Devin Booker scored 20 of his team-high 36 points in a 47-point first quarter for Phoenix on Sunday as the host Suns took advantage of the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo to thump the Milwaukee Bucks 140-131.
The Bucks announced before the game that an MRI exam taken on Antetokounmpo’s left knee, injured in Friday’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, showed no significant damage, but that the Most Valuable Player candidate would be held out of at least two games nonetheless.
The Bucks (53-11) have lost two in a row for the first time this season and three of their past four. Milwaukee, which had gone 9-0 after its previous nine losses — winning by an average of 17.0 points — completes a three-game trip with a visit to Denver yesterday.
The absence was Antetokounmpo’s seventh of the season. Milwaukee fell to 5-2 in those games after winning their first five without last year’s MVP.
Indiana Pacers 112 – Dallas Mavericks 109
Victor Oladipo sank a go-ahead jumper with 38.3 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to lift visiting Indiana past Dallas, depriving the Mavericks of their first three-game winning streak since mid-January.
Domantas Sabonis collected 20 points and 17 rebounds to record his 50th double-double, surpassing Troy Murphy (2008-09) for the franchise single-season record. Sabonis actually accomplished the feat prior to halftime, as his left-handed dunk in transition with 39 seconds remaining gave him 11 points at the time.
Dallas’ Luka Doncic, whose last-second 3-point attempt didn’t go, finished with 36 points and 10 rebounds. Kristaps Porzingis endured a horrific night, making just 3 of 17 shots from the floor and misfired on all five attempts from 3-point range to finish with nine points.
Brooklyn Nets 110 – Chicago Bulls 107
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 24 points as Brooklyn overcame a season-high 29 turnovers and held on to beat visiting Chicago in the debut of interim coach Jacque Vaughn. The Nets won consecutive games for the first time since Feb. 10-12 and posted their third win in four games a day after mutually parting ways with coach Kenny Atkinson, who was 118-190 in three-plus seasons at the helm.
LeVert and Harris scored 23 points apiece as Brooklyn finished with its most turnovers since moving from New Jersey following the 2011-12 season. DeAndre Jordan moved into the starting lineup and contributed a double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds.
New Orleans Pelicans 120 – Minnesota Timberwolves 107
Jrue Holiday had a season-high 37 points as visiting New Orleans defeated Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Holiday added nine rebounds and eight assists, Zion Williamson scored 23 points while Brandon Ingram had 15 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. Lonzo Ball also scored 18 points with eight assists and Nicolo Melli had 11.
Malik Beasley scored 21, D’Angelo Russell had 19, James Johnson had 15, Josh Okogie had 12, Jake Layman 11 as Naz Reid and Jarrett Culver notched 10 each.
Oklahoma City Thunder 105 – Boston Celtics 104
Chris Paul scored 28 points and Dennis Schroder added 27 off the bench to lift Oklahoma City to a road win over Boston.
Oklahoma City has won three in a row and 11 of its last 12 on the road. The Thunder were without guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the first time this season. Gilgeous-Alexander, who entered the game tied for the NBA lead in minutes played this season, was held out with a right hip contusion.
Gordon Hayward returned to the Celtics’ lineup after missing two games with a right knee contusion. He led Boston with 24 points, hitting four 3-pointers. Marcus Smart had 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Cleveland Cavaliers 132 – San Antonio Spurs 129 (OT)
Andre Drummond scored 28 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as one of four Cleveland players with double-doubles as the Cavaliers outlasted the visiting Spurs in overtime to win their second game in as many nights.
Rudy Gay’s jumper with one second left in regulation pulled the Spurs even at 118 and sent the game into overtime.
Cleveland never trailed in overtime, grabbing the lead for good at 124-122 on Drummond’s putback layup with 2:18 to play. After a Spurs miss, Kevin Love hit a 3-pointer, and the Cavaliers held on as San Antonio missed five of its final six shots from the floor.
Orlando Magic 126 – Houston Rockets 106
D.J. Augustin scored 24 points and was one of six players to reach double figures for Orlando, who dismantled the reeling Rockets at Toyota Center in Houston.
Nikola Vucevic (16 points, 16 rebounds) and Aaron Gordon (19 points, 10 rebounds) posted double-doubles to pace the effort on the interior for the Magic. Point guard Markelle Fultz posted 18 points despite battling cramps in his right calf. Michael Carter-Williams and Terrence Ross (16 points apiece) teamed with Augustin to give Orlando a 61-39 advantage in bench points.
The Rockets have dropped four consecutive games and suffered a second successive blowout loss at home. Russell Westbrook and James Harden combined for 47 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, but that duo also totaled 12 turnovers.
Miami Heat 100 – Washington Wizards 89
Bam Adebayo posted 27 points, 14 rebounds and six assists to lead visiting Miami to a win over Washington.
Miami, which snapped its four-game road losing streak, also got 23 points and seven rebounds from Duncan Robinson. However, five-time All-Star and leading scorer, Jimmy Butler, left the game in the third quarter due to a toe injury and didn’t return. He was held to nine points — none in the second half.
Washington’s Bradley Beal, who entered the game ranked second in the NBA in scoring (30.5), had 23 points but only three after halftime. Washington guard Shabazz Napier, who made his NBA debut with the Heat in 2014, burned his former team by tying his season-high with 27 points while adding seven assists and four steals. Wizards forward Davis Bertans added 25 points, thanks to eight 3-pointers.
Toronto Raptors 118 – Sacramento Kings 113
Norman Powell scored 31 points and Kyle Lowry added 30 as visiting Toronto defeated Sacramento.
Pascal Siakam scored 11 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter — including eight straight down the stretch — as the Raptors won their third straight game. Serge Ibaka had 15 points and 10 rebounds and OG Anunoby added 12 points for Toronto.
De’Aaron Fox had 28 points —18 in the fourth quarter — for Sacramento. Kent Bazemore and Alex Len added 15 points apiece off the bench, Nemanja Bjelica scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Buddy Hield added 11 points.
New York Knicks 96 – Detroit Pistons 84
Julius Randle collected 22 points and 12 rebounds, and host New York clamped down defensively in the fourth quarter to post the victory over Detroit.
The Knicks won for the third time in their past 11 games and beat Detroit for the second straight time after losing the previous eight meetings. The Pistons lost for the fourth time in a row and for the 11th time in 12 games.
New York grabbed the lead for good midway through the third quarter and outscored the Pistons 24-13 in the fourth quarter.
—Field Level Media