Khris Middleton scored 40 points as the visiting Milwaukee Bucks overcame Bradley Beal’s career-high 55-point performance to earn a 137-134 overtime victory over the Washington Wizards on Monday.
Middleton shot 15 of 28 from the floor to excel in his second contest this season against the Wizards. He erupted for a career-high 51 points in Milwaukee’s 151-131 win over Washington on Jan. 28. Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded 22 points and 14 rebounds before fouling out for the NBA-best Bucks, who have won 17 of their past 19 games.
Beal followed a 53-point performance in the Wizards’ 126-117 setback at Chicago on Sunday by making 19 of 33 shots — including 8 of 13 from 3-point range — against Milwaukee. Beal scored 47 points in the previous meeting with the Bucks.
Shabazz Napier scored 27 points off the bench for Washington, which has dropped three in a row after entering the All-Star break with five wins in its previous seven games.
Dallas Mavericks 139 – Minnesota Timberwolves 123
Luka Doncic scored 10 of his 20 points in a 41-point, first-quarter explosion that propelled host Dallas to a victory over Minnesota.
Despite playing just 25 minutes, Doncic also found time for a game-high-tying nine rebounds and seven assists, while Tim Hardaway Jr. scored a team-leading 23 points for the Mavericks. Dallas rebounded from a 111-107 loss at the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, a game in which Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis did not play.
D’Angelo Russell led all scorers with 29 points for the Timberwolves, who lost their ninth straight on the road and 18th in their last 19 games overall.
Los Angeles Clippers 124, Memphis Grizzlies 97
Kawhi Leonard had 25 points and eight rebounds to help Los Angeles crush visiting Memphis. Leonard, who rested in the fourth quarter, connected on 10 of 17 shots from the floor in 25 minutes.
Montrezl Harrell contributed 22 points, while JaMychal Green and Marcus Morris chipped in 13 points apiece. Clippers forward Paul George, who missed Saturday’s loss to the Sacramento Kings with a strained hamstring, returned but managed just seven points on 3-for-11 shooting in 21 minutes.
Rookie point guard Ja Morant led the Grizzlies with 16 points, but Memphis’ four other starters combined to produce only 15 points. Josh Jackson came off the bench to score 14 points, and Gorgui Dieng added 14 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks for the Grizzlies.
Phoenix Suns 131 – Utah Jazz 111
Devin Booker recorded 24 points and 10 assists to help Phoenix post a victory over Utah at Salt Lake City.
Ricky Rubio added 22 points, 11 assists, six rebounds and a season-best seven steals to help the Suns defeat his former squad. Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 18 points, Deandre Ayton had 16 on 8-for-9 shooting and Dario Saric made all five of his shots en route to scoring 14 points.
Donovan Mitchell scored 38 points for Utah, which lost its third straight game, all at home. The Jazz allowed their second-most points of the season.
Houston Rockets 123 – New York Knicks 112
James Harden paired 37 points with nine assists while Ben McLemore and Austin Rivers added valuable double-digit scoring production off the bench as Houston cruised to a victory over visiting New York.
Harden, Westbrook and P.J. Tucker arrived just over an hour prior to tipoff after taking a private jet from Los Angeles following the memorial service for Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. McLemore scored 17 points on 4-for-9 3-point shooting while Rivers chipped in 14 points, including nine in the third quarter.
Rookie RJ Barrett paced the Knicks with 21 points while Julius Randle added a double-double (17 points, 12 rebounds). Dennis Smith Jr. tallied 15 points and a career-high seven steals for the Knicks.
Cleveland Cavaliers 125 – Miami Heat 119 (OT)
Rookie Kevin Porter Jr. scored a career-high 30 points to help Cleveland overcome a 22-point, second-half deficit and rally past visiting Miami in overtime.
Cleveland’s late-game heroics were led by Larry Nance Jr., who had 16 points, including 14 after the third quarter. Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love, who missed two of the past three games due to a foot injury, returned and provided 17 points and 14 rebounds.
Heat center Bam Adebayo narrowly missed a triple-double with 22 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists. He also blocked four shots and had three steals but committed six turnovers. Goran Dragic also had 22 points for the Heat, and Kendrick Nunn added 21.
Philadelphia 76ers 129 – Atlanta Hawks 112
Joel Embiid scored a career-high 49 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lift host Philadelphia over Atlanta.
Embiid produced 22 points in the fourth quarter and shot 14 of 15 overall from the free-throw line as the Sixers improved to a league-best 27-2 at home. It was also their 13th consecutive home victory. Tobias Harris added 25 for the Sixers, who won again without injured All-Star guard Ben Simmons (back).
Trae Young paced the Hawks with 28 points and 10 assists while De’Andre Hunter added 22 points. John Collins had 21 points and nine rebounds while Bruno Fernando and Cam Reddish came off the bench to score 10 points.
Orlando Magic 115 – Brooklyn Nets 113
Aaron Gordon scored 12 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter and hit two clutch shots in the final two minutes as Orlando rallied from a 19-point deficit and posted a victory over Brooklyn in New York.
Reserve Terrence Ross added 13 of his 21 points in the final quarter for the Magic, who shot 59.1 percent in the final 12 minutes. Evan Fournier contributed 21 points while Vucevic totaled 16 points and 10 rebounds as Orlando improved to 5-11 in its last 16 games.
Spencer Dinwiddie led the Nets with 24 points but missed all four of his shots in the fourth. Caris LeVert added 19 while Garrett Temple contributed 18 for Brooklyn.
—Field Level Media
