MILWAUKEE/ DENVER — Damian Lillard had 30 points and 12 assists and made two late steals as the Milwaukee Bucks capitalized on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s return to defeat the Brooklyn Nets 115-108.
Michael Porter, also, scored 31 points as Nikola Jokic notched his 22nd triple-double of the season and the Denver Nuggets held off the New York Knicks for a 113-100 win.
Anthony Davis had 23 points and 19 rebounds, and D´Angelo Russell set the Lakers record for 3-pointers in a single season during Los Angeles’ 101-94 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
“I think in my career, I haven’t been known as a defender, but down the stretch of games, I’ve always been able to have a moment or do what I needed to do at the end of the game defensively,” said Lillard according to AP.
Antetokounmpo had 21 points, nine rebounds and five assists after missing two games because of an issue with his left hamstring.
“You try to control what you can control,” Antetokounmpo said. “Things like this are going to pop up now and then. Kind of unexpected, but at the end of the day, these are the cards you’ve been dealt, and you just have to keep on figuring it out, keep on playing through pain, playing through adversity.”
The Bucks rested Khris Middleton a night after he played 33 minutes in a 122-119 loss at Boston, as they continue to manage his workload in his recovery from a sprained left ankle.
Mikal Bridges scored 24 points; Nic Claxton had 22 and Cam Thomas 21 for the Nets, who lost their fifth straight.
After trailing by 20 points late in the second quarter and 18 early in the third, the Nets pulled ahead by outscoring the Bucks 21-6 over the first 5 1/2 minutes of the final period.
“We didn’t get a win, but I really believe that we grew,” Nets interim coach Kevin Ollie said. “That’s the message I’ve been telling them since I took over. I just want them to grow.”
Cam Johnson made a 3-pointer with 6:58 left to put Brooklyn ahead 87-88, giving the Nets their first lead since 11-9. Dennis Smith Jr. followed with a steal and a basket to make 90-87 with 6:41 remaining.
Antetokounpmo made a 3-pointer to tie it with six minutes left, and the game went back and forth from there.
Porter was 13 of 16 from the field – including a pass to himself off the glass for a dunk – and 2 of 2 from the free-throw line. Porter also had three 3-pointers to give him 193 for the season and break Dale Ellis´ single-season team mark of 192 set in 1996-97.
Jokic finished with 30 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists as the reigning champion Nuggets improved to 13-2 since the All-Star break and climbed within percentage points of first place in the Western Conference.
“We´re playing at a high level,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “The challenge is with 12 (games) to go can we continue to keep this up and stay healthy while doing so? Our players deserve so much credit for their mindset and approach every single night.”
Jamal Murray added 23 points before limping off the floor with just under a minute remaining after hurting his ankle.
The Nuggets were highly focused for this game following a 38-point loss to the Knicks on Jan 25 at Madison Square Garden, Denver’s most lopsided loss of the season.
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