The Milwaukee Bucks continued their franchise-best start and pulled within two games of matching their all-time longest winning streak on Saturday, routing the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers 125-108.
Dec 14, 2019; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) dunks a basket in the fourth quarter during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Milwaukee faced little resistance from a struggling Cleveland bunch. The Bucks jumped to an 18-point halftime lead and expanded the gap to as many as 28 points in the third quarter on the way to their 18th straight win.
The Bucks’ 24-3 start is the best in the 52-year history of the organization. To match the 20-game winning streak of the Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar-led 1970-71 Bucks, this 2019-20 squad will have to beat two of the hottest teams in the Western Conference, the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers, next week.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 29 points, and Khris Middleton added 24 points, leading six Bucks scoring in double-figures. Sputtering Cleveland dropped its 15th game over the last 17. Kevin Porter Jr. led the Cavaliers scoring 15 points off the bench. Jordan Clarkson added 13 points also in a reserve role.
Miami Heat 122 – Dallas Mavericks 118 (OT)
Jimmy Butler scored 27 points as Miami defeated host Dallas in a game that saw Luka Doncic sprain his right ankle early in the first quarter.
Tyler Herro finished with 19 points and Bam Adebayo collected a triple-double with 18 points, 11 boards and 10 assists for the Heat, who rebounded after dropping a 113-110 decision to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.
Tim Hardaway Jr. made six 3-pointers to highlight his 28-point performance and Kristaps Porzingis had 22 points and 14 rebounds for the Mavericks, who have lost two of three after winning 10 of their previous 11. X-rays were negative for Doncic, who did not return to the game after stepping on the foot of Miami guard Kendrick Nunn while driving to the basket.
Chicago Bulls 109 – Los Angeles Clippers 106
Zach LaVine made a go-ahead layup with 2.0 seconds remaining and sank a free throw to complete a three-point play, and Chicago emerged with a win over visiting Los Angeles.
LaVine finished with 31 points on 11-for-21 shooting, including 4 of 7 from beyond the arc. Thaddeus Young finished with 17 points, Denzel Valentine had 16, and Lauri Markkanen notched 13 points and 17 rebounds for the Bulls.
Montrezl Harrell scored 30 points to lead the Clippers, whose four-game winning streak was snapped. Paul George added 27 points in 31 minutes but missed a shot at the buzzer that could have forced overtime.
Denver Nuggets 110 – Oklahoma City Thunder 102
Nikola Jokic recorded 28 points, 14 rebounds and matched his season high of 12 assists for his fourth triple-double of the season to help Denver post a victory over visiting Oklahoma City.
Will Barton scored 18 points, and Jamal Murray added 14 points and seven assists as Denver defeated the Thunder for the seventh straight time. Jerami Grant tallied 13 points and Gary Harris had 11 for the Nuggets.
Dennis Schroder scored 22 points, and Steven Adams added 18 points and 14 rebounds as Oklahoma City lost its second straight to complete a 2-2 road trip.
Toronto Raptors 110 – Brooklyn Nets 102
Pascal Siakam finished with 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, and host Toronto won for the 16th time in its last 17 meetings with Brooklyn.
Siakam added three steals and three blocks while hitting 3 of 5 3-point attempts. Norman Powell added 25 points for the Raptors before fouling out with 1:05 left in the game. Kyle Lowry scored 17 points, Marc Gasol had 17 points and 15 rebounds and Serge Ibaka had 12 points and 12 rebounds off the bench.
Spencer Dinwiddie had 24 points and eight assists for the Nets, Garrett Temple had 16 points and Taurean Prince had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Joe Harris added 13 points, David Nwaba scored 10, DeAndre Jordan contributed seven points and 13 rebounds and Jarrett Allen had seven points and 10 rebounds.
Detroit Pistons 115 – Houston Rockets 107
Derrick Rose produced a double-double in a sparkling effort off the bench as short-handed Detroit raced past host Houston Rockets.
Rose finished with 20 points and 12 assists and steered the Pistons to victory down the stretch with a series of mid-range jumpers and deft passes to open teammates. Detroit, playing without Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson, lost Blake Griffin (sore knee) at the intermission. Luke Kennard paced the Pistons with 22 points, while Bruce Brown added 16 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals.
James Harden led the Rockets with 39 points and seven assists, but had only one assist after the first quarter. Houston received 17 points off the bench from Chris Clemons and 12 points and 19 rebounds from Clint Capela. The Rockets were without Russell Westbrook, who sat in the second game of a back-to-back. Ben McLemore started in his stead and scored 13 points.
San Antonio Spurs 121 – Phoenix Suns 119 (OT)
Patty Mills had 26 points off the bench, including a jump shot with 1.7 seconds remaining that gave San Antonio Spurs an overtime victory over Phoenix, the second of the two NBA games played in Mexico City this season.
Mills tied a season high with six 3-pointers on 14 attempts. LaMarcus Aldridge, DeMar DeRozan and Dejounte Murray had 18 points apiece, and Lonnie Walker IV had 16 points for the Spurs, who have won four of six and had most of the fan support in a game that was a designated home game for the Suns.
Ricky Rubio had 25 points and 13 assists, and Frank Kaminsky had 22 points and seven rebounds. Dario Saric had 19 points and tied a career-high with 17 rebounds for the Suns, who played without injured leading scorer Devin Booker.
Memphis Grizzlies 128 – Washington Wizards 111
Dillon Brooks scored 27 points, and teammate Brandon Clarke added 25 as host Memphis handed Washington its fourth straight loss.
Brooks went 10-for-17 from the field to lead the Grizzlies in just 26 minutes. Clarke and Ja Morant both sat out of Friday’s loss to Milwaukee due to injury maintenance, according to the team, but each gave the offense a lift in this game. Clarke made 11 of 14 shots, and Morant ended up with 18 points and five assists.
Bradley Beal led Washington with a game-high 29 points. The Wizards shot only 42.4 percent from the field, compared to the Grizzlies’ 57.1 percent, and the Grizzlies outrebounded the Wizards 46-34.
—Field Level Media