Giannis Antetokounmpo had 42 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in his return to Milwaukee’s lineup and the Bucks won their sixth in a row, 124-114 over the lowly Washington Wizards on Saturday night.
Antetokounmpo missed the Bucks' 106-103 NBA Cup victory at Miami on Tuesday due to swelling in his left knee but returned to record his third triple-double in the last six games he has played.
Damian Lillard added 25 points and 10 assists while Brook Lopez scored 18 points.
Jordan Poole had 31 points and Malcolm Brogdon added 29 and 11 rebounds for the NBA-worst Wizards, who have lost 14 straight.
Since losing eight of their first 10 games, the Bucks have come all the way back to get above .500 (10-9) for the first time since winning their season opener.
Washington trailed 105-103 when Poole missed a deep 3-pointer that would have put the Wizards ahead with less than 4 1/2 minutes left. The Bucks then scored 10 straight points. Poole had a couple of turnovers and was called for a double technical with Milwaukee's Taurean Prince during that stretch.
He's a freak. He's the best player alive.
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) December 1, 2024
42 PTS | 12 REB | 11 AST | 63% FG pic.twitter.com/kZDM0VlvOr
Suns defeat struggling Warriors
Devin Booker scored 27 points, Kevin Durant added 21 and the Phoenix Suns handed the Golden State Warriors their fourth straight loss, 113-105.
Tyus Jones added 19 points and nine assists, making 7 of 9 shots, including 4 of 5 3-pointers for the Suns, who knocked down 18 of 35 from beyond the arc.
Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 23 points but shot 8 of 20 from the field. Andrew Wiggins added 18 points while Draymond Green had 13.
The Warriors trailed by 17 at halftime but cut the margin to 85-78 by the start of the fourth quarter after Curry poured in 15 points. Golden State went on a 9-0 run late in the fourth to pull within 105-99, but Durant made a 3-pointer with 1:42 left to turn back the rally.
The Suns led 66-49 at halftime after making 14 of 21 (66.7%) of their 3-pointers.
Jones made a 3 with 6:28 left to give Phoenix a 99-86 lead. The Warriors turned the ball over on the next possession and Booker hit a short jumper for a 15-point advantage.
SHOW 'EM, KD! pic.twitter.com/mAqprm9XhT
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) December 1, 2024
Irving leads undermanned Mavericks over Jazz
Kyrie Irving scored 30 points and Quentin Grimes had 24 points to power the short-handed Dallas Mavericks to a 106-94 victory over the Utah Jazz.
Dallas led the entire game despite playing without Luka Dončić (right wrist), Klay Thompson (left foot) and Dante Exum (right wrist). Naji Marshall left in the second quarter and didn’t return because of illness.
P.J. Washington had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks, who have won four of five games - all without Doncic.
The Jazz have lost seven of their last eight games. Lauri Markkanen scored 19 points and Walker Kessler had 18 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks for Utah.
After watching the Jazz claw within five points while he was resting, Irving made a 3-pointer, then stole the ball and assisted Grimes for a layup to make it 92-82 with 6:19 to play.
Let's keep it rollin'. MAVS WIN!!!@Chime // #MFFL pic.twitter.com/WwO3CNNGq9
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) December 1, 2024