Damian Lillard stepped up in a big way in the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo, scoring a season-high 43 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 135-127 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. (More NBA News)
♐With Antetokounmpo still out with a left calf strain that will sideline him through the upcoming All-Star break, Lillard carried Milwaukee to just its second win in its last seven games. The nine-time All-Star made eight of 15 shots from 3-point range and went 14 of 27 overall from the field while adding eight assists and seven rebounds.
꧟The Bucks also got a big lift from Gary Trent Jr., who scored 23 points off the bench and had seven of Milwaukee's season-high 24 makes from beyond the arc. Fellow reserve Bobby Portis contributed 18 points and 13 rebounds to the victory.
ꦿPhiladelphia was handed a third straight loss despite Tyrese Maxey's 39 points on 16-of-23 shooting and Joel Embiid's 27 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.
𝓡The Bucks had a slim 65-63 half-time edge as Maxey and Embiid kept the 76ers in it with 26 and 24 first-half points, respectively. Lillard got hot in the third quarter, however, as Milwaukee began to create some separation.
ꦗLillard recorded 15 points for the period, including six straight during a one-minute stretch that put the Bucks up by double-digits at 87-76 midway through the quarter.
ꦛMilwaukee's lead was 103-91 entering the fourth until the Bucks dominated the early portion of that quarter. The Bucks began the period on a 15-2 run, featuring three 3-pointers from Trent, to extend their advantage to 118-93 with 7:30 left to play.
Rockets draw clear from Raptors to end losing skid
ꦍThe Houston Rockets put their season-high six-game losing streak to an end Sunday by pulling away in the fourth quarter for a 94-87 win over the Toronto Raptors.
♈Jalen Green scored nine of his 18 points in the final period to help Houston to its first victory since Jan. 28. The Rockets got back on track despite shooting just 36 per cent from the field and having All-Star center Alperen Sengun exit the contest in the first quarter with back spasms.
𝐆Dillon Brooks led Houston with 19 points, while Jock Landale posted 11 points and 10 rebounds when pressed into extended duty by Sengun's injury.
ꦚImmanuel Quickley finished with 20 points and eight rebounds for Toronto, while Scottie Barnes compiled 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the Raptors' fourth straight loss.
🔯Houston trailed by as many as 10 points in the second quarter and was down 42-37 during an offensively deficient first half, but finally began to find some rhythm in the fourth quarter.
📖The Rockets took the lead for good with a 10-0 run that turned a two-point deficit into a 77-69 lead following Cam Whitmore's 3-pointer with 7:24 left to play.
🅰Houston maintained an advantage of at least four points the rest of the way, with the margin growing to 10 points when Jeff Green's jumper with 1:15 remaining put the Rockets up 93-83.
Cunningham's triple-double lifts Pistons over Hornets
𒅌Cade Cunningham recorded 19 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists to lead the way as the Detroit Pistons cruised to a 112-102 win over the Charlotte Hornets.
🤪Tobias Harris complemented Cunningham's eighth triple-double of the season by scoring 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting, and the Pistons also received 16 points, 12 rebounds and six assists from Jalen Duren in a game they led by as many as 28 points.
ꦚThe Hornets snapped a six-game losing streak with Friday's 117-116 win over the Sacramento Kings, but couldn't build off that result despite Miles Bridges' 30 points and nine rebounds. Both Bridges and Seth Curry, who had a season-high 26 points, finished 5 of 9 from 3-point range.
💦Detroit opened the game on a 13-4 run and never trailed at any stage behind a red-hot start that saw the Pistons shoot a scorching 72.7 per cent in the first quarter. They led comfortably after one period at 39-15 as Harris put up 14 points and Malik Beasley added 11.
꧅The Pistons cruised into half-time owning a 66-46 advantage and were up 90-73 after three quarters, though the Hornets did make things interesting in the fourth.
🅠Charlotte began the final quarter on a 17-2 surge to close within 92-90 on KJ Simpson's 3-pointer with under eight minutes remaining. Detroit answered with an 11-2 run, however, sparked by six points from Cunningham, to extend its lead to 103-92 with less than four minutes to go.
