Basket Ball / Sports

Joel Embiid’s 42 points and a balanced scoring attack power 76ers past Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, 123-120

Joel Embiid was back to his dominant self Thursday night, finishing with game-highs of 42 points and 14 rebounds to go with five assists. This marked his ninth 40-point, 10-rebound game this season.

With the win, the Sixers (35-23) moved up to third place in the Eastern Conference standings. They head into the NBA All-Star break 2½ games behind the first-place Miami Heat.

“I’m playing at such a high level, I don’t want to stop,” Embiid said of the All-Star break. “I want to keep on going. I feel really good. I’m not gonna just not work or take a couple days off.”

But this game wasn’t decided until the Bucks’ Khris Middleton missed a 31-foot three-pointer at the buzzer.

All this comes after the Sixers suffered one of their worst defeats in franchise history.

On Tuesday, the game against the Celtics seemed more like an afterthought. Most of the focus of that day went to the introductory press conference for Harden and Paul Millsap, who were acquired from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two first-round picks. Then came the excitement associated with Harden ringing the bell prior to the game. And more attention was paid to Harden’s outfit than the barrage of three-pointers the Celtics were raining early.

All that led to a humbling 48-point loss to Boston.

“There was a lot of stuff going on,” Georges Niang said. “But I hate to put any blame on that. You know what I mean? We are professional athletes. It’s not like this is our first rodeo. So like I said before, I don’t want to say it happens. We got popped. It is what it is.”

Doc Rivers knows the perfect time for Sixers to win an NBA championship is this season

With Harden still sidelined with left hamstring strain, the expectation was the Sixers would suffer the same fate against the Bucks.

But Embiid and the Sixers’ balanced attack didn’t let that happen.

Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris both had 19 …

Basket Ball / Sports

Detroit snaps C’s nine-game win streak

The Boston Celtics’ nine-game win streak was snapped Wednesday night with a 112-111 home loss to the Detroit Pistons.

After Tuesday’s 48-point win over the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston found itself in a dogfight with Detroit. The Pistons went 16-for-30 (53.3%) from 3-point range and drilled seemingly every clutch shot down the stretch. Jayson Tatum couldn’t get the game-winning buzzer-beater to fall, and Detroit was able to escape with a hard-fought victory.

Jerami Grant paced the Pistons with 24 points while Saddiq Bey and rookie Cade Cunningham chipped in 20 apiece. Jaylen Brown led the C’s in scoring for the second consecutive night with 31 points. Tatum added 22, and Grant Williams stepped up with 17 in a starting role.

Here are three instant takeaways from the Celtics’ first loss since Jan. 28, which brings their record to 34-26 heading into the All-Star break. Their next game will take place Feb. 24 in Brooklyn.

Pistons play their hearts out

The Pistons (13-45) are dead-last in the Eastern Conference and have won only two of their last 14, but you wouldn’t know it by watching Wednesday night’s game.

Detroit’s physicality and red-hot 3-point shooting were the keys to its improbable victory. It didn’t let off the gas pedal in the fourth quarter despite the C’s going on a 13-0 run. Jerami Grant’s go-ahead shot with 19.1 seconds remaining proved to be the dagger, followed by Isaiah Stewart’s clutch swat of Jaylen Brown’s shot attempt.

The Pistons outrebounded the Celtics 18-2 on the offensive glass and forced 15 Celtics turnovers, including seven from Tatum.

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Basket Ball / Sports

Nuggets’ Monte Morris nails buzzer-beating 3 to sink Warriors

After missing the Denver Nuggets’ three previous games while in concussion protocol, Monte Morris returned to action and gave Denver a huge win in dramatic fashion.

Morris nailed a buzzer-beating three — with a very quick release — to give Denver a 117-116 road victory over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night. Denver superstar big man Nikola Jokic was double-teamed in the paint, and with under two seconds remaining, he decided to pass to Morris on the perimeter.

