DEVIN Booker knocked down a 20-foot jumper with 1.7 seconds remaining to give the Phoenix Suns a 108-106 victory over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night (Tuesday in Manila).
Kevin Durant recorded 38 points, eight rebounds and five assists as the Suns (35-37) won their fourth consecutive game. Booker added 19 points and 12 assists, Ryan Dunn had 12 points and nine rebounds and Nick Richards contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds for Phoenix.
The contest marked the first time Phoenix’s Mike Budenholzer coached against Milwaukee since the Bucks fired him after the 2022-23 season. Budenholzer guided the Milwaukee Bucks to the 2020-21 NBA title.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 31 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Bucks (40-31), who dropped to 2-2 on a five-game road trip. Brook Lopez added 23 points and 10 rebounds but his 18-foot baseline jumper bounced off the rim as time retired.
Gary Trent Jr. scored 19 points off the bench and Kyle Kuzma scored 15 points for Milwaukee, which was without Damian Lillard (right calf strain) for the third straight game.
In other games, it was the Bulls 129, Nuggets 119; Mavs 120, Nets 101; Magic 118, Lakers 106; Raptors 112, Wizards 104; Pelicans 112, Sixers 99; Pacers 119, Wolves 103; and Celtics 113, Kings 95.
Bulls 129, Nuggets 119
Coby White scored 37 points, Josh Giddey had 26 points and nine assists, and visiting Chicago beat short-handed Denver.
Dalen Terry and Jalen Smith scored 14 points each, Nikola Vucevic had 13 points and MatasBuzelis contributed 10 for the Bulls, who finished 4-2 on their longest road trip of the season.
Jamal Murray scored 28 points and Peyton Watson added a career-high 24 for the Nuggets, who were without Nikola Jokic (ankle) and Aaron Gordon (calf).
Mavs 120, Nets 101
Anthony Davis finished with 12 points in a 27-minute stint during his return from a left adductor strain as Dallas never trailed and took control early in a victory over Brooklyn.
In his first action since getting hurt against the Houston Rockets on Feb. 8, Davis played in short bursts, shot 6-of-9 and helped the Mavericks (35-37) win consecutive games for the first time in over a month. Naji Marshall led the way with 22 points off the bench as Dallas saw its reserves finish with 55.
Nic Claxton scored 19 points to lead the Nets (23-49), who lost their fourth straight and for the 15th time in 18 games. Cameron Johnson added 17 while Trendon Watford contributed 12 as the Nets shot 51.3 percent. – Field Level Media
