Giannis Antetokounmpo on Friday scored 31 points and had nine rebounds to power the Milwaukee Bucks to a 112-109 victory over Luka Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks in a battle between the two early frontrunners for NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors.
Two-time MVP winner Antetokounmpo hit 14-of-21 shots from the floor and Khris Middleton finished with 25 points for the host Bucks, who have won seven of their last eight games.
Doncic shot 12-of-24 from the floor for a team-high 28 points, after coming off a 34-point performance in a win over Charlotte two nights earlier.
Photo: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY
“We showed him bodies. He wasn’t able to step back. We made him pass the ball,” Antetokounmpo said of Doncic.
After Milwaukee’s Brook Lopez missed a free throw with one second remaining, Doncic launched a desperate two-handed, three-point attempt at the buzzer, but it hit the backboard and bounced away harmlessly to give Milwaukee the win.
“We just stayed with it,” Middleton said. “They did a good job rebounding off the glass and made some tough shots, but we just stayed with it.”
Middleton drained a pair of clutch three-pointers late in the fourth quarter. He also had eight rebounds and six assists. The former second-round draft pick was traded to the Bucks in 2013 from Detroit.
“Each year is about getting better and finding ways to make my teammates better. That is what they do for me,” said Middleton, who recently donated US$100,000 to the employees at Fiserv Forum who lost their jobs because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Antetokounmpo against Doncic was not the only marquee matchup on a night when the league had to postpone three games because of a series of COVID-19 outbreaks.
Four time NBA champion LeBron James took on former first overall draft pick Zion Williamson and after the slow start the host the Los Angeles Lakers rolled to a 112-95 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
James had 21 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, Anthony Davis finished with 17 points and a half dozen Lakers finished in double figure scoring.
Montrezl Harrell and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope each with 16 points, Germany’s Dennis Schroder with 12 and Kyle Kuzma with 11, as the first place Los Angeles won their fifth game in a row.
“We are playing good basketball right now and we want to continue that,” James said. “We are implementing five new guys into our rotation that weren’t part of our team last year.”
Separately, the NBA fined Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving US$50,000 for attending a crowded indoor party without wearing a mask.
Irving was placed under investigation after video emerged on social media showing him attending a birthday party with no mask.
NBA COVID-19 prevention protocols forbid players from attending indoor gatherings of more than 15 people.
Irving has not played since Tuesday last week for what the Nets said were “personal reasons.”
He was eligible to return yesterday, after a five-day quarantine, provided he tests negative for the virus, the NBA said in a statement.
Irving must also forfeit salary earned during his quarantine period.
In other games on Friday, it was:
‧ Thunder 127, Bulls 125 (OT)
‧ Celtics 124, Magic 97
‧ Cavaliers 106, Knicks 103
‧ Jazz 116, Hawks 92
‧ Clippers 138, Kings 100
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