Giannis Antetokounmpo dishes out double-double in Bucks victory; LeBron James exits Lakers defeat with injury; dominant 76ers cruise past Kings; Jonas Valanciunas helps Grizzlies see off short-handed Warriors; Clippers trounce Hornets
Sunday 21 March 2021 07:54, UK
Giannis Antetokounmpo's double-double carried the Milwaukee Bucks to victory over the San Antonio Spurs, while LeBron James exited the Los Angeles Lakers' defeat to the Atlanta Hawks with an ankle injury.
Antetokounmpo had 26 points to lead seven players in double figures as the Bucks outlasted the Spurs 120-113 to win their sixth straight.
The reigning Defensive Player of the Year tied a career high by dishing a season-high 15 assists alongside eight rebounds. Milwaukee have won 11 of 12, including all five of their games since the All-Star break.
The Bucks led by seven at halftime and four after three periods and never let San Antonio, who were playing the second game of a road back-to-back, closer than four points in the final quarter.
Khris Middleton added 23 for the Bucks, with Jrue Holiday scoring 21, Donte DiVincenzo hitting for 12 points and taking 13 rebounds, Brook Lopez and Pat Connaughton tallying 11 points each, and Bryn Forbes pouring in 10.
Lonnie Walker IV scored a career-high 31 points to pace the Spurs, who had a three-game winning streak snapped. DeMar DeRozan added 22 points and a season-high 13 assists, while Keldon Johnson had 17 points and Rudy Gay scored 15.
The Spurs led by as many as 14 points at 42-28 early in the second quarter, before Milwaukee forged a 15-0 run capped by a three-pointer by Connaughton to go up 43-42 with 4:45 to play, eventually outscoring their opponents 31-17 to enter the break up 57-50.
San Antonio rallied to the lead briefly late in the third quarter before Holiday scored the period's final five points to hand the Bucks an 88-84 advantage heading into the final 12 minutes, where they would see out the win.
The Hawks earned their eighth straight victory, continuing the longest current winning streak in the NBA, as they beat the Lakers 99-94 to end the defending champions' four-game unbeaten run.
However, the story of the day was an injury to Lakers superstar James. With 10:50 left in the second quarter, Hawks forward Solomon Hill rolled into James' right ankle while chasing after a loose ball, prompting the Lakers star to let out a scream in frustration as he grimaced in pain rolling around on the floor.
After treatment James remained in the game, draining a 3-pointer, before calling a timeout on the ensuing possession and heading to the locker room for further evaluation. Now in his 16th season, the 36-year-old has missed just one game this season due to a lingering, mild left ankle sprain.
Afterward the Lakers announced James, who did not return to the game, suffered a high right ankle sprain and that he would be out indefinitely. With the made three-pointer just before leaving the game, James continued his streak of 1,036 straight games in double digits, but that milestone was the least of the Lakers' concerns after the game.
Meanwhile, Atlanta's leading scorer Trae Young had trouble finding easy buckets but did a swift job running his team, finishing with 14 points and 11 assists, despite shooting six-for-18. John Collins paced the Hawks with 27 points and 16 rebounds, Danilo Gallinari chipped in 18, including four of six shooting from the three-point line and Clint Capela added eight points and 16 boards.
Montrezl Harrell led the Lakers with 23 points and 11 rebounds.
The Lakers held a one-point lead at halftime, but the Hawks used a 12-0 run to take control at the start of the second half, during which they led by as many as 14.
Tobias Harris had 29 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists as the Philadelphia 76ers breezed past the Sacramento Kings 129-105.
Shake Milton added 28 points and Danny Green had 18 for the short-handed Sixers, who played without starters Joel Embiid (bone bruise on left knee) and Seth Curry, out with a sprained left ankle. Shortly before tip-off the Sixers also scratcher All-Star point guard Ben Simmons with left knee soreness.
