BUCKS RALLY PAST SIXERS
Giannis Antetokounmpo came up big in overtime, and then took a seat — right on the court.
Antetokounmpo scored 10 of his 32 points in the extra session to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 109-105 victory over the host Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night in a matchup of two of the Eastern Conference’s best teams.
Bucks 109, 76ers 105 (OT)
After being hounded by Philadelphia All-Star Ben Simmons for most of the game, Antetokounmpo found his offense late with Simmons in foul trouble.
He scored 10 straight Bucks points, the last a 10foot jumper in the lane that pushed Milwaukee’s lead to 105-98 with 1:11 left in overtime. He sat on the court near the 76ers bench after the bucket, drawing boos from the fans.
“I haven’t seen that, that’s what I felt like I wanted to do at the time,” he said. “I was just trying to have fun and enjoy the moment.”
The 76ers weren’t thrilled with the show of joy.
“I wanted to go and Stone Cold Stunner him, but I already had one tech,” Philadelphia’s Dwight Howard said. “He had a hell of a game. I don’t want to talk trash or say anything negative, but we’ll see him again.”
With P.J. Tucker reportedly headed to Milwaukee in a trade with Houston, Donte DiVincenzo scored 20 points and Jrue Holiday added 19 for the Bucks, who have won five in a row and 10 of 11.
Milwaukee’s D.J. Augustin and D.J. Wilson, who according to ESPN will be traded to the Rockets, did not play. Torrey Craig, reportedly headed to Phoenix in a separate deal to clear salary space for Tucker, also sat out.
Mavericks 105, Clippers 89: Luka Doncic scored 42 points and host Dallas earned a split of a two-game set against its first-round playoff opponent from last season. Paul George had 28 points for the Clippers, including a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute of the third
quarter that cut a 12-point deficit in half going to the fourth.
Pistons 116, Raptors 112:
Saddiq Bey had 28 points and 12 rebounds and host Detroit overcame Norman Powell’s 43 points to beat Toronto. The former Lincoln High star made 14 of 18 shots from the floor, including 8 of 12 3-pointers.
Nets 125, Pacers 115:
James Harden had 40 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds for his 11th triple-double of the season, leading Brooklyn past host Indiana. Malcolm Brogdon led Indiana with 24 points, and Domantas Sabonis had a triple-double with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists.
Cavaliers 117, Celtics 110:
Collin Sexton scored 29 points, Darius Garland added 25 and Cleveland’s young guards made big plays down the stretch to beat visiting Boston and snap a four-game
skid. Jayson Tatum scored 29 points and Jaylen Brown 28 for the Celtics, who lost at home to the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.
Warriors 108, Rockets 94:
Draymond Green had 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his third tripledouble of the season and visiting Golden State handed Houston its franchiserecord 18th straight loss. Houston’s skid surpasses the 17 straight losses by the San Diego Rockets in 1968, when they went 15-67 in their first year as a franchise.
Kings 121, Wizards 119:
De’Aaron Fox scored 28 points and hit a jumper over Bradley Beal with 0.7 seconds remaining to lift visiting Sacramento over Washington. Russell Westbrook had 26 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists — his 11th triple-double of the season — for the Wizards, and Beal scored 29 points on 12-of-20 shooting.
Spurs 106, Bulls 99: Jakob Poeltl tied a career high with 20 points and set one with 16 rebounds as San Antonio used a huge fourth quarter to beat host Chicago. Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 29 points.
Nuggets 129, Hornets 104: Michael Porter Jr. scored 28 points and Nikola Jokic had 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists as host Denver rolled.
Grizzlies 89, Heat 86: Ja Morant, Kyle Anderson and De’Anthony Melton all had 13 points for host Memphis.
Notable
Miami traded Meyers Leonard — who had likely played his final game for the Heat, even before drawing widespread criticism for using an anti-Semitic term while livestreaming a video game last week — to the Thunder in exchange for Trevor Ariza and a secondround pick in the 2027 draft.