Morris caught the pass with 00.9 seconds remaining and proceeded to beat the buzzer for the game-winning three. That came after Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry made a go-ahead and-one jumper with 5.9 seconds remaining. Denver improves to 33-25 with the win (their third straight), while Golden State falls to 42-117. The Warriors have lost four of their last five games, and they’re now 6.5 games behind the Phoenix Suns for the Western Conference’s top seed.…

Basket Ball / Sports

Giannis scores 44, leads Bucks’ 131-116 win over Lakers

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 44 points on 17-for-20 shooting, and Bobby Portis had 23 points with five 3-pointers in the Milwaukee Bucks’ 131-116 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.

Khris Middleton scored all of his 21 points in the first half, and Antetokounmpo added 14 rebounds and eight assists while making his first 11 shots as the defending NBA champions won their fourth straight overall and swept back-to-back games against LA’s two teams.

Milwaukee jumped to a 24-point lead in the first half with 70% shooting and led by 30 midway through the third quarter before surviving the Lakers’ strong late rally. The Bucks hung on for their third win on a four-game West Coast road trip that ends with an NBA Finals rematch in Phoenix on Thursday.

LeBron James scored 27 points and Anthony Davis had 22 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, who couldn’t catch up to the champs even on a rare night with both superstars in their injury-riddled lineup. LA has lost five of seven to fall back to three games below .500.

The Lakers rallied impressively in the fourth quarter, trimming Milwaukee’s lead to 10 points midway through the period with a 20-5 run. Portis’ fifth 3-pointer stopped the surge, and the Lakers never got closer than 11 again.

Los Angeles dropped to 10-8 with both James and Davis in their lineup during a season totally lacking in continuity due to lengthy absences for its two cornerstones. James looked tired at times in just his second game back from a five-game absence for the Lakers, who haven’t won back-to-back games since Jan. 7.

Malik Monk scored 20 points and Stanley Johnson added a season-high 16 for the Lakers in a reserve role.

After giving up 42 points to the Knicks in the first quarter on Saturday night, the Lakers allowed 38 to the Bucks in the opening period. Milwaukee took a 51-28 lead in the second by scoring seven points on one trip down the floor with a pair of 3-pointers sandwiching …

Basket Ball / News / Sports

Booker scores 38 as NBA-best Suns hold off Bulls

Devin Booker scored 38 points and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns hung on to beat the Chicago Bulls 127-124 on Monday night.

The Suns led by 27 in the third quarter and withstood a push down the stretch to win for the 13th time in 14 games. They improved to 43-10 overall and a league-best 21-5 on the road.

Booker hit the 30-point mark for the third time in four games. The All-Star guard made 14 of 23 shots, including five 3-pointers.

Chris Paul added 19 points and 11 assists for Phoenix. JaVale McGee finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, and Mikal Bridges scored 15.

DeMar DeRozan had 38 points for the Bulls after scoring a season-high 45 in Sunday’s loss to Philadelphia. Zach LaVine added 32 points after missing two games because of back spasms.

Chicago lost for the third time in four games.

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Basket Ball / Sports

Curry Drops 40, Including 21 In Fourth, As Warriors Beat Rockets

It was return to top form for MVP candidate Stephen Curry, who scored 21 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter on Monday night, to lead Golden State past the Houston Rockets.

The resultant victory marks a sixth consecutive win for the Warriors, while Houston extended its skid at home to 11 straight games.

Curry made seven 3-pointers, four in the fourth quarter, and had nine assists and five rebounds. His 21 fourth-quarter points were the most of his career.

Andrew Wiggins added 23 points for the Warriors and Klay Thompson had 14.

The Rockets, who lost their fourth straight game overall, were led by Christian Wood’s 24 points and 13 rebounds.…

Basket Ball / Sports

Warriors’ Steph Curry, Klay Thompson find rhythm against Pistons

Sometimes a date with the 10-win Detroit Pistons is exactly what a team needs. That seemed to be the perfect remedy for a handful of Warriors on Tuesday night at Chase Center in their 102-86 blowout win.

