Damian Lillard scored 37 points and dished out 12 assists as the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks defeated the host Miami Heat 106-103 in an NBA Cup game on Tuesday night.
Lillard made 10 of 17 shots from the floor, including 8 of 13 from 3-point range, as Milwaukee won a fifth straight game.
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who leads the NBA in scoring (32.4 points per game), missed the contest due to swelling in his left knee. In addition, three-time All-Star Khris Middleton has yet to play this season for Milwaukee due to surgery on both of his ankles.
Miami, 1-2 in East Group B, was led by Jimmy Butler’s 23 points. Tyler Herro added 18. Terry Rozier returned after missing two games due to an injury to his right foot. He finished with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting, going 3-for-4 from deep.
Rockets 117, Timberwolves 111 (OT)
Alperen Sengun tallied a triple-double and Houston outlasted Minnesota in an in-season tournament matchup in Minneapolis.
Sengun amassed 22 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds while Fred VanVleet finished with 27 points and 11 assists for Houston, which clinched the West Group A title with a 3-0 mark and will advance to the quarterfinals. Dillon Brooks scored 22 points, and Jabari Smith Jr. finished with 19 points on 8-for-9 shooting.
Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards produced 29 points and 10 rebounds, but his last-second shot attempt to win the game in regulation rimmed in and out of the basket. Julius Randle scored 21 points and Naz Reid contributed 19 off the bench for the Timberwolves, who fell to 1-2 in West Group A.
Suns 127, Lakers 100
Devin Booker recorded 26 points and 10 assists as Phoenix halted a five-game losing streak with a convincing victory over visiting Los Angeles.
Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal each scored 23 points in their returns from calf injuries. The Suns went 1-6 without Durant and 0-5 without Beal.
Anthony Davis had 25 points, 15 rebounds and four blocked shots and LeBron James had 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds as the Lakers lost their third straight game. James made two 3-pointers to move into a tie for seventh place on the all-time list with Kyle Korver (2,450 threes).
Bulls 127, Wizards 108
Coby White recorded 21 points and eight rebounds and Nikola Vucevic added 19 points and 12 boards, lifting Chicago to an NBA Cup victory over host Washington.
White sank five 3-pointers and Zach LaVine drained four to highlight his 18-point performance. The Bulls benefited from a decisive second quarter in which they outscored the Wizards by a 40-18 margin.
Kyle Kuzma recorded 23 points and seven rebounds and rookie Alexandre Sarr added 20 points and seven boards for the Wizards, who lost their 12th game in a row.
Spurs 128, Jazz 115
Victor Wembanyama poured in 34 points, 24 of them in the first half, as San Antonio won its season-best fourth straight game by beating Utah in Salt Lake City in West Group B action of the NBA Cup.
San Antonio improved to 2-1 in Group B play, staying alive for a chance to advance to the West quarterfinals. Both the Spurs and Utah have one group game to play. Stephon Castle added 23 points for San Antonio to tie his career high.
Keyonte George led the Jazz with 26 points. John Collins and Collin Sexton added 20 apiece as Utah fell for the fifth time in six games overall and dropped to 0-3 in the group.
–Field Level Media
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