Betting results and game round ups for the NBA games played on Monday 9th January 2023, with Bucks snapping Knicks streak and Celtics revenge against Bulls.
All odds provided are courtesy of PlayUp, Australia's best NBA sportbook.
Milwaukee Bucks 111, New York Knicks 107
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Milwaukee Bucks, odds 1.75
Line: Milwaukee Bucks (-2.5), odds 1.93 - just about covering the spread
Total Points: Under (222.5), odds 1.88
NEW YORK (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo could feel the Bucks playing with more energy and could sense a shift in their confidence on their 3-point shots.
“Once we made one, then we made the second one,” he said. “Then we made the third one.”
And pretty soon, their 17-point deficit was gone.
Antetokounmpo had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Milwaukee rallied in the second half and beat the New York Knicks 111-107 on Monday night.
Joe Ingles added a season-high 17 points and Brook Lopez also scored 17 for the Bucks, who made 12 3-pointers after falling behind 70-53 with five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
“I think in the long run we’re going to make a lot of those shots,” Ingles said.
Lopez made one that snapped a 97-all tie before Jrue Holiday — forced to the bench after committing three fouls in the first 4 1/2 minutes — scored five straight Milwaukee points. The Bucks closed it out at the free throw line to snap the Knicks' four-game winning streak and bounce back nicely after allowing a season-worst 51 points in the first quarter of their loss to Charlotte on Friday.
Jalen Brunson scored a career-high 44 points for the Knicks, adding seven assists. Julius Randle had 25 points, 16 rebounds and five assists, but was just 1 for 12 from 3-point range.
The Knicks were hoping to continue streaking to the midpoint of their schedule, having followed an eight-game winning streak and a five-game skid with four straight victories. They fell to 22-19.
Ingles, who didn't play for the Bucks until last month after missing the first 29 games recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee, helped fuel the comeback with five 3-pointers.
“It’s nice to finish a game, it’s nice to be in those situations obviously,” Ingles said.
Randle finally made a 3-pointer after an 0-for-9 first half on the first possession of the third quarter, and his free throws capped a 13-2 spurt midway through the period that extended a six-point lead to 70-53.
We recommend Australian sportsbook PlayUp for all your NBA Betting. They have great offers and promotions, keen NBA odds, and a huge array of other sports to have a bet on. Read our full review of PlayUp.
18+ | You know the score | Stay in control | Gamble responsibly
The Knicks still led by 16 after Randle's three-point play with 2:25 remaining, but didn't make another basket in the quarter as Milwaukee closed with a 13-2 run of its own to trim it to 78-73.
Obi Toppin opened the fourth with a 3-pointer, but Lopez, Grayson Allen and Ingles followed with three in a row for Milwaukee to give the Bucks an 82-81 lead.
“I think we didn’t close the third out well and then the start of the fourth same thing, so that’s probably the biggest thing,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said.
Neither team led by more than three again until Holiday's 3-pointer made it 103-99 with 47 seconds to play.
Brunson’s aggressive start quickly put Holiday in foul trouble, forcing him to the bench within 4 1/2 minutes. But the Bucks' big men were much more effective defending Randle, who was 1 for 12, missing all eight 3-point attempts.
Brunson was just 1 for 6 in the second, but Immanuel Quickley stepped up with 13 points as the Knicks took a 51-46 lead to the break.
TIP-INS
Bucks: Khris Middleton missed his 12th straight game. ... Coach Mike Budenholzer said F/C Serge Ibaka, not with the team for personal reasons, would not rejoin the Bucks during the road trip.
Knicks: Thibodeau said F RJ Barrett, who has missed six games with a lacerated finger on his right hand, is “real close” to returning and the Knicks would see how he progresses Tuesday. Toppin played for the first time since Dec. 7 and scored three points. He had been inactive for 13 games with nondisplaced fracture of his right fibula, then didn't play in either of the first two games after he was cleared to return.
UP NEXT
Bucks: At Atlanta on Wednesday.
Knicks: Host Indiana on Wednesday.