Playing the Pistons also clearly was the perfect potion for Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.

Curry came out of the gates as the Warriors’ director of the offense with Draymond Green out. He didn’t attempt his first shot from the field — a missed layup — until there was just under six minutes remaining in the first quarter, but he quickly nailed his first 3-point attempt the next time the Warriors were on offense. From there on, the night was filled with flashes of vintage Splash Brothers between Curry and Thompson against a team full of young players and not many wins.

“That was probably the best stretch that Steph and Klay have played together and it was a really nice kind of groove in front of our home fans, which was really great to see,” Steve Kerr said after the win.

Tuesday night didn’t need to be a performance where Curry put up ungodly scoring numbers. This one was all about efficiency.

Despite sitting the final 13-plus minutes of the game, Curry scored 18 points in 29 minutes. He also dished eight assists, swiped three steals and committed only one turnover. Curry went 6-for-11 from the field and 4-for-8 from long distance.

He finished with a game-high plus-21 in plus-minus.

“Steph is someone who controls the offense,” Andrew Wiggins, who scored 19 points, said. “A lot of the attention is towards Steph, because we know what he can do already, but with all of them out there it makes the game easy.

“Steph makes the game easy for everybody.”

Thompson’s second career game in San Francisco and fifth game overall this season was his best since his return. He finished with a season-high 21 points, and his four assists also were a season high. His buzzer-beating 3-pointer gave him 17 points at …

Basket Ball / Sports

Morant scores 29, Grizzlies beat Warriors for 10th straight

Ja Morant scored 29 points, including five in the final minute, and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Golden State Warriors 116-108 Tuesday night for their 10th straight win.

“I just like having that pressure,” Morant said of his scoring down the stretch. “I feel like that’s when I shine the most. I like to be the one taking that shot, hit or miss.”

Ziaire Williams and Tyus Jones had 17 points each, Williams recording a season-high in points. Jones keyed a fourth-quarter rally that put the Grizzlies ahead for good. He finished 6 for 8 from the field, including connecting on all five of his 3-point attempts.

Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his second triple-double of the season. Klay Thompson finished with 14 points. Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II scored 13 each.

The teams had a closely played game in the second half until consecutive 3-pointers by Jones gave Memphis a 109-100 lead with 3:33 left to play. That was enough of a buffer for the Grizzlies to keep their franchise-record win streak going, Memphis holding Golden State to 18 points in the fourth quarter.

“I thought Tyus Jones shooting 3s broke the game open. That was the key,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

The Grizzlies were the ones connecting from 3-point range in the first half hitting 8 of their first 13 from outside the arc. That allowed Memphis to build an 18-point lead in the second quarter, putting the Warriors in catch up mode from that point on.

“It was just turnovers early in the game, and that gave them a lot of confidence,” said Curry, who was 8 of 21 shooting, including 2 of 9 from 3-point range.

Grizzlies interim coach Darko Rajakovic noted it wasn’t just Williams’ offensive output, but the rookie from Stanford also had the job of guarding Curry from the opening tip. Rajakovic noted that Curry averages 14 3-pointers a game, but only took nine in the game.

“He did a really good …

Basket Ball / Sports

The Spurs always had an answer in wire-to-wire victory over the Nuggets

With the San Antonio Spurs in the middle of a FIGASENI, this was one of the few times this week that they would not be at a rest disadvantage, as they took on a Denver Nuggets team that is not only missing two starters in Michael Porter, Jr. and Jamal Murray (among others), but they are also on the sixth game of a seven-game road trip AND coming off an overtime victory in New Orleans from the night before.

As a result, the Spurs had a chance to take advantage and start a new winning streak, and they did just that. While it wasn’t easy — Denver still has reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, and Aaron Gordon had himself a game — the Spurs led wire-to-wire and had a response every time the Nuggets threatened to take the lead.

