UNDATED (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks extended their winning streak by outscoring the Chicago Bulls by 13 in the final period.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday led the Bucks to a 118-112 downing of the Bulls.
Antetokounmpo shot 12 for 22 and finished with 34 points, 16 rebounds and five assists, helping the Bucks catch the Bulls for the Central Division lead. Holiday scored 10 of his 26 points in the final five minutes of Milwaukee’s third straight win.
Zach LaVine led Chicago with 30 points. DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points, though he was 11 for 30 from the field.
Nikola Vucevic added 19 points and nine rebounds, but the Bulls lost their fourth straight game.
Checking out Friday’s other NBA action:
— Cam Johnson banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to finish with a career-high 38 points in the Suns’ 115-114 thriller over the Knicks. Johnson’s ninth 3-pointer of the evening came from 31 feet and sealed the win for the NBA-best Suns, which improved to 51-12 for the season. New York led 86-76 when Julius Randle was ejected in the third quarter.
— Tyrese Maxey made five 3-pointers and scored 33 points to lead the 76ers to their fifth straight win, 125-119 over the Cavaliers. James Harden delivered 25 points and 11 assists for the Sixers, who are 4-0 with him in the lineup. Joel Embiid added 22 points and nine rebounds to the Sixers’ fifth win in a row.
— Brandon Ingram poured in 29 points and C.J. McCollum added 24 to power the Pelicans to a 124-90 pounding of the Jazz. The Pelicans led by as many as 37 points at 86-49, with 4:08 left in the third quarter of their fourth consecutive win. The 37-point deficit was the largest this season for the Jazz, who had entered the game winning nine of their last 10.
— DeMarcus Cousins started in place of ailing Nikola Jokic and scored a season-high 31 points in the Nuggets′116-101 victory over the Rockets. Jokic was held out because of a non-COVID-19 illness. JaMychal Green and Jeff Green each added 14 points apiece in Denver’s seventh win in eight games.
— Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid each scored 20 points to help the Minnesota Timberwolves defeat the Thunder, 138-101. Taurean Prince scored 18 points, D’Angelo Russell had 17 and Jaden McDaniels added 16 for the Timberwolves, who have averaged 131.3 points during their five-game winning streak. Minnesota’s reserves outscored Oklahoma City’s 74-18.
— Cole Anthony and Chuma Okeke each had double-doubles to help the Magic beat the Raptors for the first time in 10 tries, 103-97. Anthony had 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Okeke had 10 points and 11 boards. Pascal Siakam had 34 points and 14 rebounds for Toronto.
— The Hawks earned a 117-114 win over the Wizards as De’Andre Hunter scored 26 points and Trae Young added 25. Washington trimmed a 14-point deficit to one with 5.3 seconds remaining before Young hit two free throws with 3.7 to play. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 28 points for the Wizards.
— Saddiq Bey furnished 25 points and Cade Cunningham had 20 with nine rebounds as the Pistons rallied to beat the Pacers, 111-106. Marvin Bagley III added 18 points in Detroit’s fifth win in seven games. Malcolm Brogdon scored 26 points for Indiana. The Pacers lost for the 10th time in 13 games.
Cavs coach Bickerstaff fined $20,000 by NBA after ejection
UNDATED (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez is ready to start participating in contact drills and five-on-five scrimmages after being sidelined since the season opener because of a back injury that required surgery.
The 33-year-old Lopez played 28 minutes and had eight points, five rebounds and three blocks in a season-opening victory over the Brooklyn Nets. The 7-footer averaged 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks last season while helping the Bucks win the NBA title.
Also in the NBA:
— The league has fined Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff $20,000 for his behavior while being ejected from a game on Monday night. Bickerstaff received two technical fouls and was tossed for the first time as Cleveland’s coach.