Chicago Bulls 99, Boston Celtics 107
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Boston Celtics, odds 1.25
Line: Chicago Bulls (+7.5), odds 1.87 - once again, Celtics fail to beat the spread
Total Points: Under (237.5), odds 1.88 - by absolutely miles!
BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 32 points and Jaylen Brown added 19 as the Boston Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls 107-99 Monday night and reached the midway point of their season with the NBA's best record.
Grant Williams added 20 points and Al Horford had seven rebounds and eight points, including a clutch 3-pointer with 24 seconds to play that helped seal the win for the defending Eastern Conference champions, who are 29-12 after the first 41 games.
"That was big. Regardless of their record, it’s a really talented team. Any given night, they can beat anybody," Tatum said, noting the Celtics were able to only split the four-game season series with the Bulls.
Chicago also lost star forward DeMar DeRozan to an injury in the third quarter, yet managed to trim Boston's 16-point lead to two points with two minutes left to play.
“They’re always going to play you tough," said Tatum, who also had eight rebounds and seven assists.
Malcolm Brogdon scored 20 points for Boston, which played without injured point guard Marcus Smart.
Zach LaVine led Chicago with 27 points, scoring 15 in the fourth quarter while leading the Bulls' furious comeback bid.
“The way he played gave us a chance to win and I thought our guys competed and battled,” Chicago coach Billy Donovan said. “But I thought there were some things we needed to clean up, like the rebounding and some of the straight-line drives and some of the late rotations."
Chicago, which had won three straight, lost DeRozan in the third quarter with a strained right quadriceps. Nikola Vucevic had 21 points and 13 rebounds for Chicago. DeRozan finished with 13 points in 23 minutes.
A 3-pointer by LaVine pulled Chicago within 99-97 late in the fourth, but the comeback stalled when he missed a jumper in the final minute and the Celtics got the rebound to Tatum, who dribbled about 20 seconds off the clock before getting the ball to Horford for a 3-pointer. Horford's shot bounced off the rim, then found its way through for a 104-99 lead with 24 seconds left.
“Credit to Al. That was a big-time shot,” Tatum said.
LaVine missed again for the Bulls and Tatum broke free for a two-handed dunk, drawing a foul and converting the free throw to seal it with 12 seconds remaining.
Down 11 points entering the fourth quarter, a layup by LaVine pulled Chicago within 89-84. But the Celtics answered the surge with Brown’s back-to-back jumpers and a three-point play by Williams.
The Celtics led 59-50 at halftime, matching their largest lead of the game after the Bulls committed three of their six turnovers in the final few minutes and the Celtics capitalized with a 9-2 run to close the period.
NOW STARTING
Without Smart, Boston coach Joe Mazzulla shuffled his lineup and gave center Robert Williams his first start of the season. Williams, who was recovering from knee surgery and didn't make his season debut until December, finished with six points, seven rebounds and blocked a pair of shots.
DEROZAN UPDATE
Donovan hoped DeRozan wouldn't be out long, although he was working with very few details after the game and waiting for a more definitive report.
TIP-INS
Bulls: G Alex Caruso returned in the first quarter after missing the last two games with a sprained right ankle. He finished with six points .... G Javonte Green (right knee soreness) and C Tony Bradley (health and safety protocols) did not play.
Celtics: Tatum had 10 points midway through the first quarter and scored 12 of Boston’s 28 points in the opening the period. ... Smart left in the third quarter Saturday in a win at San Antonio after bumping knees with Zach Collins.
UP NEXT
Bulls: Visit Washington on Wednesday night.
Celtics: Host New Orleans on Wednesday night.
New Orleans Pelicans 132, Washington Wizards 112
Betting Results:
Head to Head: New Orleans Pelicans, odds 2.02
Line: New Orelans Pelicans (+1.5), odds 1.95
Total Points: Over (229.5), odds 1.93 - waaaay over!
WASHINGTON (AP) — CJ McCollum scored 34 points and Jonas Valanciunas added 27 points and 12 rebounds as the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Washington Wizards 132-112 on Monday night.