It all started with the Spurs continuing their trend of starting strong by hitting 8 of their first 12 shots to get out to a 22-12 lead that they would never relinquish. The Nuggets were able to take advantage in the fast break with some long outlet passes to keep things close, but the Spurs kept attacking. They got nine extra points off seven offensive rebounds in the first quarter alone and led 37-29 to start the second.

The Spurs kept piling it with a 17-5 run that spanned across the first and second quarters. Devin Vassell returned from injury and exploded onto the scene on both ends of the court (literally), and the Spurs soon found themselves up 60-42 midway through the quarter. However, the Nuggets finally started getting some threes to fall while the Spurs had one of their cold spells, cutting the lead to four on a 16-4 run. Mike Malone then broke out the Hack-a-Poeltl on Jakob Poeltl, and he missed both free throws before quickly being pulled due picking up his 3rd foul. Jokic able to take advantage of his absence for a few easy points, but again, the Spurs responded at the end of the half …

Basket Ball / Sports

Mitchell, Gobert lead Jazz over 76ers for 6th straight win

Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points, Rudy Gobert had 17 points and 21 rebounds and the Utah Jazz extended their winning streak to six games with a 118-96 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night. Hassan Whiteside added 14 points and 10 rebounds for Utah.

Joel Embiid had 19 points and nine rebounds for the 76ers. Seth Curry scored 18 points and Tobias Harris 17 for Philadelphia, which had won four of five.

Both teams were playing the second night of a back-to-back, and it was the 76ers who looked tired after halftime.

“I think you go through the ebb and flow of the season, sometimes you just decide not to be tired,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “When you’re playing the right way, it makes it easier.”

The Jazz were coming off a 136-104 win over Minnesota on Wednesday night in which they made 25 3-pointers, two shy of their season high. “They’re playing free,” Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers said. “They get a lot of 3’s up, they stretch the floor. They’re a tough basketball team, especially offensively.”

But against the Sixers, the Jazz, who finished with 15 3-pointers, used their inside game to take control in the third quarter. Whiteside’s three-point play pushed their advantage to double-digits, and Rudy Gay’s finish from close range and a foul shot for another three-point play gave Utah its biggest lead to that point, 71-58 with 2:27 left in the third.

The Jazz kept it up in the fourth, taking firm command on Jordan Clarkson’s 3-pointer that put them up 99-81 with 7:21 left. Utah’s lead reached as many as 23 points in a dominating fourth quarter.

“I didn’t feel like we had a lot tonight,” Rivers said.Embiid was back on the court for the seventh straight contest after missing nine in a row due to COVID-19 protocols. He has looked more like himself of late, scoring 32 points and being active in Philadelphia’s 110-106 win at Charlotte on Wednesday, when the 76ers completed a two-game sweep of the host Hornets over …

Basket Ball / Sports

Phoenix Suns set franchise record with 18th straight win

Even with history looming as it approached a franchise record win streak, Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams said he tried not to bring it up to his team.

But after a 114-103 victory Thursday night over the visiting Detroit Pistons set a franchise mark with 18 consecutive wins, Williams allowed himself time to reflect.

“But it is really cool to be a part of something like that,” Williams said. “To win like this, the way we’ve won, guys out of the rotation, losing [Devin Booker to injury], the relentless attitude of our team, the way we stick together, it makes it really cool.

“Obviously it’s hard to win in this league. But we’re not satisfied. We talk about stretching it out but it takes the right things to do that. So we’ve taken it one game at a time.”

The 18th win topped the previous franchise mark of 17 set by the 2006-07 Suns, who went on to finish 61-21. The streak also ties the 2019 Bucks for the longest of any NBA team in the last five seasons. The longest streak in NBA history belongs to the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers, who won 33 straight games.

Suns players tried to downplay how much they thought about the streak on a day-to-day basis.

“It feels good but at the same time, I don’t know, I guess it feels good but we got another tomorrow,” Cameron Payne said. “We have to keep going. It’s 1-0 today. That’s how I feel.”

