Bucks’ Bobby Portis and two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo both achieved double-doubles, with Portis scoring 28 points and Antetokounmpo scoring 24 points, while both players also secured 12 rebounds as the Bucks dominated the Celtics in Milwaukee.
Bobby Portis and Giannis Antetokounmpo teamed up to score 20 consecutive points, leading the Bucks to a 25-0 scoring run that extended from the first to the second quarters, increasing their lead to 56-23. Damian Lillard contributed 21 points to help Bobby Portis and Giannis Antetokounmpo secure only their second win in six games. The Celtics, who were coming off a draining overtime victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves, started slowly and were unable to recover.
Despite a dunk from Boston’s Oshae Brissett that reduced Milwaukee’s lead to 31-21 with 2:14 remaining in the first quarter, the Celtics went over six minutes without scoring until Jaylen Brown ended the drought with a dunk. Boston coach Joe Mazzulla substituted his fatigued starters for the second half, with Brown finishing the game with 10 points and Jayson Tatum with seven. Payton Pritchard was the leading scorer for Boston with 21 points.
Donovan Mitchell had an outstanding performance in Paris, scoring 45 points to help the Cleveland Cavaliers secure a 111-102 win against the Brooklyn Nets as the NBA made its return to France on Thursday. Mikal Bridges and Cam Thomas each contributed 26 points for Brooklyn, but the Nets struggled to put up a strong defense in a game that Cleveland controlled from beginning to end.
In Oklahoma City, the trend of one-sided victories continued as the Thunder achieved a 62-point margin of victory, which tied for the fifth-largest in NBA history. The Thunder themselves had previously suffered the largest loss ever in the NBA, a 73-point defeat to Memphis in December 2021. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points and Jalen Williams contributed 21 for the Thunder, who were already leading by 62 points going into the fourth quarter. Additionally, Josh Giddey achieved a triple-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists for the Thunder, who now share the best record in the Western Conference with Minnesota at 26-11.
In Los Angeles, the Phoenix Suns secured a 127-109 win over the Lakers, with Bradley Beal scoring 37 points and Devin Booker contributing 31. LeBron James scored only 10 points and Anthony Davis added 13 for the Lakers, who benched their starters in the fourth quarter due to the game being out of reach.
In Dallas, Kyrie Irving had an impressive performance, scoring 44 points and providing 10 assists to guide the Mavericks to a wire-to-wire 128-124 win over the New York Knicks. Despite Luka Doncic being out with an ankle injury, Dallas maintained a 20-point lead early in the fourth quarter. The Knicks made a strong comeback, narrowing the gap to just one point with 1:08 remaining.
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