JRUE Holiday made eight of his 12 3-point attempts and scored a game-high 40 points as the host Milwaukee Bucks extended their winning streak to 11 games with a 131-125 overtime victory against a makeshift Boston Celtics lineup on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila).
The Bucks took the lead for good when Holiday made a 3-pointer for a 127-125 edge with 25 seconds left in the extra session. Following a Boston turnover, Giannis Antetokounmpo made two free throws with 3.9 seconds left to seal the win, and he capped the scoring with a dunk. Antetokounmpo finished with 36 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.
The Celtics played without four starters: Jayson Tatum (illness), Jaylen Brown (facial fracture), Marcus Smart (ankle) and Al Horford (knee). Boston cobbled together a starting lineup that featured Derrick White, Sam Hauser, Mike Muscala, Grant Williams and Blake Griffin. White led the Celtics with 27 points and 12 assists. Malcolm Brogdon came off the bench to score 26 points, and Muscala finished with 18.
Boston trailed 116-113 following two Holiday free throws with 7.4 seconds remaining, but Hauser sank a 3-pointer that tied the game with three seconds on the clock. The contest went to overtime after Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton missed a jump shot at the buzzer.
In other games, it was the Clippers 134, Warriors 124; Suns 120, Kings 109; Wizards 126, Blazers 101; and Raptors 123, Magic 113.
Clippers 134, Warriors 124
Kawhi Leonard scored 33 points and Norman Powell added 24 as Los Angeles ended a two-game losing skid while extending Golden State’s road woes.
All-Star Paul George scored 20 points with eight assists as the Clippers won at home for the first time since Jan. 26 while improving to 1-1 against the Warriors this season. Mason Plumlee (eight points), Eric Gordon (seven) and Bones Hyland (six) all took the court with the Clippers for the first time since they were acquired in trades last week.
Jordan Poole scored 28 points and Kevon Looney added 11 points with 14 rebounds as Golden State enters the All-Star break having lost three of its past four games. The Warriors fell to 7-22 on the road this season and are the only team currently in playoff or play-in position with single-digit road victories. — Field Level Media
