Giannis Antetokounmpo made history for the Milwaukee Bucks by scoring 64 points, helping his team secure a 140-126 victory against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday evening.
Giannis Antetokounmpo set a new record, surpassing Micheal Redd’s previous record (57 points) from 2006, and also secured 14 rebounds. Damian Lillard contributed 21 points and six assists, while Bobby Portis scored 19 after coming off the bench. Tyrese Haliburton led Indiana with 22 points and seven assists, and Myles Turner matched his 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds. In the second half, Lillard achieved a significant milestone by tying Kyle Korver for fifth place in all-time made 3-pointers with his 2,450th, and later surpassed Korver, now trailing Reggie Miller by nine, who holds fourth place with 2,560 made 3-pointers.
76ers 129, Pistons 111
Joel Embiid scored 41 points and secured 11 rebounds in just 31 minutes to lead Philadelphia to a victory over Detroit. The Pistons have now tied their longest losing streak in franchise history, having lost 21 consecutive games. Tobias Harris contributed 21 points and seven rebounds for the Sixers, and Kelly Oubre Jr. added 17 points. Bojan Bogdanovic scored a season-high 33 points for Detroit, who will face Philadelphia again on Friday.
Nets 116, Suns 112
Cam Thomas scored 24 points and Mikal Bridges contributed 21 points in his return to Phoenix as Brooklyn narrowly defeated the Suns, despite the Suns’ “Big Three” playing together for the first time this season. Devin Booker achieved 34 points, 12 assists, and six rebounds for the Suns, who suffered their fifth loss in seven games. Kevin Durant scored 27 points in his initial game against the Nets since being traded to the Suns last February. Bradley Beal also added 14 points for Phoenix. This marked the first occasion that Durant, Booker, and Beal were on the court together in the same game for Phoenix, which was in its 24th game of the season.
Heat 115, Hornets 104
Miami defeated Charlotte for the second time in a row, with Duncan Robinson scoring 23 points and Jimmy Butler contributing 15 points and 10 assists. Kyle Lowry and Jaime Jaquez Jr. also made significant contributions, each scoring 17 points. Lowry had a perfect shooting record, making all five of his field goal attempts, all four of his 3-pointers, and all three of his free throws. Robinson was successful with 6 of his 9 3-point attempts. Terry Rozier led the Hornets with 28 points, while Gordon Hayward added 20 points and seven assists. The Hornets have struggled, losing six of their last eight games.
Rockets 117, Grizzlies 104
Tari Eason achieved his second consecutive double-double coming off the bench, while Jabari Smith Jr. secured his third double-double of the season as Houston defeated Memphis to extend their winning streak at home to 11 games. Eason scored a career-high 25 points and matched his career-high with 14 rebounds, leading Houston to another strong performance on the boards.
Smith contributed 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Alperen Sengun grabbed 10 boards, helping the Rockets to a 58-39 rebounding advantage. Jaren Jackson Jr. also had a career-high performance with 44 points for the short-handed Grizzlies, who were missing their leading scorer Desmond Bane due to illness. Derrick Rose scored 19 points and had six assists, but Memphis struggled with a 42.7 percent shooting percentage and missed 28 of 38 3-pointers.
Lakers 122, Spurs 119
Anthony Davis scored 37 points and secured 10 rebounds as the Los Angeles team, playing as visitors, established a 20-point advantage and managed to maintain their lead to secure a victory over struggling San Antonio in the first of two games between the teams in the Alamo City within a three-night period. The Lakers have won five of their last six games, while San Antonio extended their franchise-record losing streak to 18 games.
Taurean Prince contributed 17 points for the Lakers, and Austin Reaves scored 15 points coming off the bench. Victor Wembanyama led San Antonio with 30 points and 13 rebounds, while Keldon Johnson achieved a season-high of 28 points, Malaki Branham scored 19, and Devin Vassell added 13 points.
Jazz 117, Knicks 113
Collin Sexton put up 26 points and Lauri Markkanen made a strong return after missing eight games to help Utah secure a win over New York in Salt Lake City. Markkanen scored 23 points, including four 3-pointers on 7-of-13 shooting, and grabbed eight rebounds in his first game back after a three-week absence due to a left hamstring strain. Talen Horton-Tucker scored 15 points, with 13 of them coming in the fourth quarter.
Julius Randle led all players with 32 points and 12 rebounds, and also contributed six assists, but New York couldn’t recover from an early double-digit deficit and ultimately fell short in their attempt to overcome a late 14-point gap. Jalen Brunson added 23 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds for New York, while Donte DiVincenzo finished with 21 points, seven boards, and four steals.
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