NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo had 11 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds for his fourth triple-double of the season as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the struggling Toronto Raptors 128-104 on Monday night.
Antetokounmpo needed three stitches in a cut on his right hand, but returned to finish his third career triple-double against the Raptors.
NBA STANDINGS UPDATE ‼️
▪️ SAC wins 5th straight
▪️ IND moves to 6th in East
▪️ DET moves to 7th in EastDownload the NBA App for more: https://t.co/WAQ7n00ju1 pic.twitter.com/4gbTRHy6S0
— NBA (@NBA) January 7, 2025
Bobby Portis scored 20 points as the Bucks finished well to send Toronto to their 13th loss in 14 games.
The Raptors are bottom of the Eastern Conference Atlantic and have an 8-28 record. The Bucks move to 18-16.
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Irving out for Mavericks
Jaren Jackson Jr scored 35 points, with 13 rebounds and five assists to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 119-104 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Scotty Pippen Jr. finished with 18 points, while Jaylen Wells added 17 points and 11 rebounds as Memphis won for the 10th time in the last 11 home games.
Mavericks star Kyrie Irving is expected to miss at least 1 to 2 weeks with a bulging disc in his back, per @ShamsCharania & @espn_macmahon
Treatment over the coming days will help determine a return to play target date for Irving. pic.twitter.com/7QlMTpjpnS
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 6, 2025
The Mavericks were without leading scorer Luka Doncic with a left calf strain, while Kyrie Irving will miss time with a bulging disc in his back.
Knicks lose again
Cole Anthony scored 24 points, Wendell Carter Jr. had a season-high 19 off the bench and the Orlando Magic shut down a New York Knicks team missing Karl-Anthony Towns for a 103-94 victory.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 15 points for the Magic, who are missing their top four scorers because of injuries but defended brilliantly.
Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges each scored 24 points for the Knicks, who were held to their lowest points total of the season in their season-high third straight loss.
‘I’ll live with it’
Bradley Beal came off the bench for the first time in nine years and scored 25 points as the Phoenix Suns ended a four-game losing run with a 109-99 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Beal was shifted to a reserve role before the game and scored 20 points in the second half as the Suns overcame an early 12-point deficit and won for the second time in nine games.
“Coach made his decision. I’ll live with it,” the three-time All-Star said in a postgame interview with AZCentral.com.
“It’s kind of twofold. I’m a starter in the league. I firmly believe that. No disrespect to anybody, but I’m a starter.
“Coach made a decision. I’m not going to sit there and argue with him. I’m not going to sit here and be a distraction.”