New Orleans (25-16), which had lost four of five, took the lead early in the second quarter and put the game away when it scored the first 15 points of the fourth quarter to take a 115-88 lead with 8:44 to play.
Washington (17-24) has lost three straight and was missing leading scorer Bradley Beal, who didn’t play for the fifth time in six games with a strained left hamstring.
Kristaps Porzingis led the Wizards with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
Kyle Kuzma scored 19 points before fouling out with 9:03 to play. In the second quarter, he was assessed a technical foul, and when Kuzma was called for his sixth foul, he marched off the court and walked into Washington’s locker room.
“The foul trouble frustrated him quite a bit,” coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. “You pick up early fouls, it’s hard to get a rhythm.”
The Wizards committed 20 turnovers leading to 39 points.
New Orleans was without its leading scorer, Zion Williamson, who missed his fourth straight game with a strained right hamstring.
The Pelicans, who fell behind 10-0 in the first two minutes, took a timeout just 1:44 into the game, and quickly caught up thanks to McCollum, who scored 12 straight points in a 2:36 span of the first quarter.
“That was a tough moment at the start of the game,” Valanciunas said. “We knew that was not us and we had to man up and play better defense, play better offense. We changed that.”
TIP-INS
Pelicans: F Brandon Ingram, who hasn’t played since Nov. 25 due to a bruised left toe, is closer to a return to action, but needs more work, according to coach Willie Green. “He hasn’t had a full practice yet. We’re hopeful that sometime on this trip, he can get a full practice in.” … G/F Herb Jones suffered a bruised lower back in the second quarter and didn’t return. … Broke a nine-game losing streak in Washington. ... F Naji Marshall scored 18 points. …G Dereon Seabron scored the last basket of the game, his first NBA points.
Wizards: G Johnny Davis, who has spent much of the season on assignment with the G League, is out with a strained right hip. Unseld thinks he could return within the next week. …C Daniel Gafford suffered a sprained right ankle. He’ll be reevaluated on Tuesday.
REST HELPED
McCollum sat out Saturday’s game at Dallas, and the rest benefitted him.
“I needed it. I needed it bad,” McCollum said. “I don’t normally ask for time off. I try to push through.
“Sometimes when you’re fatigued, bad things can happen. I was just trying to be smart. I’m 31. I’ve played for a long time, and I know my body.”
BREAKING THE STREAK
Green was a player with the New Orleans Hornets the last time the franchise won a game in this building on Jan. 1, 2011.
“Most of the time when we come East we have a number of games in a row,” Green said. “Everything I’m saying is an excuse. The fact of the matter is teams try to take pride in taking care of home court, coming out and playing in front of their home fans. Once again, you have to do a really good job of having a high level game plan, discipline for games like that.”
UP NEXT
Pelicans: At Boston on Wednesday.
Wizards: Host Chicago on Wednesday.
San Antonio Spurs 113, Memphis Grizzlies 121
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Memphis Grizzlies, odds 1.18
Line: San Antonio Spurs (+10.5), odds 1.88
Total Points: Over (233.5), odds 1.88
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Tyus Jones, filling in for Ja Morant, had 24 points, Jaren Jackson Jr. added 16 and the Memphis Grizzlies withstood a second-half San Antonio rally to beat the Spurs 121-113 on Monday night.
Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks finished with 15 apiece for Memphis, which played its second consecutive game without Morant, its leading scorer, who is nursing soreness in his right thigh.
“Just sticking with it,” Tyus Jones said of withstanding the Spurs late run. “We showed our poise in not letting their run kind of deter us from what we needed to get done.”
Tre Jones, Tyus Jones’ younger brother, led the Spurs with 18 points and seven assists, while Josh Richardson added 16 points. Romeo Langford and Jakob Poeltl finished with 13 points each as the Spurs lost their fifth in the last six.
The Spurs comeback fell short but was indicative of the tone Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is setting with his team. Popovich has continually noted how hard his team plays, and Tre Jones said that is a necessity.