Suns point guard Chris Paul, who finished with 12 points and 12 assists, said it was a nice piece of history for the team, but the focus remains on the bigger picture.

“But for us I think it’s always about the feeling of making sure we’re playing the game the right way,” Paul said. “We always talk about we have a standard. We say this every night and a win is a win but we feel like we could have played better.”

Phoenix was without their leading scorer in Booker, who …

Basket Ball / Entertainment / News

Khloe Kardashian’s estranged partner Tristan Thompson expecting 3rd child with personal trainer

American basketballer Tristan Thompson is expecting a third child with a personal trainer.

According to DailyMail, the NBA star is expecting a baby boy with a Texas-based personal trainer.

The trainer, Marilyn Nicole has already filed for child support from the rich NBA star before giving birth to the child.

 

Nicole said she conceived the child on the night of Tristan’s 30th birthday. At that time, the NBA star was still in a relationship with Khloe Kardashian whom they share a daughter.

However, Tristan admitted in the lawsuit that he had sex with the 31-year-old trainer but claimed that it only happened once.

In a twist, Nicole said the affair started five months before his birthday and the affair continued after she got pregnant.

Earlier in the year, an Instagram model, Sydney Chase had revealed that she had an affair with the basketballer.

The won’t be the first time Thompson will be cheating on his baby mama.

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Basket Ball / Sports

Suns win 17th in a row to tie franchise record

On Tuesday night, the Phoenix Suns tied the franchise record for most consecutive wins with 17 of them, this most recent one being extra special as it came against the second hottest team in the league in the Golden State Warriors. The last time they won 17 straight was in the 2006-2007 season, and we’ll find out as soon as Thursday if they can officially break the record. We’ll start with the bad first, as Devin Booker exited in the middle of the second quarter with a hamstring injury, finishing with 10 points, two rebounds and one dime in 15 minutes, but he was seen on the Phoenix bench relentlessly cheering on his team despite suffering an injury mid-game. He’s had some hammy issues in the past but he’s bounced back rather nicely, and basically everyone gets a small boost if he misses time, with Chris Paul being the next man up and go-to guy. CP3 tallied a 4×5 line to the tune of 15 points (7-of-13 FGs), six rebounds, 11 assists, five steals, one 3-pointer and two turnovers in 39 minutes, and he just has not seemed to age and will remain in the first-round status that he held before this gem. Deandre Ayton feasted and was hustling up and down the court like nobody’s business, going for a team-high 24 points (11-of-19 FGs) with 11 rebounds (six offensive), two assists, one steal and two blocks with just one turnover to his name in 34 minutes. He’s still just top-60 on the season because he isn’t blocking shots, with the two tonight tying his season high, only accumulating that many on two occasions. Cam Johnson had a 14/4/2/1/1 evening with three triples and is probably the biggest direct beneficiary whenever D-Book is hurt, so feel free to stream him if Booker sits on Thursday against the Pistons (I see no reason why he wouldn’t get some extra rest even if he’s fine, given the opponent). Mikal Bridges had just two points but brought the defense with four steals and …

Basket Ball / Sports

Nets escape with wild win over rival Knicks

Kevin Durant and the Nets survive a thriller against the Knicks

James Johnson hit the tiebreaking free throws with 2.2 seconds remaining as the host Brooklyn Nets blew a 16-point lead, survived a wild fourth quarter, and outlasted the New York Knicks for a 112-110 victory in front of a raucous crowd Tuesday night, November 30 (Wednesday, December 1, Manila time).

The game was tied at 110-110 after New York’s Evan Fournier hit a three-pointer over Bruce Brown with 17 seconds left. Brooklyn used its last timeout to advance the ball, and James Harden inbounded to Kevin Durant.

Durant held the ball for a few seconds, took about five dribbles and moved to his left near midcourt. After encountering a double-team, he passed to Johnson, who was fouled by Mitchell Robinson and then calmly sank the foul shots.

New York had one more chance, but Fournier’s 44-foot three-point try as time expired clanked off the front of the rim.

