MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a career-high 55 points in a return from a one-game absence and the Milwaukee Bucks beat Washington 123-113 in the NBA on Tuesday night, snapping the Wizards’ five-game winning streak.
Antetokounmpo has scored at least 40 points in three straight games for the first time in his career. The two-time MVP sat out a 118-95 loss to the Wizards on Sunday because of a sore left knee.
The only other Bucks to score at least 40 points in three straight appearances are Flynn Robinson in February 1969 and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in February 1972.
Antetokounmpo also had 10 rebounds and seven assists, giving him at least 40 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in his last three games. The only other players in NBA history to have three straight performances of 40 points, 10 rebounds and five assists are Elgin Baylor in 1961 and 1963, Wilt Chamberlain in 1963 and Russell Westbrook in 2016.
Antetokounmpo’s previous career high was a 52-point effort against the Philadelphia 76ers on March 17, 2019.
Washington’s Bradley Beal returned after missing three games with a sore left hamstring, but he played just 13 minutes. Beal scored eight points before the hamstring issue prevented him from playing at all in the second half.
Kristaps Porzingis scored 22 points for the Wizards.
THUNDER 150, CELTICS 117
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Josh Giddey scored a season-high 25 points and short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder blew out NBA-leading Boston Celtics.
Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who ranks among the league’s leaders with 30.8 points per game, sat out with an illness. Without him, the Thunder set a record for points since the team moved to Oklahoma City from Seattle before the 2008-2009 season. The previous mark was 149 points in 2013.
Lu Dort scored 23 points and Jalen Williams, Tre Mann and Isaiah Joe each added 21 points for the Thunder. They shot 59.2% from the field.
Jaylen Brown scored 29 points for Boston, and Jayson Tatum added 27.
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KINGS 117, JAZZ 115
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — De’Aaron Fox made a driving layup in the final second and scored 22 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter to help Sacramento Kings beat Utah Jazz.
Utah’s Lauri Markannen made a 3-pointer at the final buzzer that was initially ruled good, but reversed upon replay.
Domantas Sabonis, playing with a broken right thumb, had 21 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists to help the Kings win for the third time in four games.
Markannen had 28 points, including a 15-for-15 performance from the line, and Jordan Clarkson added 24. The Jazz dropped their fifth straight game, with the five losses by a combined 17 points.
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