“It’s definitely our mentality every night,” the Spurs point guard said. “How hard we are going to play. It’s something we have to do to give ourselves a chance every single night. It’s something we want to build on.”
San Antonio, which trailed 72-61 at the half, made a dent in the Memphis advantage in the third quarter, pulling within six points on several occasions. The Spurs would erase the lead early in the fourth on consecutive baskets from Richardson. Turnovers were hurting Memphis as the Spurs extended the lead to five points. From there, the two teams exchanged leads.
“We showed up in the second half,” Popovich said. “I thought the first half both teams were bored to death. It was the most boring basketball I’ve seen all year.”
After the game was tied at 109 near the midway point of the fourth, Memphis clicked off an 11-2 rally to create enough of a buffer for its seventh straight win.
“Bad shot. Turnover. They make a 3, and all of a sudden, it’s a six- or eight-point game. It’s the story of (our) season so far,” Popovich said
TIP-INS
Spurs: Keldon Johnson missed his second game with left hamstring tightness. ... Have lost six straight on the road.
Grizzlies: Have won eight straight in the series. ... Jackson had five blocks in the game.
BROTHERLY LOVE
The game marked the first time the Jones brothers — Tyus of the Grizzlies and Tre of the Spurs — started a game together in the NBA.
“It’s a moment you only dream about honestly,” Tyus Jones said. “It’s surreal to come to that moment.”
For Tre Jones, four years younger than Tyus, there were reminders of their days playing against each other as kids — in the back yard, playroom or playing Nerf basketball against each other.
“It’s probably my favorite basketball moment, I’ve ever been a part of,” the younger Jones said. “Getting a start against my brother at this level, it means the world to both of us.”
SPURS TIME FOR DANNY GREEN
Grizzlies forward Danny Green, who played eight seasons with the Spurs, has not seen action this season as he recovers from left knee surgery after an injury suffered in last season’s playoffs. Asked what he remembered about Green’s time with the Spurs, coach Gregg Popovich replied: “He played more then, that’s for sure.” Then he added that Green was the “consummate pro.”
“He was a big part of what we did,” Popovich added of the time Green was in San Antonio. “He was always one of the team favorites. ...He’s easy to be around. Got a great sense of humor. Just a good guy.”
UP NEXT
The two teams play the second game of the series on Wednesday.
LA Lakers 109, Denver Nuggets 122
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Denver Nuggets, odds 1.25
Line: Denver Nuggets (-9.5), odds 1.95
Total Points: Over (239.5), odds 1.88
DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic needed only five shots on his way to a league-leading 11th triple-double of the season. How’s that for efficient.
“A truly selfless superstar,” Denver coach Michael Malone said.
Jokic finished with 14 points — a perfect 5 of 5 from the floor, 3 of 3 from the line — grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out 16 assists as the Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 122-109 on Monday night in a game where LeBron James sat out due to a sore left ankle.
“I know a lot of players that if they took five shots in 35 minutes would be (mad) right now,” Malone said. “Nikola doesn’t care whether he takes five or 25. There’s not many guys like him that I’ve ever been around.”
Count Lakers coach Darvin Ham as impressed. It marked the 12th triple-double in league history with five or fewer shots, according to the Nuggets.
“The way (Jokic) puts his fingerprints all over the game, that’s a rarity, especially at his size,” Ham said. “It’s only a few of those guys in the league that’s able to do that.”
Jamal Murray added a season-high 34 points to help the Nuggets win their 11th straight home game. It’s their longest home streak since capturing 12 in a row in 2018.
Denver remains tied with Memphis for the top spot in the Western Conference.
“We did what we were supposed to do,” Malone said. “The guys came to work with a work mindset. Everybody stepped up and did their job.”
Russell Westbrook finished with 25 points despite dislocating his pinky finger — “I put it back in, twice,” he explained — and Thomas Bryant added 17 along with 10 boards for the Lakers, who saw their five-game winning streak halted.
James was ruled out hours before tipoff, joining injured forward Anthony Davis (right foot) on the bench. Patrick Beverley didn’t play after halftime due to a hip injury.
