Giannis scores 42 points, Bucks extend winning streak to 5 games with a 142-129 win over Wizards
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, left, reaches to knock the ball away from Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 42 points on 20-of-23 shooting, and the Milwaukee Bucks won their fifth consecutive game, 142-129 over the Washington Wizards on Monday night.
Washington dropped its sixth straight, but not without putting up a decent fight against the star-studded Bucks.
Antetokounmpo shot 87.0% from the field, the highest mark in a game by a player with at least 20 attempts since Mike Woodson of the Kansas City Kings went 22 of 24 (91.7%) in a 48-point effort against the Houston Rockets on Feb. 20, 1983. Antetokounmpo also contributed 13 rebounds and eight assists.
Jordan Poole scored 30 points for Washington, and Kyle Kuzma added 22 points and 13 assists.
Damian Lillard scored 22 points for the Bucks. Khris Middleton scored 18 to move past Sidney Moncrief and into fourth place on Milwaukee’s career scoring list.
NUGGETS 107, PISTONS 103
DETROIT (AP) — Reggie Jackson scored 21 points and carried Denver in the fourth quarter after two-time MVP Nikola Jokic was ejected in the first half, and the Nuggets handed Detroit its 12th straight loss.
Jackson had eight points and three assists in the final period as he and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (20 points) shined against their former team. Michael Porter Jr. finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds for the defending NBA champion Nuggets (10-4).
Jokic and Denver coach Michael Malone were ejected after arguing calls. Malone was thrown out for coming onto the court to dispute a call late in the first quarter, and Jokic was tossed for picking up a second technical with 1:22 left in the second period.
Jokic finished with nine points, five rebounds and five assists in 15 minutes.
Cade Cunningham had 27 points and nine assists for the Pistons (2-13), while Marvin Bagley III finished with 18 points.
HORNETS 121, CELTICS 118, OT
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Miles Bridges hit a 3-pointer with 6.6 seconds left in overtime and Charlotte beat Boston to snap a six-game home losing streak.
LaMelo Ball finished with 36 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, and Gordon Hayward added 20 points for the Hornets, who rallied from an 18-point deficit.
Jayson Tatum finished with 45 points, but missed a free throw with 5.2 seconds left that would have tied the game after getting fouled on a 3-point shot. He had made the first two before the crucial miss.
Gordon Hayward made two free throws to put Charlotte back up by three points with 0.8 left, and Bridges stole the inbounds pass to seal the win.
Peyton Pritchard had 21 points on five 3s for Boston, which had its six game winning streak snapped.
CLIPPERS 124, SPURS 99
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Paul George scored 28 points, Kawhi Leonard added 21 and Los Angeles rolled past Victor Wembanyama and San Antonio, extending the Spurs’ losing streak to nine games.
James Harden added 13 points and 10 assists as Los Angeles won its sixth straight over San Antonio.
The Clippers won their second straight game with Harden after dropping their first five games since acquiring him from Philadelphia.
Wembanyama, the No. 1 pick in the draft, was held to nine points and three rebounds. Keldon Johnson had 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead San Antonio and Cedi Osman scored 17 points.
The Spurs’ losing streak matches the fifth-longest in franchise history.
HEAT 118, BULLS 100
CHICAGO (AP) — Bam Adebayo had 23 points and 11 rebounds, and Miami topped Chicago, two nights after blowing a 21-point lead in the same building.
Jimmy Butler scored 16 points against his former team, while Adebayo earned his eighth double-double of the season.
The Heat have won eight of their last nine games after a 1-4 start to the season. Zach LaVine was limited to 13 points on a season-low nine shot attempts. Alex Caruso also finished with 13 points along with a block and a steal.
Coby White led the Bulls with a season-high 20 points, including four 3-pointers. Nikola Vucevic scored 18 points, and DeMar DeRozan added 15.
Rookie forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 19 points and Kevin Love added 11 points and eight rebounds for a Heat bench unit that combined for 42 points, compared to 21 for the Bulls’ reserves.
TIMBERWOLVES 117, KNICKS 100
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards had 23 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 20 points, and Western Conference-leading Minnesota beat New York Knicks.
Minnesota (10-3) is 6-0 at home — tying a franchise record to start a season — and has won nine of its past 10 games.
Jalen Brunson scored 25 points and Julius Randle had 21 for New York, which shot 34.8% (32 of 92) to Minnesota’s 51.3%.
Rudy Gobert scored 16 points for the Wolves. Minnesota forward Jaden McDaniels left with a sprained right ankle in the first quarter and didn’t return. That opened up extended minutes for Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who finished with 11 points, three rebounds and three assists.
Naz Reid added 10 points as the Wolves’ bench outscored New York’s reserves 43-30.
PELICANS 129, KINGS 93
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Brandon Ingram hit all five of his 3-pointers and led all scorers with 31 points, and Zion Williamson dominated the paint by scoring 26 points on 12-for-16 shooting to power New Orleans over Sacramento.
The Pelicans trailed 47-43 midway through the second quarter and used a 44-10 scoring outburst spanning the second and third quarters to build an 87-57 lead.
Harrison Barnes scored 16 points and De’Aaron Fox 14 for Pacific Division-leading Sacramento. Fox and Donatus Sabonis, who finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, did not play in the fourth quarter.
WARRIORS 121, ROCKETS 116
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry scored 32 points with five 3-pointers to extend his latest NBA record, Klay Thompson broke out of his shooting slump with a season-high 20 points, and Golden State snapped a six-game losing streak with a win over Houston.
Already the league’s all-time leader in made 3-pointers, Curry is the first player in league history to have four or more in his first 13 games. The nine-time All-Star and two-time MVP was 8 of 14 from the floor and 5 of 9 beyond the arc. It’s Curry’s seventh game this season with 30 or more points, and 10th with at least 25.
Chris Paul added 15 points and 12 assists helping Golden State to its 12th consecutive win against Houston.
Alperen Sengun had 30 points and 13 rebounds for Houston. Jabari Smith Jr. scored 17, and Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green each had 16.
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