The Milwaukee Bucks have retaken fifth place in the East with a comeback victory in Miami. The Dallas Mavericks are beaten by the Clippers for the second time in two days.
The Bucks picked up an important win in Miami and are now back in fifth place in the Eastern Conference ahead of Detroit, as Detroit lost at home to Memphis. The visitors were trailing by seven points with three minutes left in the game, but thanks to Brook Lopez (17 points) they managed to save a win in overtime, after Miami was unable to score a field goal in the extra period. In the overtime, the hosts again failed to score a point in the last three minutes.
Giannis Antetokounmpo excelled with 36 points (13/21 FG, 10/14 FT), 15 rebounds and ten assists in 43 minutes, while Kevin Porter Jr. (24, 12 rebounds, 8 assists), who also flirted with a triple-double, also impressed. For Miami, Bam Adebayo scored 23 of his 31 points (11/25) in the first half, while shooting guard Alec Burks drained six threes.
Clippers play with Dallas like cats and mice
Otherwise, the favorites prevailed across the board. The Timberwolves had a tough time in Philadelphia (eleventh defeat in a row), but in the end two solo efforts by Anthony Edwards (37, 12/21) provided certainty. Rudy Gobert (23, 19 rebounds) narrowly missed out on a 20-20 game, while Philly’s Quentin Grimes (28, 6/10 3P) was allowed to let off steam.
Jalen Brunson will return for the Knicks against Phoenix, but in Atlanta they managed without their point guard. The trio of Karl-Anthony Towns (30, 11 rebounds), O.G. Anunoby (24) and Mikal Bridges (20, 9/13) was too good for the Hawks. New York shot 52 percent from three (15/29).
The Mavericks suffered their second defeat in two days at the hands of the Clippers, although this time Anthony Davis (27, 9 rebounds) was in the lineup. The home side led by double digits for almost the entire game and pulled away for good in the middle of the third quarter. Kawhi Leonard (29, 12/19) played back-to-back for the first time this season, and together with James Harden (29, 14 assists) and Ivica Zubac (25, 11/11, 10 rebounds), he was once again one of the guarantors.
