Denver Nuggets

Bucks win fourth straight since firing of Kidd

Published Jan. 30, 2018 11:16 p.m. ET

MILWAUKEE (AP) Giannis Antetokounmpo had 31 points and 18 rebounds, Matthew Dellavedova scored all 10 of his points in the fourth quarter and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Philadelphia 76ers 107-85 on Monday night for their fourth straight win since firing coach Jason Kidd.

Antetokounmpo picked up his 22nd double-double of the season to lead the Bucks, who tightened up their defense after allowing the Sixers to score 22 of their first 26 points in the paint.

Antetokounmpo then asserted himself in the lane, and Philadelphia was hard-pressed to contain the athletic 6-foot-11 forward with All-Star center Joel Embiid sitting out the game for rest.

Dario Saric had 19 points to lead the cold-shooting Sixers, who were 2 of 26 from 3-point range a night after going 11 of 29 in a loss at Oklahoma City. Ben Simmons added 16 points.

CELTICS 111, NUGGETS 110

DENVER (AP) - Kyrie Irving scored 10 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, Jaylen Brown hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 34 seconds remaining and the struggling Celtics edged the Nuggets.

Denver had a chance to win in dramatic fashion at the end but Torrey Craig's tip-in of Will Barton's long attempt from 3-point range was too late.

Irving finished 11 of 17 from the field to lead the Celtics to just their second win in seven games. Jayson Tatum added 20 points and Marcus Morris had 14 off the bench.

Boston blew a 20-point lead and trailed heading into the final period. Then the Celtics couldn't hold onto a six-point advantage in the final two minutes as the Nuggets tied the game at 108 with 43 seconds to go.

Nikola Jokic had a double-double by the first minute of the second half for Denver, finishing with 24 points and 11 rebounds.

HAWKS 105, TIMBERWOLVES 100

ATLANTA (AP) - Kent Bazemore scored 22 points, including a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 2:09 remaining, and the Hawks rallied after trailing by 11 in the third quarter to beat the Timberwolves.

Bazemore's clutch 3 gave the Hawks a 99-96 lead they did not relinquish. He added a blocked shot following a steal by Minnesota's Jeff Teague and another basket to stretch the lead back to three.

A layup by Taj Gibson cut Atlanta's lead to 101-100. Following a missed short jumper by Dennis Schroder, Minnesota called timeout with 14.5 seconds remaining. Unable to make the inbounds pass, Teague was whistled for a five-second violation before trying to call a timeout.

Schroder had 18 points, including four free throws in the final 11.3 seconds.

PACERS 105, HORNETS 96

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Victor Oladipo scored 25 points, Myles Turner added 22 and the Pacers pulled away late for a victory over the Hornets.

The Pacers have won two in a row and four of five.

Kemba Walker finished with 23 points and a trio of 3-pointers to lead the Hornets, who have lost two straight and four of six.

Dwight Howard had 22 points and 11 rebounds for Charlotte. Nicolas Batum made five 3s and wound up with 22 points.

Both teams had chances to take control throughout the first 3+ quarters. Neither could until Oladipo's 19-footer spurred a 13-4 run, which finally gave Indiana a 94-86 lead with six minutes to go.

After that, it was no contest.

GRIZZLIES 120, SUNS 109

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Tyreke Evans scored 27 points, Wayne Selden added 17 points and the Grizzlies sent Phoenix to its fifth straight loss with a victory over the Suns.

Deyonta Davis and Marc Gasol both scored 12 points for Memphis, Gasol also grabbed 10 rebounds. Davis missed only one of his six shots on the night, part of the Grizzlies shooting 57 percent for the game.

T.J. Warren led the Suns with 24 points on 10 of 18 shooting, while Josh Jackson scored 20 points.

Phoenix played without leading-scorer Devin Booker, who suffered a right rib contusion in the Suns' loss Sunday at Houston. X-rays before Monday night's game were negative.

HEAT 95, MAVERICKS 88

DALLAS (AP) - Hassan Whiteside had 25 points and 14 rebounds as the Heat completed another season series sweep of the Mavericks.

The Heat never trailed after Goran Dragic had a steal that led to Tyler Johnson's tiebreaking 3-pointer to make it 38-35 just under 4 1/2 minutes left in the first half. Their lead went to double-digits again after Whiteside had consecutive baskets midway through the third quarter.

Harrison Barnes had 20 points and Wesley Matthews 19 for the Mavericks (16-35), who have dropped four games in a row and seven of eight overall.

This is the 14th time in their 30 seasons that the Heat, who beat Dallas 113-101 at home on Dec. 22, have swept the regular-season series. These teams twice met in the NBA Finals, with Miami getting its first championship in 2006 and the Mavs winning their only title in 2011.