Johnson’s free throws gave Brooklyn its fifth win in six games and capped a final quarter that featured 10 lead changes.

Harden scored 28 of his 34 points in the first half to lead all scorers and Durant scored 11 of his 27 in the fourth quarter. Durant hit two free throws to give Brooklyn a 109-107 lead 27.5 seconds before Fournier’s three-pointer.

Alec Burks led the Knicks with 25 points and Julius Randle added 24 for New York, which shot 48.4%. Derrick Rose contributed 16 points and Fournier contributed 13.

Harden scored 15 points as the Nets overcame an eight-point deficit and ended the first quarter with a 33-28 lead. Harden surpassed 20 points with two free throws to give Brooklyn a 43-36 lead with 8:48 left in the half and Brooklyn held a 45-36 lead on a layup by Johnson on its next possession.

The Knicks held a 61-60 lead at intermission after Harden canned a triple with 3.5 seconds left. Brooklyn scored the first 14 points of the third quarter and held an 84-68 lead on a jumper

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Basket Ball / Sports

Chicago Bulls cruise past Hornets as Lonzo Ball pips his brother

Lonzo Ball has faced his brother LaMelo three times in the NBA, winning twice. That’s the only thing that matters to him.

”I play to win. I’m still the big brother at the end of the day,” Lonzo Ball said, ”and I got to stack my wins.”

The Chicago Bulls took the latest battle of the Ball brothers, riding a stellar performance by Nikola Vucevic to a 133-119 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night.

Chicago shot a season-high 59.6% from the field and had five players score in double figures. Vucevic had a season-best 30 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points, and Zach LaVine, a game-time decision because of an illness, finished with 25.

With patriarch LaVar Ball watching and wearing a black hat that read ”I Told You So,” Lonzo Ball helped the Bulls get back on track after dropping three of four. He had 16 points and eight assists, and LaMelo Ball had 18 points and 13 assists.

”I mean we’ve been talking about the NBA since we were little boys,” LaMelo said. ”Just going out there and playing against him, always a dream come true, for real.”

The United Center crowd of 21,366 roared every time the Ball brothers matched up early on. But there was little sign from Lonzo or LaMelo that they were guarding someone they’d guarded since they were kids.

”Obviously we are brothers and it’s all love off the court,” Lonzo Ball said. ”But on the court, like I said, he got a job he got to do, I got a job I got to do.”

Terry Rozier scored 31 points and Gordon Hayward had 22 for the Hornets, who dropped to 0-2 on their four-game trip.

”Disappointed tonight in our defense,” Charlotte coach James Borrego said. ”We just got to correct it.”

Charlotte trimmed a 23-point deficit down to four on Hayward’s cutting layup with 7:31 left, but Chicago responded with a 9-0 run.

Vucevic sparked the decisive stretch with a layup. The 6-foot-10 center also …

Basket Ball / Sports

Hornets beat Wizards 97-87 for 4th straight victory

Kelly Oubre Jr. had 14 points for Charlotte, which ended Washington’s five-game winning steak after it stopped Golden State’s run at seven Sunday.

”The goal and the challenge here is to sustain it, and get better along the way, even into tomorrow’s practice,” Hornets coach James Borrego said.

LaMelo Ball added 11 points and a career-high 14 assists, Mason Plumlee had 11 points and 13 rebounds, Jalen McDaniels also scored 11 points.

”After the first quarter, we locked it in on defense and that got us going,” Bridges said. ”As long as we stay focused, do what we need to do on defense, we have a great chance of winning every night.”

Bradley Beal led Washington with 24 points, Daniel Gafford added 20, and Montrezl Harrell had 15.

”We stopped being aggressive, especially on offense,” Beal said after Washington lost a double-digit halftime lead. ”We settled for a lot of jumpers. We got a lot of good looks. We just didn’t make them. We still could have put a lot of pressure on the rim and gotten to the free-throw line a little more.”

