With a triple-double from Giannis Antetokounmpo and a tremendous fourth quarter from Brook Lopez, the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Toronto Raptors by a score of 118-111 on Sunday.
After a shocking setback to Indiana on Thursday, the Eastern Conference leaders bounced back with a hard-fought victory over the Raptors at Milwaukee’s Fiserv Arena on Saturday.
At the conclusion of the third quarter, Toronto held an eight-point lead. But, Milwaukee Bucks came storming back, with 17 of Lopez’s 26 points coming in the fourth quarter to help the Bucks pull off the comeback.
Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo tallied 22 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists to lead Milwaukee to a 51-20 record and a 2.5-game lead over the surging Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference.
Fred VanVleet scored 23 points to lead Toronto in scoring.
Austin Reaves scored a career-high 35 points to help the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Orlando Magic 111-105 on Sunday. This came after the Lakers had suffered a heartbreaking loss on Friday to Dallas.
The Lakers were stunned by the Mavericks’ last-second victory on Friday, as they were fighting to keep alive their hopes of making the Western Conference playoffs.
On Sunday, when the score was 101-101 and there were 2 minutes and 39 seconds left, it appeared like history would repeat itself.
Then Reaves stepped up and scored 10 straight points to seal the victory and propel the Lakers into the playoff picture.
It’s a wonderful victory,” Reaves stated afterward. From here on out, every game is important, and every victory is critical.
If we stay focused on what we need to do, I believe we have the talent to be a top team in the league, but it all comes down to our mindset going into each game.
Tough times for the Blazers
The Trail Blazers’ playoff hopes took a hit when the Los Angeles Clippers won 117-102 in Portland
Paul George scored a game-high 29 points, and Kawhi Leonard added 24 as the Clippers never trailed.
With this defeat, Trail Blazers Portland’s Western Conference standing drops from ninth to thirteenth, where they now sit at 31-40, three spots outside the play-in positions.
Elsewhere On Sunday, Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points to lead a second-half comeback against Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 30 points on 12-of-24 shooting from the field and 16-of-19 from the free throw line as Oklahoma City rallied from a 15-point deficit at halftime to win 124-120.
The Thunder came back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win, outscoring Phoenix 34-24 with 10 points from Gilgeous-bench. Alexander’s
With a win like this, the Thunder may move up from their current eighth spot in the Western Conference and into the postseason picture.
Phoenix is still in fourth place in the West at 38-33, where only a few games separate a wide range of clubs vying for postseason berths.
Meanwhile, Booker’s 46 points led Phoenix, but after a strong defensive showing by Oklahoma City in the second half, just three other players scored in double figures.
“That was a total team effort,” Gilgeous-Alexander stated after the fact. There was opposition all through the game, but we persisted and executed our strategy to win.
Earlier in the day, Denver beat the Nets 108-102 on the road thanks in large part to Nikola Jokic’s 28th triple-double of the season.
Two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic led the way with 22 points, 17 boards, and 10 helpers, raising the Western Conference-leading Nuggets to 48-24 on the night. While a playoff spot is virtually guaranteed, the Nuggets have three games left to try and secure the number one seed.
Denver’s Michael Porter Jr. scored a team-high 28 points, and Jamal Murray chipped in 25.
Two San Antonio Spurs players, Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell, each scored 29 points as the team rallied from a 24-point deficit to defeat the Atlanta Hawks, 126-118.
After scoring 83 points in the first half, the Hawks led by 22 points at halftime and appeared like they were going to cruise to a victory on the road.
After being officially eliminated from playoff contention, the Spurs came out strong in the second half, outscoring Atlanta 39-20 in the third quarter and 26-15 in the fourth. Explore here at toponlinesportsbetting.ph to learn the latest NBA news and updates for your favorite teams and players.
