 25 points, while Andre Drummond had 20 points and 13 rebounds. Blake Griffin added 18 points, nine assists and seven rebounds but also made five turnovers.
The Bucks are 9-1 against Central Division opponents.
Bledsoe made a layup and Antetokounmpo dunked off Pistons turnovers to give Milwaukee a 68-55 lead early in the third. Detroit pulled within four on two occasions later in the quarter but the Bucks finished it on a 10-2 run to make it 89-77.
Antetokounmpo scored two baskets and assisted on two three-pointers during that span.
Bledsoe made two three-pointers and Snell had one during the first four minutes of the fourth quarter as the Bucks’ lead grew to 102-83 and they cruised to victory.
Phoenix Suns 124-126 San Antonio Spurs
Rudy Gay poured in a tie-breaking, 21-foot jump shot as time expired to lift the San Antonio Spurs to a 126-124 win over the visiting Phoenix Suns.
San Antonio led by four points after Davis Bertans barely beat the shot clock with a 27ft three-pointer with 33.3 seconds to play. Phoenix’s Devin Booker then cut the lead to two points with a pull-up jumper with 24.9 remaining, and Josh Jackson tied the game with a dunk with 19.6 seconds on the clock after a Booker steal.
Gay then took the game in his hands, patiently working against Phoenix defender Kelly Oubre Jr a step inside the arc before letting fly with his deciding shot just before the buzzer and earning the Spurs their third win in a row.
LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs with 29 points and 14 rebounds. Bertans scored 18, Marco Belinelli added 17, Gay hit for 16 points, Derrick White rolled in 15, and Patty Mills and Bryn Forbes tallied 12 points each for San Antonio.
Booker paced all scorers with 38 points. Jamal Crawford added 22 for the Suns, Mikal Bridges poured in 17 points, Jackson and Oubre rang up 14 each, and Richaun Holmes posted 10 points for Phoenix.
It was the ninth straight loss for Phoenix, their second-longest losing streak of the season.
Philadelphia 76ers 121-105 Los Angeles Lakers
The visiting 76ers welcomed Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler and Wilson Chandler back into their starting lineup and the trio helped Philadelphia run over the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers 121-105 to get back on track after a rough start to a five-game road trip.
Embiid finished with 28 points and 11 rebounds. Butler scored 20 points, and Chandler finished with nine. Ben Simmons added 19 points for Philadelphia, Mike Muscala scored 17 off the bench, and JJ Redick had 13.
Brandon Ingram scored a career-high 36 points for the Lakers. He has posted at least 20 points in three straight games for the first time in his three-year career. JaVale McGee contributed 17 points and 14 rebounds off the bench, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 12 points.
The 76ers surged to a 14-2 lead just over three minutes into the game, and Los Angeles would never get closer than eight points the rest of the way.
The Lakers committed nine of their 21 turnovers in the first quarter while falling behind by as many as 21 points.
Oklahoma City Thunder 126-117 Orlando Magic
Dennis Schroder’s 18 points in the fourth quarter led the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder to a 126-117 win over the Orlando Magic.
Schroder had 21 points in the game, and Paul George scored 37 points, 31 in the first half. Russell Westbrook had 23 points, 14 assists and 14 rebounds for Oklahoma City, who extended their winning streak to six games.
Nikola Vucevic led Orlando with 27 points and 11 rebounds, and Evan Fournier added 17 points. The Magic have lost four straight and seven of their last eight games.
Schroder scored 18 points during a 23-5 Thunder run midway through the fourth quarter. Oklahoma City went from trailing by three to up 116-103 with 5:11 left in the game.
Vucevic made a hook shot to cut the Thunder’s lead to five with 2:35 left, but Oklahoma City responded with three quick baskets to extend the lead to 11.
The Thunder led by as much as 15 in the third quarter, but Orlando came charging back and reclaimed the lead with a 28-5 run. The Magic held George scoreless in the third quarter on 0-for-3 shooting after a big first half.
