Philadelphia 76ers blow big lead, fall to Milwaukee Bucks

Giannis Antetokounmpo registered 35 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and the Milwaukee Bucks overcame a 19-point third-quarter deficit to post a 118-110 victory over the visiting Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday at the Bradley Centre.

Eric Bledsoe contributed 22 points and seven assists as Milwaukee halted a four-game slide. Jabari Parker scored 13 points, Tyler Zeller and John Henson had 11 apiece and Khris Middleton scored 10.

Dario Saric scored 25 points on 9-of-11 shooting for Philadelphia, which committed a season-worst 26 turnovers, while losing for just the third time in 12 games. Joel Embiid had 19 points and eight rebounds, JJ Redick added 17 points and Ben Simmons recorded 12 points and 15 assists for the 76ers, who shot 55.7 per cent from the field.

Embiid (seven), Simmons (six) and Redick (five) combined for 18 turnovers. The 76ers led by 20 points in the first quarter, and the outcome marked the team’s fourth setback of the season after holding a lead of 20 or more points.

Milwaukee, who shot 49.5 per cent from the field, moved within a half-game of sixth-place Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference race.

Kings 102, Knicks 99

Skal Labissiere hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1.6 seconds remaining as Sacramento squandered a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter and escaped with a narrow win over visiting New York.

The Kings needed Labissiere’s 14th career 3-pointer in 38 career attempts because they gave up a 24-5 run after appearing to be in command in the opening minutes of the fourth.

Labissiere, who finished with 14 points, put Sacramento ahead for the final time after Kyle O’Quinn hit two free throws to even the game with 16.6 seconds remaining.

Clippers 123, Nets 120

Austin Rivers scored 27 points and drilled a 3-pointer with 33.8 seconds left to give host Los Angeles the lead for good in a win over Brooklyn.

Tobias Harris added 26, while Lou Williams scored 21 points, including a jumper with 8.9 seconds remaining to give Los Angeles a three-point advantage.

DeAndre Jordan contributed a double-double of 17 points and 15 rebounds, while Milos Teodosic chipped in 14 points and Montrezl Harrell netted 11.

Caris LeVert came off the bench to score 27 points for Brooklyn, while DeMarre Carroll hit for 20, going 6-for-11 on 3-pointers. Three other reserves had big scoring games for the Nets, with Joe Harris adding 19 points, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson 15 and Dante Cunningham 14.

Raptors 103, Hornets 98

DeMar DeRozan canned a 3-pointer and converted a three-point play in the final three minutes, enabling host Toronto to hold off Charlotte.

Charlotte had cut a 13-point deficit to 88-86 with 5:11 left on a three-point play by Jeremy Lamb, but the Raptors’ cornerstone backcourt of DeRozan and Kyle Lowry kept the visitors at bay.

Kemba Walker poured in a game-high 27 points for Charlotte, which fell five-and-a-half games behind Miami for the last Eastern Conference playoff spot with 18 games left.

Pelicans 126, Mavericks 109

Jrue Holiday scored 30 points and Nikola Mirotic added 24 as New Orleans beat host Dallas to capture their eighth straight win.

Holiday and Mirotic combined for 13 points during a 15-2 run early in the fourth quarter that gave the Pelicans a comfortable lead after Dallas had pulled to within 91-87 at the beginning of the period.

New Orleans’ winning streak is their longest since 2011 and has been accomplished despite the loss of star centre DeMarcus Cousins to a season-ending Achilles injury right before the All-Star break.

Pacers 98, Wizards 95

Victor Oladipo finished with a game-high 33 points as Indiana snapped a four-game losing streak against host Washington.

Oladipo, who grew up in nearby Silver Spring, Md., scored 19 in the first half as Indiana never trailed and took a 10-point halftime lead.

Overall, four Indiana players finished in double figures. Bojan Bogdanovic (20 points) was the only other Pacer to reach the 20-point level.

Hawks 113, Suns 112

Taurean Prince scored 22 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 8.6 seconds to play, to help Atlanta nip visiting Phoenix.

TJ Warren scored a game-high 35 points and gave the Suns a 112-110 lead with a layup with 20.8 seconds to play. Prince got to the left wing on the Hawks’ ensuing possession and hit a tough, lean-in 3-pointer for the win. It was Prince’s sixth 3-pointer of the day, a career-high.

Devin Booker scored 20 points for the Suns, but missed a contested baseline jumper as time expired.