The Lakers entered the game without Troy Brown Jr. (strained left quadriceps), Austin Reaves (strained hamstring strain) and Lonnie Walker IV (knee tendinitis).
“Kudos to our guys — they kept fighting and just had a couple bad turnovers, couple balls that didn’t go our way, couple shots didn’t go down,” Ham said. “The group that was out there, they were competitive, then gave it their all until we couldn’t give anymore.”
Leading by as many as 20 points in the fourth quarter, the Nuggets saw the Lakers make a mini-run. But Murray calmed things down with a 3-pointer.
Murray’s scoring spree was another big step as the point guard rounds back into form from a torn ACL that caused him to miss all of last season.
“I was just playing my game,” Murray said of his performance that included five of the team’s 15 3-pointers.
TIP-INS
Lakers: G Kendrick Nunn had 15 points. ... G Dennis Schroder was called for a technical in the third quarter.
Nuggets: F Zeke Nnaji turned 22 on Monday. ... The Nuggets were called for two delay of game technical fouls. ... Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 16 points and Bruce Brown 15. ... It was Jokic’s 87th career triple-double.
DAVIS UPDATE
The Lakers are starting the ramp-up process for Davis when they return home.
“There are different benchmarks built within the process of the upcoming weeks and if he meets those marks and checks off those boxes, then he’ll be back on the court,” Ham said. “Am I willing to put a timetable on it? No.”
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
James was named Western Conference player of the week Monday. He averaged 35 points, 8.7 rebounds and 7.7 assists over his last three games.
The 38-year-old James is 35 points away from joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as members of the NBA’s 38,000-point club.
UP NEXT
Lakers: Start a five-game homestand Thursday against Dallas.
Nuggets: Host Phoenix on Wednesday.
Orlando Magic 111, Sacramento Kings 136
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Sacramento Kings, odds 1.40
Line: Sacramento Kings (-6.5), odds 1.93 - an absolute clackering
Total Points: Over (239.5), odds 1.90
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Harrison Barnes scored a season-high 30 points and the Sacramento Kings hit a franchise record 23 3-pointers to beat the Orlando Magic 136-111 Monday night.
“I thought offensively tonight, but really this whole season, we feel confident about what we can do,” Barnes said. “The biggest thing tonight was walking out of here with a win.”
Sacramento (21-18) started the new year with a 1-3 record, with losses to the Memphis Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Lakers.
“We got to defend if we expect to get where we want to go and it starts with protecting the paint and spraying out to shooters,” Kings coach Mike Brown said. “I’m just excited about what our guys did protecting that paint tonight.”
Domantas Sabonis extended his double-double streak to 17 games and finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Sabonis leads the NBA in double-doubles this season with 30.
Rookie Keegan Murray finished with 15 points, knocking down five 3-pointers.
Paolo Banchero scored 17 points for Orlando (15-26). The Magic have lost five of their last seven games.
“You have to give them credit, they came out and kicked our tails,” Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said.
Franz Wagner finished with 16 points and Wendell Carter Jr. added 15 points and seven rebounds.
“We made a little run to come back,” Magic guard Markelle Fultz said. “It’s hard to come back from that deficit.”
TIP-INS
Magic: F Bol Bol missed his fourth consecutive game. He cleared the league’s health and safety protocols and is expected to rejoin the Magic on Tuesday.
Kings: G Malik Monk returned after a one game absence due to a calf injury and scored 14 points with seven rebounds and six assists. Monk received a technical foul with 7.8 seconds left in the third quarter. … The Kings bench outscored Orlando 54-39.
UP NEXT
Magic: Travel to Portland to face the Trail Blazers on Tuesday.
Kings: Host Houston on Wednesday.
All betting results and odds provided by PlayUp, Australia's best NBA sportsbook.
By Brian Mahoney, Dough Alden, Rich Dubroff, Clay Bailey, Pat Graham, Cameron Salerno The Associated Press and DJ Arthurs | 01/10/23
Follow DJ Arthurs on Twitter at @DJArthursJourno
