Only 3 games last night, as the NBA prepares for the All Star break, and the big news in all regards was the NBA Championship fancied Bucks making it 12 straight in Chicago, but also All Star Eastern Team Captain Antetokounmpo leaving the game late on with a sprained wrist. Not god news for the chances of the Eastern Conf All Star team this year.
Milwaukee Bucks 112, Chicago Bulls 100
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Milwaukee Bucks, odds 1.36
Line: Milwaukee Bucks (-7.5), odds 1.92 - Bucks easily covering the spread
Total Points: Over (229.5), odds 1.93
CHICAGO (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo broke Milwaukee’s career assists record before leaving the game because of a sprained right wrist, and the Bucks won their 12th straight, beating the Chicago Bulls 112-100 on Thursday night.
Brook Lopez scored a season-high 33 points. Jevon Carter had 22, and Jrue Holiday added 15 points and nine assists.
The Bucks were never seriously threatened. But Antetokounmpo’s injury early in the second quarter cast a cloud over a team that appeared to have so much going for it heading into the All-Star break.
The two-time MVP was hurt trying to block a finger roll attempt by Chicago’s Coby White after the guard drove past him. He jammed his wrist against the stanchion and stayed down grimacing in pain.
Antetokounmpo finished with a season-low two points and three assists, giving him 3,274 over 10 seasons to break Paul Pressey’s record of 3,272 from 1982 to 1990. He also had seven rebounds.
Antetokounmpo matched the assists mark when he fed Lopez for a 3-pointer two minutes into the game and broke it when he passed to Carter for another 3 that bumped Milwaukee’s lead to 19-10 in the first quarter. He also is the Bucks’ career leader in blocks, triple-doubles, free throws made, free throws attempted and minutes.
The Bulls lost their sixth in a row, their worst skid since dropping six straight in the 2020-21 season. Nikola Vucevic had 22 points and 16 rebounds.
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Phoenix Suns 107, LA Clippers 116
Betting Results:
Head to Head: LA Clippers, odds 1.85
Line: LA Clippers (-0.5), odds 1.85
Total Points: Over (222.5), odds 1.90
PHOENIX (AP) — Paul George and Terance Mann each scored 26 points and Los Angeles beat Phoenix in the final NBA game before the All-Star break.
Kawhi Leonard added 16 points, all in the second half, and nine rebounds. Ivica Zubac and Eric Gordon each scored 13 points and Zubac had 12 rebounds.
The Suns missed nine of their first 10 3-point attempts, with only Josh Okogie warming up later in the game. Okogie led Phoenix with 24 points. He was 6 of 12 from behind the arc, but the rest of the Suns made five combined.
Devin Booker had 19 points and nine assists for Phoenix. Deandre Ayton scored 18 points and newcomer Terrance Ross had 16 points. Booker was 1 of 6 from 3-point range, but tied Steve Nash’s franchise record with 1,051 3s.
Washington Wizards 114, Minnesota Timberwolves 106
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Washington Wizards, odds 1.60
Line: Washington Wizards (-2.5), odds 1.87 - Wizards comfortably covering the line
Total Points: Under (233.5), odds 1.90
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Bradley Beal had 13 of his 35 points over the final 4 1/2 minutes and Washington overcame a 20-point deficit to beat Minnesota.
Kyle Kuzma — who had 16 points on just 6-for-21 shooting — swished a top-of-the-key fadeaway for a 107-106 lead that was Washington’s first of the game with 1:14 to go.
Beal, who topped the 30-point mark for the third time in four games, followed with a 3-pointer with 37 seconds left — after a miss by Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards — to make it 110-106.
Edwards had 18 of his 34 points in the first quarter to help the Timberwolves surge to a 30-10 lead. They were still ahead 99-92 with 4:38 left after three free throws by Kyle Anderson, before Beal hit a wide-open 3-pointer to spark his late surge.
Rudy Gobert had 17 points and 19 rebounds for the Timberwolves.
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By The Associated Press and DJ Arthurs | 02/17/23
Follow DJ Arthurs on Twitter at @DJArthursJourno
