THE Milwaukee Bucks survived a career-best 50-point night from LaMelo Ball to beat the visiting Charlotte Hornets 125-119 and extend their winning streak to four in a row (Sunday in Manila).
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for Milwaukee, while Damian Lillard scored 31 points.
Ball, who also had 10 assists, started slowly, going 1-of-8 from the floor in the first quarter, before flourishing after halftime. He topped his previous career best of 38 points. Brandon Miller had 32 points and 11 rebounds.
Miller and Ball combined to score all 34 of Charlotte’s points in the fourth quarter as the Hornets nearly erased a 20-point deficit.
In other games, it was the Jazz 121, Knicks 106; Grizzlies 142; Bulls 131; Magic 111, Pistons 100; Blazers 104, Rockets 98; Nuggets 127, Lakers 102; and Spurs 104, Warriors 94.
Jazz 121, Knicks 106
Lauri Markkanen scored 34 points to help Utah snap a four-game losing streak with a matinee win over New York in Salt Lake City.
Markkanen made 11 of 15 field goals, including 5-for-8 from 3-point range, and grabbed nine rebounds. Collin Sexton added 25 points with six 3-pointers, and John Collins totaled 20 points and 13 rebounds.
OG Anunoby scored 27 points to pace the Knicks, who had won four consecutive games. Jalen Brunson contributed 23 points, and eight assists and Karl-Anthony Towns had 16 points, 16 rebounds and five assists for New York.
Grizzlies 142, Bulls 131
Scotty Pippen Jr. scored a career-high 30 points as Memphis put together a wire-to-wire win over host Chicago.
Pippen added 10 assists while Jaylen Wells added a career-high 26 points for the Grizzlies, who won their second in a row. Jaren Jackson Jr. chipped in 23 points.
Zach LaVine led Chicago with 29 points, followed by Nikola Vucevic’s 26. Matas Buzelis scored 14 and Josh Giddey added 12 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for the Bulls, who have dropped four of six.