The live NBA action continues at midnight on Thursday on Sky Sports when the Toronto Raptors head to the Philadelphia 76ers
Wednesday 10 November 2021 12:10, UK
Giannis Antetokounmpo was on superb form as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Philadelphia 76ers, the Utah Jazz extended Atlanta's losing run to five games and the Los Angeles Clippers extended their own winning streak to five.
Antetokounmpo had 31 points and 16 rebounds to lift the Milwaukee Bucks past the host Philadelphia 76ers 118-109 on Tuesday.
Grayson Allen added 25 points and Bobby Portis contributed 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Bucks, who snapped a two-game losing streak. The Bucks were missing Khris Middleton (COVID-19), Brook Lopez (back) and Donte DiVincenzo (ankle).
Tyrese Maxey led the depleted Sixers with 31 points while Georges Niang added 21 and Shake Milton 20. Andre Drummond compiled his second double-double in as many nights with 17 points and 20 rebounds. The Sixers have dropped two in a row and played without Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle and Isaiah Joe for health and safety protocols along with Seth Curry (foot) and Ben Simmons (personal reasons).
The Bucks erased a 13-point deficit and went ahead 56-54 when Allen dropped in a deep 3-pointer with 2:12 left in the second quarter and Milwaukee led 61-58 at halftime.
Antetokounmpo began to take over with some aggressive moves to the basket in the second half and when Antetokounmpo drove to the basket and threw down a one-handed dunk, the Bucks led 99-96 with 8:16 remaining. The sequence began on the defensive end as Antetokounmpo blocked Milton's shot to ignite the fast break.
Maxey missed a jumper to potentially tie the game and Pat Connaughton responded with a 3-pointer to put the Bucks ahead 107-102 with 3:53 remaining and Allen's clutch trey from the corner with 1:30 left propelled the Bucks to a 114-107 advantage before they pulled away for the hard-fought win.
Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points to lead five Utah Jazz players in double digits en route to a 110-98 home win over the struggling Atlanta Hawks in Salt Lake City.
Utah's defense, led by reigning Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, also had a big night, holding the Hawks to just 18 points in the fourth quarter and to 43.5 percent shooting overall. The Jazz also held Kevin Huerter and Trae Young scoreless in the final quarter after they scored 28 and 27 points, respectively, in the first 36 minutes.
Atlanta, in the midst of a tough four-game Western Conference road trip, dropped its fifth straight game. The Jazz, meanwhile, began a five-game homestand on the right note after playing seven of their first 10 games on the road.
Jordan Clarkson had 16 points and Bojan Bogdanovic scored 18 points for the Jazz, and Hassan Whiteside contributed eight points and eight rebounds off the bench in one of his best outings with his new team. Royce O'Neale added 11 points and Mike Conley dished out six assists with 12 points.
Young scored the final five points of the first half to bring the Hawks within a dozen points at halftime at 62-50. He carried that momentum over to the third quarter by making a floater that sparked an 8-0 run finished by 3-pointers from John Collins and Huerter. Overall, that was a 13-0 run for Atlanta. Young then followed a Mitchell jumper with a 3-pointer to pull Atlanta within 64-61.
Fuelled by Mitchell and Gobert, Utah used a 7-0 run to again go up by double figures at 75-64. A 13-2 run near the end of the third quarter helped the Jazz take a 95-77 advantage.
Lou Williams hit a 3 to make it 98-91 as the Hawks began the fourth with renewed energy and an 11-3 run, but the Jazz finished tough for the win.
Paul George scored 24 points with nine rebounds and Reggie Jackson added 23 points as the Los Angeles Clippers extended their winning streak to five games with a 117-109 victory over the visiting Portland Trail Blazers.
Nicolas Batum had 22 points, making 6 of 8 from 3-point range, as the Clippers improved to 2-1 over the Trail Blazers this season. They have not lost since falling 111-92 at Portland on October 29.
Damian Lillard scored 27 points for the Blazers, while Norman Powell added 23 as Portland remained winless on the road this season in five tries. The Blazers, who saw their two-game winning streak come to an end, were playing the opener of a four-game road swing. Lillard, who entered shooting just 24.7 percent from 3-point range through 10 games, was 4 of 13 from distance (30.8 percent). The six-time All-Star is a career 37.3 percent shooter from 3-point range.
The Clippers led 99-90 with 6:45 remaining before the Blazers pulled within 101-97 with 5:15 to go on a basket inside by CJ McCollum. Portland then cut their deficit to 103-100 on a 3-pointer from Jusuf Nurkic with 3:39 to play.
The Clippers responded with an 8-0 run, capped by a three-point play from George to take a 111-100 lead with 1:22 remaining. Batum added a 3-pointer in the run with 2:51 remaining.
Isaiah Hartenstein had a season-best 14 points off the bench for the Clippers, while Eric Bledsoe and Ivica Zubac scored 11 points each. Nurkic had 15 points with 13 rebounds for the Blazers, while McCollum had 13 points.
The Clippers improved to 2-0 on a run of six consecutive home games that extends through next Tuesday. Los Angeles is now 4-2 at home this season.
