The Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday shrugged off the absence of injured Giannis Antetokounmpo to tighten their grip on the top spot in the Eastern Conference with a 134-123 defeat of the Orlando Magic.
The Bucks moved 2.5 games clear of the Boston Celtics at the top of the standings with a clinical offensive display that saw Brook Lopez, Khris Middleton and Jevon Carter share the scoring. Lopez finished with 26 points after shooting 64.3 percent from the field, while Middleton and Carter both chipped in with 24 points apiece for Milwaukee.
Bobby Portis, Jae Crowder and Joe Ingles also finished in double digits for the Bucks, who have now won nine straight games on the road.
Photo: AP
Milwaukee — who saw their 16-game unbeaten streak snapped by the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday — improved to 47-18 at the top of the Eastern Conference. The Celtics are 45-21.
The Bucks were always in control against Orlando on Tuesday, leading from the end of the first quarter onward, and maintaining a comfortable double-digit lead for most of the fourth quarter.
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer singled out Lopez for praise following the win.
“We tend to talk about his defense so much, but offensively he’s been really good — it was great to get him going early,” Budenholzer said. “It’s good to see him scoring in a variety of ways ... we’re fortunate for all the different things he can do.”
In Minneapolis, the 76ers rolled to a third straight victory with a 117-94 blowout over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Joel Embiid came within a whisker of a second consecutive 40-point game after his 42 points against Indiana on Monday, delivering 39 points against a Minnesota team who struggled offensively. Embiid shot 13 of 22 from the field, with a perfect four-from-four from three-point range and nine-from-nine from the free-throw line.
With James Harden rested, Tyrese Maxey once again provided offensive support with 27 points, while Tobias Harris (10) and De’Anthony Melton (11) also made double figures.
Minnesota’s challenge was led by Anthony Edwards with 32 points, but no other starter for the Wolves had more than seven points. The Sixers improved to 43-22 to remain in third place in the Eastern Conference.
“I just want to do whatever it takes to win games,” Embiid said. “Tonight without James [Harden] I wanted to be as aggressive as possible to make sure we got the win. We played really good defense and offensively we moved the ball and made shots.”
“It doesn’t matter who I play — I just feel like I’m going to do my thing regardless,” he added.
The New York Knicks’ nine-game winning streak came to an abrupt end at Madison Square Garden with a 112-105 defeat to the lowly Charlotte Hornets. Charlotte — second from bottom in the East — looked to be sliding toward their 47th defeat of the season as New York pulled into a 16-point lead early in the second half.
However, Charlotte came alive with a 37-point third quarter and then outscored the Knicks 25-16 in the final frame to snatch victory.
Elsewhere, Stephen Curry poured in 40 points for Golden State in only his second game since returning from injury, but could not prevent the NBA champions from slipping to a 137-128 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In Los Angeles, Anthony Davis finished with 30 points and 22 rebounds to help the Lakers to a 112-103 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, who were without the suspended Ja Morant for a second straight game.
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