Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton scored 33 points each as the Milwaukee Bucks — who trailed by 23 in the first half — rallied to defeat the Miami Heat 130-116 on Thursday as part of the NBA restart near Orlando.
Antetokounmpo, who picked up his fifth foul with 10:48 left in the fourth, added a game-high 12 rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes. Middleton had a team-high eight assists and six rebounds in 34 minutes.
Milwaukee (55-14), which has the best record in the NBA, overcame a 17-point halftime deficit to snap a two-game losing streak and clinch the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
With Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic out injured, the Heat (43-26) were led by Duncan Robinson’s 21 points. All-Star center Bam Adebayo, slowed by foul trouble, was held to six points, five rebounds and six assists in 21 minutes.
Portland Trail Blazers 125 – Denver Nuggets 115
Damian Lillard recorded 45 points and 12 assists and matched his career high of 11 3-point baskets to lead Portland to a victory over Denver.
Gary Trent Jr. added 27 points and matched his career best of seven 3-pointers as the Trail Blazers moved within a half-game of the eighth-place Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference playoff derby.
Michael Porter Jr. registered 27 points and 12 rebounds, and Jerami Grant scored 18 points for the Nuggets. Denver played without starting guards Jamal Murray (hamstring) and Gary Harris (hip) and starting small forward Will Barton (knee) for the fourth straight game. Coach Mike Malone sat most of his starters other than Porter down the stretch.
Houston Rockets 113 – Los Angeles Lakers 97
James Harden paired 39 points with 12 assists, and Houston claimed the season series against Los Angeles.
Harden added eight rebounds and three steals to his ledger in carrying the load with All-Star Russell Westbrook (right quad contusion) sidelined. Ben McLemore (20 points) and Jeff Green (15 points) helped with a combined 8-for-20 3-point shooting. The Rockets hit 21 of 57 attempts from deep.
The Lakers played without LeBron James (sore right groin) and continued their offensive struggles. Anthony Davis posted 17 points and 12 rebounds but also committed seven turnovers, while Kyle Kuzma led the Lakers, who shot 2 of 19 on 3-pointers, with 21 points.
Phoenix Suns 114 – Indiana Pacers 99
A run of 21 unanswered points spanning the third and fourth quarters powered Phoenix to a win over Indiana in seeding-round competition.
The Suns moved to a perfect 4-0 since the restart from the COVID-19 hiatus, and did so trailing for less than three total minutes against a Pacers team that came into the matchup also undefeated through three games in the Orlando-area bubble.
Cameron Payne led the Phoenix reserves in igniting the decisive run, scoring 12 of his 15 points over that stretch. Dario Saric added another 16 points off the bench, as the Suns’ 34-16 scoring advantage from the backups made the difference. Indiana’s Malcolm Brogdon led all scorers with 25 points and helped buoy a fourth-quarter rally.
Sacramento Kings 140 – New Orleans Pelicans 125
Bogdan Bogdanovic scored a career-best 35 points as Sacramento got its first victory of the NBA restart, defeating New Orleans.
De’Aaron Fox added 30 points and 10 assists, Harrison Barnes scored 22, Nemanja Bjelica had 11 and Cory Joseph 10 as the Kings ended a three-game losing streak in the restart.
Zion Williamson scored 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting in 22 minutes, and Brandon Ingram also had 24 for the Pelicans, who dropped to 1-3 in the restart.
Los Angeles Clippers 126 – Dallas Mavericks 111
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George combined for two hoops in a nine-point, tiebreaking flurry midway through the fourth quarter, propelling Los Angeles to a victory over Dallas.
Leonard finished with a team-high 29 points, and George had 24 for the Clippers, who earned just their second win in four games in the central Florida bubble.
Kristaps Porzingis had 30 points and nine rebounds, and Luka Doncic scored 29 points for the Mavericks, who took their third loss in four games.
–Field Level Media