Tony Bradley scored 14 points with eight rebounds and Dwight Howard chipped in with 10 points and 13 rebounds off the bench.
Despite opening the game with their 17th different starting lineup, the Sixers cruised from the opening tip to the final buzzer to improve to 19-4 at home.
Buddy Hield led the Kings with 25 points, including seven three-pointers, while De'Aaron Fox added 16, Harrison Barnes contributed 12 and Tyrese Haliburton 11.
The Sixers coasted to a 73-52 halftime lead having built an advantage up to as many as 25 in the second quarter, with Harris posting 23 points by the end of the first period.
A Milton short shot with 6:13 to play in the third pulled the Sixers out to a 91-61 lead, before a Green trey extended the cushion to 34. Sacramento made a run early in the fourth but Doc Rivers' reintroduced Harris and Green to see out a comfortable win.
Ja Morant hit a short jumper with 2:27 remaining to give Memphis the lead for good as the Memphis Grizzlies overcame the short-handed Golden State Warriors 111-103 to avoid a two-game sweep.
Jonas Valanciunas took advantage of the absence of Golden State's top three big men to record a 19-point, 15-rebound double-double, helping the Grizzlies avenge a 116-103 loss to the Warriors on Friday.
Jordan Poole, once again starting in place of injured Stephen Curry, paced Golden State with 26 points.
Despite going without Curry, as well as big men James Wiseman, Kevon Looney and Eric Paschall, the Warriors hung around with the motivated Grizzlies and actually took a 100-99 lead on a Poole three-pointer with just 2:43 to play.
But Morant, who had been struggling from the field, recovered a loose ball and floated in a 12-footer for the hoop that triggered a late run. Grayson Allen turned a steal into a dunk, Brandon Clarke added a dunk of his own and Morant tipped in his own miss to complete an 8-0 flurry that finally put the Grizzlies in command.
Dillon Brooks matched Valanciunas' team-high, 19-point total for Memphis, who won for just the second time in its last six games. Clarke contributed 16 points to a balanced attack, while Desmond Bane added 15, Morant 14 and Kyle Anderson 13 for the Grizzlies. Morant, who shot just 5 of 20 from the field, had a game-high eight assists in the win.
Andrew Wiggins, who had a season-best 40 points in Friday's win, finished with 20 the second time around, as well as collecting a team-high nine rebounds. Kelly Oubre Jr. chipped in with 12 points and Juan Toscano-Anderson with 11 for Golden State, who were seeking a three-game road sweep after beginning its trip with a win at Houston on Wednesday.
Paul George scored 18 of his 21 points in the first half and also registered 10 assists to help the Los Angeles Clippers trounce the visiting Charlotte Hornets 125-98.
Kawhi Leonard recorded 17 points and four steals and Terance Mann scored 16 points on seven-of-10 shooting as Los Angeles won for just the third time in the past eight games.
Lou Williams added 15 points and three steals for the Clippers, Marcus Morris Sr. recorded 13 points, Nicolas Batum had 11 and Ivica Zubac 10, with Los Angeles connecting on 52.3 percent of its shots and making 12 of 34 from three-point range in the wire-to-wire victory.
Miles Bridges established season highs of 21 points and five three-pointers off the bench, while Gordon Hayward added 17 points and eight rebounds for the Hornets, who lost their third straight contest. LaMelo Ball tallied 13 points as he dealt with a hand injury and Devonte' Graham had 11 in Charlotte's largest deficit defeat this season.
Charlotte's Terry Rozier departed with a left hip contusion late in the third quarter after scoring eight points on two-of-10 shooting in 26 minutes. Cody Zeller missed the game with a shoulder injury.
The Clippers cruised to a 66-44 halftime lead before Leonard's three-point play with 5:14 left in the third quarter gave them an 86-57 advantage, which became 98-76 entering the fourth. From there to lead became 30 when Williams buried a three-pointer to make it 112-82 with 6:38 left, leaving the Clippers to see it out.