After tying it at 63 with 3:52 left in the third period, Charlotte had a 10-2 run to close the quarter. Oubre scored seven points during the run.

”I wasn’t in tune with the pace,” said Gafford, who keyed Washington’s first-half lead but didn’t contribute much in the second. ”I felt like I was holding the team back at the time because I wasn’t doing the things I did in the first half. I can’t explain it, but I’m sure everyone saw it. I didn’t come out with the same intensity that I came out with at the beginning of the game.”

Beal played with a heavy heart Wednesday after the recent death of his grandmother.

‘I use basketball as my getaway, but it reminds me of her a lot,” Beal said. ”I just try to keep it as controlled as possible. It’s not something you can ignore, you have to take the punches and roll …

Basket Ball / Sports

Giannis Antetokounmpo scores 47 points, Bucks deny Lakers

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 47 points and Khris Middleton tied Milwaukee’s franchise record for career 3-pointers as the Bucks beat the Los Angeles Lakers 109-102 on Wednesday night at Fiserv Forum.

Middleton returned after missing eight games due to COVID-19, played 30 minutes and made consecutive 3-pointers 30 seconds apart early in the fourth quarter to put the Bucks ahead for good. The second of those 3s was his 1,051st with the Bucks to match Ray Allen for first place on the team’s all-time list.

“That’s a very, very special place to be,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “I think we all just admire what Khris does every night, his ability to shoot, the different ways he gets 3’s and his kind of consistency and longevity here.”

Allen holds the NBA record with 2,973 3-pointers in a career that also included stints with the Seattle Super Sonics, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat.

LeBron James missed an eighth straight game for the Lakers due to an abdominal strain. The Lakers have gone 3-5 during that stretch.

Los Angeles also is missing Trevor Ariza and Kendrick Nunn, who haven’t appeared in a game this season.

“It’s a part of the game,” said Anthony Davis, who scored 18 points for the Lakers. “Same thing with the team we just played. They’ve been hit with injuries as well. It kind of goes with the league, the business of the game. You go out there and put your body on the line every night, God forbid, something is going to happen in the course of a season. Someone’s going to get hurt. We’ve got to adjust and continue to fight until we get everybody back.

Talen Horton-Tucker scored 25 points for the Lakers two nights after getting a career-high 28 in a 121-103 loss to Chicago. Russell Westbrook had 19 points, Malik Monk 11 and Carmelo Anthony 10.

Antetokounmpo posted his highest point total since scoring 50 in a Game 6 Finals victory over the Phoenix Suns that clinched Milwaukee’s first title since 1971.

“I wanted

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Basket Ball / Sports

Jazz suffer first home loss, fall 111-100 to Pacers

Myles Turner stood up to Rudy Gobert and the Indiana Pacers knocked down the Utah Jazz.

Malcolm Brogdon scored a season-high 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds, leading the Pacers to a 111-100 victory on Thursday night that ended Utah’s unbeaten home start.

Turner, Gobert, Donovan Mitchell and Joe Ingles were ejected with 4:01 left. Turner shoved Gobert, planting his shoulder in his back after a missed layup. Gobert responded by bear hugging him and trying to wrestle Turner to the floor. The two players had to be separated near the basket across from the Pacers bench.

Turner blamed the scuffle on Gobert knocking him to the floor after the initial play.

“I had to stand up for myself in that situation,” Turner said. “I don’t think I did anything wrong. But that’s not for me to decide. We’ll talk to the league and see what happens from there.”

Brogdon had the eighth 30-point game of his career and T.J. McConnell added 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists off the bench for the Pacers. Turner had 13 points and nine rebounds.

The Pacers finished 2-2 on their road trip after their second road win of the season.

“We’ve got a resilient group,” Brogdon said. “We’ve got a group that’s maturing and a group that’s getting better and getting tougher. We’ve got to continue to build on this.”

Mitchell scored 26 points and Gobert added 19 points and 11 rebounds. Mitchell blamed the scuffle on built-up frustration over the referees allowing too much contact early in the game.

