Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Giannis Antetokounmpo threw down the game-winning dunk with 4.7 seconds remaining to lift the Milwaukee Bucks to a 122-121 victory over the Charlotte Hornets and grab a slice of NBA history on Friday. The Bucks trailed by as many as 16 on their home floor, but Antetokounmpo scored 12 of his 30 points in the final quarter to help seal the win in a frantic finish that saw five lead changes in the final 45.7 seconds. The two-time NBA Most Valuable Player added 10 rebounds and five assists. It was his 158th regular-season game with at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, overtaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson for the most in NBA history.
“It’s an incredible accomplishment,” Antetokounmpo said. “I don’t want to come here and just do my job and go back home,” he stated. “I just want to keep on evolving, keep on learning.” The Bucks, whose erratic season included an eight-game injury absence for Antetokounmpo in December, improved to 15-20. “We’re not there yet, but we’re trending towards the right direction,” Antetokounmpo said after Milwaukee’s third win in four games.
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The NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder romped to a 131-94 victory over a Golden State Warriors team missing the star trio of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler. Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points, and Chet Holmgren added 15 points, 15 rebounds, and four blocked shots for OKC, who became the first team this season to reach 30 wins as they improved to 30-5.
In Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points and Darius Garland added 18 as the Cavaliers edged the injury-depleted Denver Nuggets 113-108. Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic was among four sidelined Nuggets starters as he continues to recover from a hyperextended left knee. The Nuggets took a 97-88 lead into the fourth quarter and led 105-101 with 4:43 remaining before the Cavs reeled off 10 straight points in a spurt that included a go-ahead three-pointer from Garland. Cleveland outscored Denver 25-11 in the final period. Jamal Murray led the visitors with 34 points but had just six in the second half. “I feel like the first three quarters, we just really weren’t ourselves,” Mitchell said after the Cavaliers’ third straight win, adding that the key to keeping the victories coming was “to be that team we were defensively – we know we can be and everything else takes care of itself.”
De’Aaron Fox scored 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the short-handed San Antonio Spurs to a 123-113 victory over the reeling Indiana Pacers. San Antonio’s French superstar Victor Wembanyama skipped the trip to Indianapolis after hyperextending his left knee in a win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said Wembanyama could return for Saturday’s home game against the Portland Trail Blazers. Pascal Siakam scored 23 points for the Pacers, who trailed the entire second half on the way to an 11th straight defeat.
Atlanta forward Jalen Johnson’s seventh triple-double of the season propelled the Hawks to a 111-99 victory over the Knicks in New York. Johnson scored 18 points with 10 rebounds and 11 assists, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Onyeka Okongwu added 23 points apiece for the Hawks. Jalen Brunson scored 24 points to lead the Knicks, who heard boos from a Madison Square Garden crowd unwilling to make allowances for a team missing Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson.
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