Antetokounmpo’s 42 points propel Bucks past Pelicans, Sixers edge Raptors

LOS ANGELES — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 42 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to power the Milwaukee Bucks to a 128-119 NBA victory on Monday over Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans.

Two-time Most Valuable Player Antetokounmpo dominated in the paint, making 12 of his 17 shots from the floor and 17 of his 22 free throws.

The Bucks effectively limited Williamson, the New Orleans star forward who finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

Milwaukee’s attention to Williamson opened the door for the Pelicans outside. Centre Jonas Valanciunas drained seven three-pointers on the way to 37 points and CJ McCollum had six three-pointers and 31 points.

They helped New Orleans keep it close but it wasn’t enough against a Bucks team that also had 30 points from Brook Lopez and 18 from Jrue Holiday.

Milwaukee led by as many as 18 in the fourth quarter. New Orleans cut the deficit to three on McCollum’s basket with 1:32 remaining, but Holiday answered with a three-pointer and Lopez drove for a layup as Milwaukee pulled away again.

The East-leading Bucks improved to 22-8. The Pelicans, who were briefly atop the West earlier this month with a seven-game winning streak, suffered a fourth straight defeat.

Elsewhere, the Philadelphia 76ers squandered a 14-point lead early in the third quarter but held on to eke out a 104-101 overtime victory over the Toronto Raptors.

Joel Embiid scored 28 points and pulled down 11 rebounds and Tobias Harris added 21 points as the Sixers weathered the Raptors’ late surge.

Pascal Siakam scored 23 of his 38 points in the second half as Toronto battled back. They twice led by seven in the fourth quarter, and Siakam’s finger-roll layup with 5.1 seconds left in the fourth knotted the score at 99-99.

Embiid couldn’t convert a game-winner as time expired in the fourth, but Harris drilled a three-pointer in overtime that put the Sixers up for good on their way to a fifth straight win.

In Atlanta, the Hawks survived a late push from the Orlando Magic with Dejounte Murray delivering the game-winning free throws with 1.5 seconds remaining in a 126-125 victory.

Trae Young scored 37 points and handed out 13 assists, AJ Griffin added 19 points off the bench and Murray scored 17 as the Hawks ended the Magic’s six-game winning streak.

Atlanta outscored Orlando 62-48 in the paint and led 124-112 with 3:05 to play.

Orlando put together an 11-0 scoring run and took a one-point lead with 3.8 seconds remaining, but Murray came through at the foul line.

In Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points to lead the Cavaliers to a 122-99 victory over Utah in his first game against his former team since the Jazz traded him in the off-season.

Cedi Osman scored 22 points off the bench and Jarrett Allen added 20 as seven Cleveland players scored in double figures on the way to their fourth straight win.

In Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drained a pull-up jump shot as time expired to lift the Thunder to a 123-121 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, spoiling a milestone night for Damian Lillard.

Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 35 points. Lillard led Portland with 28 and overtook Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler as the leading scorer in Trail Blazers history.

Drexler scored 18,040 points for the Blazers from 1983-95. Lillard came into the contest needing 21 to surpass him.

In Minneapolis, the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the disjointed Dallas Mavericks 116-106, with frustrated Mavs star Luka Doncic and coach Jason Kidd both ejected in the third quarter after arguing over calls.

Phoenix star Chris Paul scored a season-high 28 points to lead the Suns to a 130-104 victory over the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers, with Anthony Davis sidelined indefinitely with a foot injury, were without banged-up LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and Austin Reaves for the contest.