George took over in the first two quarters, scoring 31 points and leading the Thunder to a 69-63 lead. George scored 14 in the first quarter, 17 in the second and was 11-for-16 from the field in the first half.
New Orleans Pelicans 121-116 Houston Rockets
Jahlil Okafor produced a season-high in points for a second consecutive game while Jrue Holiday guided a patchwork rotation with a sensational defensive performance as the depleted New Orleans Pelicans stunned the host Houston Rockets 121-116 at Toyota Center.
James Harden led the Rockets with 37 points – his 24th straight game with at least 30 – and added 11 rebounds, but shot just 11-for-32.
Okafor paired 27 points with 12 rebounds while Holiday posted 19 points, six rebounds, eight assists and six blocked shots for the Pelicans, who were missing five of their top six rotation players and reeling from the trade request of All-NBA center Anthony Davis (who is also sidelined with a finger injury).
The Pelicans trailed by as many as 15 points and didn’t take their first lead until 2:06 remained in the third quarter when Kenrich Williams (eight points, 16 rebounds) scored on a backdoor layup for a 90-88 edge. Emboldened, the Pelicans stretched their lead to as many as 12 in the fourth.
Six Pelicans scored in double figures, with Ian Clark posting 15 off the bench while Tim Frazier added 10 points and 10 assists in 20 minutes. The Pelicans shot 51.1 per cent and produced a plus-10 advantage on the boards. After a torrid start from deep, Houston finished 19-of-56 on three-pointers.
Chicago Bulls 117-122 Brooklyn Nets
D’Angelo Russell scored 30 points as the Brooklyn Nets overcame some sluggish moments to extend their home winning streak to nine games with a 122-117 victory over the Chicago Bulls.
Russell scored at least 30 points for the eighth time this season as he hit 10-of-22 shots and added seven assists. He scored 22 of his points after half-time as the Nets rebounded from Monday’s loss in Boston.
Russell’s latest productive game also helped the Nets win for the 13th time in their last 14 home games since December 7. The Nets (28-24) also matched their win total from last season and beat the Bulls for the sixth straight time.
Shabazz Napier added 24 in a game where the Nets did not lead by more than eight points at any point and did not get the lead for good until the 5:34 mark of the third.
Reserve Rondae Hollis-Jefferson contributed 18 while Joe Harris added 17 as the Nets shot 50 per cent and also improved to 20-6 in their last 26 games.
Zach LaVine scored 26 points as the Bulls (11-40) lost for the 14th time in 15 games and dropped their third straight close game. Jabari Parker added 22 points while Lauri Markkanen collected 18 and a career-high 19 rebounds.
Washington Wizards 113-116 Cleveland Cavaliers
Jordan Clarkson scored 28 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers squandered most of a 25-point fourth-quarter lead before holding on to defeat the Washington Wizards 116-113 for their second straight win.
Washington cut the deficit to three points in the final minute and had a chance to tie when they inbounded the ball with 10.8 seconds left but Cedi Osman knocked the ball away from Troy Brown, who was attempting a three-pointer, and the Cavs held on despite missing nine fourth-quarter free throws.
Osman had 26 points for Cleveland and Ante Zizic had 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Bradley Beal had 31 points for Washington but was on the bench during the fourth-quarter rally. Reserve Jordan McCrae had 15 points and Trevor Ariza added 13 for the Wizards, who have lost two straight.
A 13-2 run brought the Wizards within 109-99 and McCrae’s jumper made it 112-103 with 1:42 left to play. Washington cut it to 115-108 on Brown’s lay-up with 35.1 seconds left. After Cleveland’s Collin Sexton missed two free throws, McCrae hit a triple with 30.7 seconds remaining.
Clarkson free throws extended the lead to 116-111, but McCrae’s two free throws pulled Washington within 116-113 with 18.5 seconds remaining.
Osman missed two free throws and Washington had the ball with 10.8 seconds remaining before Brown coughed up possession to effectively settle the game.
(c) Sky News 2019: Giannis Antetokounmpo leads Milwaukee Bucks to season sweep of Detroit Pistons
