Sixers get by Bucks, 130-125

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo looks to shoot against Philadelphia 76ers' Boban Marjanovic during the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday in Milwaukee.
Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo looks to shoot against Philadelphia 76ers' Boban Marjanovic during the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday in Milwaukee.

MILWAUKEE-Giannis Antetokounmpo won the scoring matchup, but Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers won the game.

Antetokounmpo poured in a career-high 52 points, yet Embiid had 40 points and 15 rebounds to lead the 76ers over the Milwaukee Bucks 130-125 on Sunday.

Antetokounmpo was 15 of 26 from the field, including 3 of 8 from 3-point range, and made 19 of 21 free throws to better his previous career best by eight points.

The 7-foot, 260-pound Embiid challenged his shots and trips into the paint.

"He's (Embiid) a tough guy," Antetokounmpo said. "He's a great defender, strong. It was kind of hard going at him."

The Sixers' defense shut down Antetokounmpo in the first two quarters. He was 5 of 13 from the floor and had 17 points and seven rebounds before going 10 of 13 from the floor and 14 of 16 from the line for 35 points in the second half.

"He carried us for most of that game, but not all of it," Khris Middleton said. "He wreaked havoc in the paint. He got his 3-ball going early. He got into a great rhythm. He was special tonight. Unfortunately, we just didn't get the win for him on a career night."

Embiid was up to the challenge of guarding Antetokounmpo.

"I thought we all did a pretty good job in the first half," Embiid said. "In the second half, he kind of got going. He is tough to guard."

Embiid and the Sixers weathered a late charge by Milwaukee to beat the team with the best overall record in the NBA (52-18) and the top home record (27-6). It was the fifth time this season Embiid scored 40 or more points and came in his fourth game back after missing nine straight with left knee soreness.

 

PISTONS 110, RAPTORS 107

DETROIT-For the second straight season, Dwane Casey has swept the season series between the Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors.

After his Raptors went 4-0 against the Pistons in 2017-18, Casey was fired in Toronto and crossed the border to replace Stan Van Gundy in Detroit.

The Pistons won two close games against Toronto earlier in the season, one by two points and one in overtime, then finished off the sweep with a 110-107 victory Sunday.

"This isn't about me. It is about these players," Casey said. "They've played three close games against a great basketball team, and they've made the plays to win all of them.

"We've beaten the No. 2 team in the East three times, but that doesn't mean anything if we don't play this way in every game for the rest of the season."

Blake Griffin scored 25 points, Andre Drummond had 15 points and 17 rebounds and Reggie Jackson added 20 points to help the Pistons win for the 14th time in their last 18 games.

"Every game counts for us right now, because we are in a playoff race," Drummond said. "That's a team that very, very good and we beat them three straight times, but we can't celebrate right now. We've got a lot more games to go and we need to finish strong."

Kawhi Leonard had 33 points for Toronto, and Fred VanVleet added 17 points in his first game back after missing 12 with a wrist injury. The Raptors have lost four of seven games.

 

HEAT 93, HORNETS 75

MIAMI-Dwyane Wade arrived for work on Sunday not expecting to play much, if at all. His bruised right hip was sore and he was feeling pain with every step.

He offered to play for a couple of minutes.

He wound up playing 28, even diving on that bad hip for a loose ball with the outcome still in the balance-and helping the Miami Heat get perhaps the most important win of their season.

Goran Dragic scored 19 points off the bench, Wade added 17 and the Heat found just enough offense to beat the Charlotte Hornets 93-75 in a game with major Eastern Conference playoff implications. The win kept Miami (33-36) at the No. 8 spot in the East race-and moved the Heat two games up on No. 10 Charlotte (31-38), with 13 games left for both clubs.

"Just thankful I could go out there and contribute," Wade said.

He did more than contribute. Even with the bad hip-hurt on a hard fall Friday night in Miami's loss to Milwaukee-the 6-foot-4 Wade won a jump ball against Frank Kaminsky midway through the fourth quarter after hitting the floor for a tie-up, then blocked a layup try by Dwayne Bacon about two minutes later and hit a 3-pointer on the ensuing Heat possession.

That put Miami up 13, and the Heat cruised from there.

"I'm really going to miss that," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of the late heroics from the soon-to-be-retired Wade. "He's a warrior. He knows how important a game like this is. Just the fact that he wasn't able to go through the walkthrough but then he does everything he possibly can that's the kind of message that you love your young players getting from a Hall of Fame player."

 

MAGIC 101, HAWKS 91

ORLANDO, Fla.-It might have been a little easier for the Orlando Magic on Sunday night if they could have made their shots.

Still, they got by with a big start from Nikola Vucevic to take an early lead and, despite shooting just 38.8 percent, held on for a 101-91 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

"It's important, late in the season, if your defense can win games for you. That's what happened tonight," Vucevic said. "You're going to have games not shooting well, but you find other ways to win. You can do it with defense."

Vucevic scored 17 of his 27 points in the first eight minutes of the game and added 20 rebounds. Aaron Gordon had 22 points and eight rebounds for the Magic, who remained a game behind Miami in the chase for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Wes Iwundu helped Orlando with a career-high 14 points, seven rebounds and two big blocks.

Trae Young led the Hawks with 20 points. Dewayne Dedmon had 10 points and 14 rebounds.

The Magic shot only 9 of 37 (24.3 percent) from 3-point range and the Hawks were even worse, going 8 for 35 (22.9 percent).

"We obviously didn't shoot the ball well, but we had good intensity. Our defense was very good tonight, and at this time of year that's critical," Magic coach Steve Clifford said. "The free-throw game was so important tonight. If you look at numbers, that was the biggest stat in the game, the free-throw differential."

The Magic made 26 of 33 free throws to Atlanta's 7 of 10.

 

KINGS 129, BULLS 102

SACRAMENTO, Calif.-The Sacramento Kings are a long shot to end the NBA's longest active playoff drought, so Dave Joerger's team is taking solace in the little things.

Getting their 34th win of the season - the most by the Kings in more than a decade - certainly stands out. The development of rookies Marvin Bagley III and Harry Giles is near the top of the list as well.

Bagley had 21 points and nine rebounds, Giles added 16 points and the Kings beat the Chicago Bulls 129-102 on Sunday.

"Both of them are accentuating the positives and reducing the mistakes," Joerger said. They've been a little bit more aggressive, they've been a little less aggressive to thread the needle on passes so there's less turnovers. Maybe they have a shot and maybe they're playing to the second side, and just growing up into pro basketball players and taking what the defense gives them."

Bagley, the second overall pick in the draft, managed to upstage his teammate with yet another strong game. Bagley scored 14 points in the second half to help the Kings pull away, made a handful of big plays including a coast-to-coast layup after blocking a shot by Robin Lopez, and finished one rebound shy of his 14th double-double this season.

"I wanted to dunk it, but I tripped," Bagley said of his layup following the block.

Giles complemented Bagley on the interior, and took a pass from his rookie teammate and dunked to put Sacramento up 88-61 in the third quarter. Giles also tied his career high with three blocks.

"I'm starting to come into myself, taking my time, patience," Giles said. "It's all starting to come along for me. It's taken some time but it's right where I want to be."

The Kings needed it as they continue to maintain slim hopes of ending the NBA's longest active playoff drought. Sacramento, 4-8 since the All-Star break, began the day six games behind the Clippers for the eighth spot in the crowded Western Conference.

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