Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference with 45 points and 14 rebounds, but his team lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-106 on Wednesday.
Cleveland had lost their previous two meetings with the Bucks this season, but thanks to 36 points from Donovan Mitchell, they won with a strong fourth quarter.
Mitchell made 15 of 16 free throws, including nine of nine in the fourth quarter, but Darius Garland scored 23 points and Jarrett Allen scored 19.
The Cavaliers have the best record in the NBA when playing at home, 16-2. “We needed it,” Allen said. “We lost on their court twice and we needed to show them that we are here to play.”
In those two defeats, Cleveland had lost in the third quarter, so Allen said it was important for them to stay on top of their game.
He stated, “That gives us a lot of satisfaction, we didn’t let the third quarter stop us, we came out and attacked, defended, and did it all.” “That gives us a lot of satisfaction.”
The Knicks’ eight-game winning streak in New York ended with a surprise defeat to the Toronto Raptors at home, 113-106.
After six losses in a row, the Raptors finally won for the first time. Pascal Siakam scored 52 points, which was a career-high.
Cameroonian Siakam said, “It felt good to win,” adding, “It didn’t matter if it was on the road or at home we just wanted a win.”
“We have been going through a difficult stretch and presently the main thing is to expand on it,” he added.
Ayo Dosunmu’s dramatic last-minute layup at the buzzer gave the Chicago Bulls a 110-108 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
Dosunmu got the rebound after Demar DeRozan missed a left-handed shot, and Chicago won the second game in a row.
DeRozan scored 28 points for Chicago, which had lost an 18-point lead, while Atlanta’s Trae Young scored the most points with 34.
After taking a 91-51 halftime lead over the Golden State Warriors, the defending champions, the Brooklyn Nets scored the third most points in NBA history to win 143-113.
The depleted Warriors, who lost by 38 points to the New York Knicks on Tuesday and were once again without Stephen Curry, are further afflicted by the Nets’ seventh win in a row.
Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant scored the most points with 23 and the Nets had nine players score in double figures, allowing them to deal with Kyrie Irving’s absence because of calf tightness.
After losing 117-112 at home to the Indiana Pacers, the second-place Boston Celtics have now lost five of their last six games, including three straight.
The Celtics were led by 41 points from Jayson Tatum, but the Pacers, who had led by 30 points in the second quarter, were able to hold on and win thanks to 33 points from Tyrese Haliburton.
After coming back from 15 points down in the second half to defeat the Rockets 116-110 in Houston, the Orlando Magic have now won seven of their last eight games.
For the Magic, German Franz Wagner scored 25 points, and rookie Paolo Banchero scored 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.