Bucks beat short-handed Mavericks 132-117
DALLAS (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 29 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, Damian Lillard scored 28 and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Dallas Mavericks 132-117 on Saturday night.
Gary Trent Jr. added 20 points as the Bucks won for the sixth time in seven games, surging into fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
Kyrie Irving scored 31 points for the short-handed Mavericks, who are trying to stay afloat in the West playoff race until Anthony Davis returns from a groin injury, possibly by mid-March. The star forward got hurt in his Dallas debut after the seismic trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Irving made all 11 of his free throws, but was just 2 of 9 from 3-point range as the Mavs shot 28% (11 of 40) from beyond the arc.
WIZARDS 113, HORNETS 110
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Khris Middleton and Bilal Coulibaly each scored 17 points and Washington defeated Charlotte in a matchup of the NBA’s two worst teams.
Richaun Holmes added 15 points and nine rebounds for the Wizards, who had eight players finish in double figures in scoring.
Mark Williams had 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Hornets, who’ve lost six straight. LaMelo Ball added 20 points and Miles Bridges had 18 for Charlotte.
The Wizards still have the league’s worst record at 11-48, but the Hornets (14-45) aren’t far behind.
Washington began to pull away late in the third quarter on a pair of 3-pointers by Bub Carrington, then built a 14-point lead to open the fourth when Marcus Smart buried a 3-pointer and scored on a floater.
PISTONS 115, NETS 94
DETROIT (AP) — Cade Cunningham broke out of a slump by scoring nine of his 15 points in the fourth quarter and Detroit pulled away to beat Brooklyn.
Cunningham scored a season-worst 11 points Friday in a 134-119 loss to Denver and only had six points through three quarters against the Nets, but had a 3-pointer and two three-point plays.
Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley and Jalen Duren all scored 18 points for the Pistons, who had their eight-game winning streak snapped by the Nuggets.
Tyrese Martin came off the bench to score 23 points for the Nets, who have lost four straight. Brooklyn’s starters were outscored 73-47.
The Nets were within six at the start of the fourth, but Cunningham scored six points in a 16-6 run that made it 95-81 with 7:33 left.
KINGS 113, ROCKETS 103
HOUSTON (AP) — DeMar DeRozan had 21 points and Sacramento overcome an early injury to Domantas Sabonis for their third straight victory, winning over Houston.
Zach LaVine added 20 points for Sacramento. The Kings had a 13-3 run to push their advantage to 97-85 with 10 minutes remaining. LaVine and Keon Ellis had 3-pointers in that stretch and DeRozan scored the last five points.
Alperen Sengun led the Rockets with 30 points and 10 rebounds. Jalen Green added 24 points in the loss that ended a two-game winning streak.
Sabonis, who entered the game averaging 19.9 points and 14.4 rebounds, left about a minute into the game with a hamstring injury and didn’t return. He was running down the court when he pulled up and grabbed his left hamstring.
SPURS 130, GRIZZLIES 128
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — De’Aaron Fox broke a tie with a 20-footer with 2.6 seconds left for the last of his 20 points and San Antonio beat Memphis.
Memphis center Jaren Jackson Jr. had tied it with 22.3 seconds left on a 3-pointer that banked in, setting the stage for Fox’s final basket.
Fox’s teammates mobbed him after Santi Aldama missed a desperation heave as the horn sounded.
Stephon Castle had 24 points and seven assists to help the Spurs end a four-game losing streak. Devin Vassell matched Fox with 20 points, and Jeremy Sochan added 18.
Jackson scored 42 points. Jaylen Wells had 18 for Memphis, and Zach Edey had 17 points, nine rebounds and three blocks.
Memphis was coming off a 114-113 loss to the New York Knicks on Friday night, and the Grizzlies played without their starting backcourt of Ja Morant and Desmond Bane, who sat out with various soreness on the second game of a back-to-back.
The Spurs shot 61% in the first half en route to a 77-58 lead.
76ERS 126, WARRIORS 119
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Quentin Grimes scored a career-high 44 points and Philadelphia snapped a nine-game losing streak, beating Golden State in a game where Stephen Curry had his first dunk in six years.
Curry’s one-handed jam on a break cut the 76ers’ lead to 109-104 midway through the fourth quarter.
Kelly Oubre Jr. had 20 points for Philadelphia. Guerschon Yabusele added 18, and Paul George had 17 points and seven rebounds. Philadelphia improved to 21-39, winning for the first time since Feb. 4 against Dallas.
Curry had 29 points and 13 assists for the Warriors, who had won five in a row. Quenton Post added 16 points, and Gary Payton Jr. had 15.
Grimes took the offensive controls while George and Tyrese Maxey struggled, scoring 12 points in the third seven minutes of the second half as Philadelphia extended its lead to 15.