“That whole thing could have been avoided — just draw the line early, as opposed to letting it build up for the whole game,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell got off to a fast start and gave the Jazz an early boost. But after Bojan Bogdanovic drove for a layup to give Utah a 42-38 lead midway through the second quarter, the Pacers held the Jazz to just four baskets over the final 6 ½ minutes before halftime. Meanwhile, Indiana crashed the boards and …

Basket Ball / Sports

Raptors Beat 76ers, 115-109

Gary Trent Jr. and Fred VanVleet hit back-to-back 3-pointers over the final 1:10 to lift the Raptors past the undermanned Philadelphia 76ers, 115-109 on Thursday night.

VanVleet hit six 3s and scored 32 points, and Trent added 20. The Raptors lost to Boston on the front end of a back-to-back but the late 3s rallied them to a needed road victory.

The Raptors played hard until the end, a trait that can work wonders for a team trying to surprise this season.

“It’s been in the culture with the Raptors for a while,” coach Nick Nurse said. “We just believe in it, talk about it, drill it. We hold guys accountable. I think the biggest metric is your heart and your toughness and your desire to want to do it. Fortunately, our guys most nights will do that.”

Joel Embiid, Isaiah Joe, and Matisse Thybulle are still in the NBA’s health and safety protocols and sat out again. Seth Curry did return from a foot injury and Tobias Harris scored 19 points in his return from a six-game absence after testing positive for COVID-19.

“We just need bodies. He’s a warm body. The fact that he’s one of our better players helps,” coach Doc Rivers said.

The Sixers need more reinforcements and have lost three straight games. Tyrese Maxey did score 33 points for the Sixers.

Andre Drummond had put the Sixers ahead 109-107 with 1:44 left and then followed with a blocked shot on the next possession that sent the crowd into a frenzy. Trent, though, hit the 3 with 1:10 left that put the Raptors ahead.

The Raptors led most of the fourth quarter until the Sixers went on a late run. Shake Milton hit a 3 and his baseline drive cut it to 92-89 before Harris scored to bring the Sixers within one. VanVleet and Svi Mykhailiuk, though, each buried 3-pointers that stretched the lead and OG Anunoby dunked off a turnover.

UP NEXT

Raptors: Return home Saturday to play Detroit.

76ers: Open a six-game road trip

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Basket Ball / Sports

Paul George scores 24, Clippers beat Blazers to extend win streak

Paul George has been putting the Los Angeles Clippers on his shoulders the first month of the season. He needed some help Tuesday night after running into foul trouble midway through the third quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Reggie Jackson and Nicolas Batum were able to pick up the slack.

George led the Clippers with 24 points in their 117-109 victory over the Trail Blazers, but Jackson added 23 and Batum scored a season-high 22 points as Los Angeles extended its winning streak to five.

“We just keep being resilient and finding ways to win,” coach Tyron Lue said. “In the timeouts my message was I wanted us to keep our poise. We had to keep playing through it. They held it down until we got Paul back in the game.”

George went to the bench with 5:53 remaining in the third quarter and the Clippers up 70-65. When he came back into the game with 9:55 left in the fourth, LA had extended the lead to 88-82.

Batum and Isaiah Hartenstein keyed the Clippers’ offense during George’s absence with eight points apiece.

“The first two or three possessions we didn’t play well. We weren’t moving the ball,” said Batum, who was 6 of 8 from beyond the arc. “Then we just started to play simple, move around and got open shots. That was a big stretch before Paul came back.”

George, the reigning Western Conference player of the week, played only 33 minutes because of his foul trouble. Despite the decreased playing time, he was near a triple-double with nine rebounds and seven assists.

“So many guys are stepping up when we need them. You never know in a big night who it is going to be. You can’t put enough emphasis on that,” said George, who is fifth in the league in scoring at 26.7 points per game.

Damian Lillard led Portland with 27 points and Norman Powell scored 23. Jusuf Nurkic had 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who are winless in their …