Giannis scores 40, blocks Embiid late as Bucks beat Sixers

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 40 points and had a game-deciding block of Joel Embiid in the final seconds to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 118-116 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night in a matchup of two of the Eastern Conference’s top teams.

Khris Middleton added 22 points and Jrue Holiday had 18 for the Bucks, who pulled within a half-game of idle Miami for first place in the East.

James Harden had 32 points and nine rebounds for the 76ers, and Embiid recovered from a slow start and finished with 29 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. Philadelphia dropped 1 1/2 games behind the Heat.

Antetokounmpo added 14 rebounds, six assists and three blocks for the defending NBA champion Bucks. The last block was the most important as he swatted away Embiid’s layup attempt with 1.6 seconds left. The officials originally ruled that it was goaltending, tying the score, but the call was overturned after a video review.

CLIPPERS 121, JAZZ 115

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Paul George scored 34 points in his return after missing three months and Los Angeles rallied from 25 points down to beat Utah.

Reggie Jackson added 21 points for the Clippers, who snapped a five-game skid with a 39-point fourth quarter after trailing by 16 early in the period.

From there, the Clippers outscored Utah 34-12 to end the game. The Clippers took their first lead of the game, 110-109, on a jumper by Isaiah Hartenstein.

Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points and Mike Conley added 19 points for the Jazz, whose losing streak stretched to five.

MAVERICKS 128, LAKERS 110

DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic had 34 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists, and Dallas routed Los Angeles, which was missing LeBron Janes because of an ankle issue.

The Lakers (31-44) are tied with San Antonio for the final play-in spot in the Western Conference with seven games remaining for both teams.

Malik Monk scored 28 points and Russell Westbrook had 25 for the Lakers, who dropped their third straight for their fifth losing streak at least that long in the past two months.

Doncic had 25 points in the first half as Dallas scored a season-high 82 for a 26-point lead. The 23-year-old star secured his first triple-double in almost two months and 10th of the season with an offensive rebound for a layup that gave him 32 points and put Dallas up 101-65 with 6:58 left in the third quarter. Doncic sat the fourth.

NETS 130, PISTONS 123

NEW YORK (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 41 points and Brooklyn rallied past Detroit.

Kyrie Irving added 24 points in his second home appearance since New York exempted athletes from a private employer mandate for COVID-19 vaccinations last week. Andre Drummond had 14 points and 13 rebounds as Brooklyn overcame a double-digit deficit in the second quarter.

Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 34 points. Isaiah Stewart and Saddiq Bey each had 15.