January 3 – Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points and threw down a game-winning alley-oop slam to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a thrilling 122-121 victory over the visiting Charlotte Hornets on Friday.
Antetokounmpo grabbed 10 rebounds and dished five assists, giving him the most 30-point, 10-rebound, five-assist games in NBA history, 158. He broke the record he briefly shared with Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Ryan Rollins added 29 points, on 11-of-13 shooting, and eight assists for Milwaukee. Bobby Portis contributed 20 off the bench as the Bucks won for the third time in four games.
Milwaukee native Kon Knueppel led Charlotte with 26 points while Miles Bridges added 25. Brandon Miller, who just missed what would have been a buzzer-beating game-winner, added 19. The Hornets have lost three straight.
Spurs 123, Pacers 113
De’Aaron Fox led all scorers with 24 points and Stephon Castle flirted with a triple-double as San Antonio handed host Indiana its 11th straight loss with a win in Indianapolis.
Dylan Harper complemented Castle’s 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists with 22 points off the bench. Keldon Johnson chipped in with 16 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter. The Spurs improved to 10-3 this season without star Victor Wembayama, who is sidelined with left knee soreness.
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Andrew Nembhard added 19 points and Micah Potter finished with a career-high 16 points in his first start of the season.
Thunder 131, Warriors 94
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 30 points in 28 minutes as Oklahoma City thumped short-handed Golden State in San Francisco.
Chet Holmgren added 15 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks while Branden Carlson recorded 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Thunder, who have won four in a row. The margin was their second largest of the season.
Playing without Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler III and Draymond Green on the front end of a back-to-back, the Warriors saw a two-game winning streak end. Moses Moody, Will Richard and Al Horford each scored 13 points.
Wizards 119, Nets 99
Justin Champagnie scored 20 points off the bench and Alex Sarr added 19 points and four blocks to allow Washington continue visiting Brooklyn’s recent woes.
CJ McCollum added 17 points, and Tre Johnson and Marvin Bagley III chipped in 12 points apiece for Washington, which has won four of its last five after a 5-23 start. Bilal Coulibaly added 11 points for the Wizards, who shot 51.% from the field for the game.
Day’Ron Sharpe, Terance Mann, Ziaire Williams and Drake Powell each scored 14 points for the Nets, who dropped their third straight. Nolan Traore added 12 points but Brooklyn made only 6 of 29 shots from distance and were outrebounded by 18.
Cavaliers 113, Nuggets 108
Darius Garland scored 18 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:13 remaining, as Cleveland outlasted visiting Denver.
Donovan Mitchell had 33 points and Jarrett Allen posted eight points and 12 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who won their third straight after trailing by double digits early in the third quarter. Garland added eight assists and De’Andre Hunter had 16 points.
Jamal Murray scored a game-high 34 points and had six rebounds and seven assists for Denver, which was without four starters, topped by three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who is out until February after hyperextending his left knee Dec. 29. Christian Braun (left ankle), Aaron Gordon (right hamstring) and Cam Johnson (right knee) also were inactive.
Bulls 121, Magic 114
Matas Buzelis scored 21 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished seven assists as Chicago beat visiting Orlando to win for the seventh time in nine games and get to .500.
Kevin Huerter added 20 points while Nikola Vucevic (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Jalen Smith (11 points, 10 rebounds) both notched double-doubles for Chicago, which scored eight of the game’s final 12 points to ice the victory.
Paolo Banchero put up a game-high 31 points for the Magic and Anthony Black had 18 points, but Orlando faded in the fourth quarter, shooting 33.3% in the period and 1-for-11 from long range.
Suns 129, Kings 102
Devin Booker scored 33 points, Dillon Brooks added 18 points and host Phoenix pulled away in the second half to beat slumping Sacramento and improve to 3-0 on the season against the Kings.
Collin Gillespie, Mark Williams and Oso Ighodaro chipped in 15 points apiece for the Suns, who have won five of their past six overall. Keegan Murray put up 23 points, Russell Westbrook added 17 and Keon Ellis had 14 off the bench for the Kings, who have lost four in a row and 14 of 17.
Booker tossed in 27 points in the first half to help the Suns to a six-point halftime lead. The Suns subsequently outscored the Kings 67-46 in the second half to cruise in their first game back from a 3-1 road trip. Booker, Brooks and Williams did not play in the fourth quarter.
Trail Blazers 122, Pelicans 109
Deni Avdija scored 34 points and dished 11 assists as Portland sent host New Orleans to a sixth consecutive loss.
Caleb Love connected on a career-high-matching six 3-pointers en route to 22 points off the bench for the Trail Blazers, who earned their third win in four games. Donovan Clingan posted 11 points and 15 rebounds.
Zion Williamson logged a season-high 35 points plus eight rebounds for the Pelicans, who were without injured starters Trey Murphy III, Derik Queen, Herbert Jones and Saddiq Bey.
Hawks 111, Knicks 99
Jalen Johnson recorded a triple-double for visiting Atlanta, which withstood a late rally by New York to earn a win.
Johnson finished with 18 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in his seventh triple-double of the season and the ninth of his five-year career. Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Onyeka Okongwu scored 23 points apiece for the Hawks, who led by as many as 26 late in the third quarter on their way to winning a second straight game.
The Hawks won despite the absence of Trae Young (quad), who missed a third straight game. OG Anunoby (19 points, 10 rebounds) had a double-double and Jalen Brunson finished with a game-high 24 points for the Knicks, who got within single digits late. New York set season lows for points scored and 3-point shooting percentage (20.9%, 9 of 43).
Lakers 128, Grizzlies 121
Luka Doncic scored 34 points — including 15 in the third quarter — and added eight assists while LeBron James added 31 points with nine rebounds as host Los Angeles held off Memphis.
Jake LaRavia scored 21 points against his former team and Marcus Smart added 13 with eight rebounds and seven assists as the Lakers won for just the second time in six games during their roughest stretch of the season.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 25 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 20 for the Grizzlies, who have lost three consecutive games for the first time since a five-game skid in the middle of November. The teams will play again in Los Angeles on Sunday.
–Field Level Media
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