December 13, 2023 – 11:02 PM PST
Giannis Antetokounmpo set a Milwaukee Bucks franchise record with 64 points to lead his team to a 140-126 win over the visiting Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night.
Antetokounmpo, who broke the record of 57 points set by Micheal Redd in 2006, also added 14 rebounds. Damian Lillard scored 21 along with six assists. Bobby Portis came off the bench to score 19.
Indiana was led by Tyrese Haliburton, the Oshkosh, Wis., native, with 22 points and seven assists. Myles Turner matched him with 22 points and also grabbed nine boards.
In the second, Lillard hit a shooter’s milestone. He tied Kyle Korver for fifth all-time in made 3-pointers with his 2,450th. He later passed Korver and is now nine behind Reggie Miller (2,560), who sits in fourth place.
76ers 129, Pistons 111
Joel Embiid poured in 41 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in 31 minutes to lead Philadelphia past host Detroit as the Pistons matched the longest losing streak in franchise history.
The Pistons have dropped 21 straight, a club record for a single season. They had another 21-game slide spanning the end of the 1979-80 season and the beginning of 1980-81 campaign.
Tobias Harris had 21 points and seven rebounds for the Sixers, while Kelly Oubre Jr. tossed in 17 points. Bojan Bogdanovic scored a season-high 33 points for Detroit, which plays at Philadelphia on Friday.
Nets 116, Suns 112
Cam Thomas scored 24 points and Mikal Bridges added 21 points in his return to Phoenix as Brooklyn edged the Suns despite Phoenix’s “Big Three” playing together for the first time this season.
Devin Booker recorded 34 points, 12 assists and six rebounds for the Suns, who lost for the fifth time in seven games. Kevin Durant scored 27 points in his first game against the Nets since being traded to the Suns last February. Bradley Beal added 14 points for Phoenix.
This was the first time Durant, Booker and Beal were on the floor in the same game for Phoenix, which was playing its 24th game of the season.
Pelicans 142, Wizards 122
Brandon Ingram scored 26 of his season-high 40 points in the first half and New Orleans hit a season high in points as the visiting Pelicans rolled to a win in Washington.
Trey Murphy III drained six 3-pointers to highlight his 27-point performance and CJ McCollum added 22 points to pace the Pelicans, erupted for 47 points in the second to set a franchise high for that quarter.
Washington’s Kyle Kuzma scored 23 of his 27 points in the first half. He made 10 of 19 shots from the floor and 4 of 8 from 3-point range.
Heat 115, Hornets 104
Duncan Robinson had 23 points and Jimmy Butler had 15 points and a game-high 10 assists as Miami beat visiting Charlotte two nights after beating the Hornets in their building.
Kyle Lowry and Jaime Jaquez Jr. each added 17 points for Miami. Lowry didn’t miss a shot, as he went 5-for-5 from the floor, 4-for-4 from 3-point range and 3-for-3 from the foul line. Robinson made 6 of 9 3-pointers.
Terry Rozier led the Hornets with a game-high 28 points, making 10 of 14 shots from the floor — including 5 of 6 3-pointers. Gordon Hayward added 20 points and a team-high-tying seven assists for the Hornets, who have lost six of their past eight games.
Raptors 135, Hawks 128
Pascal Siakam scored 33 points and Toronto defeated visiting Atlanta to end a four-game losing streak.
Scottie Barnes added 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Raptors which will host Atlanta again on Friday night.
Trae Young had 35 points and 17 assists for the Hawks, who have lost five straight. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 20 points in the loss.
Rockets 117, Grizzlies 104
Tari Eason produced his second consecutive double-double off the bench, while Jabari Smith Jr. added his third double-double of the season as Houston topped Memphis to extend its homecourt winning streak to 11 games.
Eason paired a career-high 25 points with a career-high-tying 14 rebounds to lead Houston to another dominating effort on the glass. With Smith totaling 20 points and 10 rebounds and Alperen Sengun grabbing 10 boards, the Rockets posted a 58-39 rebounding advantage.
Jaren Jackson Jr. also scored a career high, but with 44 points, for the short-handed Grizzlies, who added leading scorer Desmond Bane (illness) to their long list of injured and infirmed. Derrick Rose tallied 19 points and six assists but Memphis shot only 42.7 percent and missed 28 of 38 3-pointers.
Lakers 122, Spurs 119
Anthony Davis poured in 37 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as visiting Los Angeles built a 20-point lead and held on late for a win over reeling San Antonio in the first of two games between the teams in the Alamo City in a three-night span.
The Lakers have won five of their past six while San Antonio dropped its 18th straight game, adding to a franchise-record losing streak. Taurean Prince scored 17 points for the Lakers, with Austin Reaves hitting for 15 off the bench.
Victor Wembanyama led San Antonio with 30 points and 13 rebounds while Keldon Johnson added a season-high 28 points, Malaki Branham had 19 and Devin Vassell scored 13 points.
Jazz 117, Knicks 113
Collin Sexton scored 26 points and Lauri Markkanen returned strong from an eight-game absence to lead host Utah to a victory over New York in Salt Lake City.
Markkanen scored 23 points with four 3-pointers on 7-of-13 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds in his first action in three weeks since straining his left hamstring. Talen Horton-Tucker scored 13 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter.
Julius Randle led all players with 32 points and 12 rebounds, and added six assists, but New York gave up an early double-digit lead and couldn’t quite overcome a late 14-point deficit. Jalen Brunson contributed 23 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for New York, while Donte DiVincenzo totaled 21 points, seven boards and four steals.
–Field Level Media