SERGE IBAKA

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 in a matchup of two of the Eastern Conference’s top teams.

Giannis Antetokounmpo says the absence of Brook Lopez for much of the season has caused the Milwaukee Bucks to appreciate the 7-foot veteran on a whole new level.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 25 points and 17 rebounds in his return to action and the Milwaukee Bucks rolled to a 126-98 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

Minnesota's Patrick Beverley and Milwaukee's George Hill were both ejected in the first quarter Saturday in a matchup between the surging Timberwolves and defending champion Bucks. Milwaukee's Serge Ibaka and Minnesota's Taurean Prince got tied up after a Timberwolves free throw attempt and were talking to each other when Beverley raced in and pushed Ibaka.

Klay Thompson scored a season-best 38 points, raising his right arm in triumph to ignite the home crowd and leading the Golden State Warriors past the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks, 122-109 on Saturday night.

Khris Middleton scored a season-high 44 points, Jrue Holiday had 17 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and the Milwaukee Bucks rallied to beat the short-handed Phoenix Suns 132-122 on Sunday.

Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday made sure the Milwaukee Bucks withstood Giannis Antetokounmpo’s foul trouble and got through arguably the toughest three-game stretch of their schedule unscathed. Middleton scored a season-high 44 points, Holiday had 24 and the Bucks rallied to beat the short-handed Phoenix Suns 132-122 on Sunday for their fourth consecutive victory. Holiday scored 17 points and Middleton had 16 in the fourth quarter to help the Bucks outscore the Suns 12-1 over the last three minutes.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks are coming out of the All-Star break knowing they've got work ahead just to earn home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a season-high 50 points, two off his career best, and pulled down 14 rebounds to lead the Milwaukee Bucks past the skidding Indiana Pacers 128-119.

Deandre Ayton scored 27 points, Mikal Bridges added 18 and the Phoenix Suns beat Milwaukee 131-107 in a rematch of last year’s NBA Finals won by the Bucks.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points, Jrue Holiday added 27 and the Milwaukee Bucks pulled away in the second half to defeat the Los Angeles Clippers 137-113.

Reggie Jackson scored 25 points, including a driving layup with four seconds remaining, and the Los Angeles Clippers held off the Los Angeles Lakers 111-110.

The Los Angeles Clippers have been unflappable amid high stakes throughout these NBA playoffs.

Devin Booker had 40 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists for his first career triple-double and the Phoenix Suns overcame Chris Paul’s absence to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 120-114 on Sunday in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

The Los Angeles Clippers find themselves in familiar territory — down 2-0 in their second straight playoff series and seeing one player outplay their two superstars.

Donovan Mitchell scored 45 points to lead the Utah Jazz to a 112-109 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinals series.

Kawhi Leonard tied his playoff career high with 45 points and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Dallas Mavericks 104-97 on Friday night, forcing a Game 7 in the first postseason series in NBA history with the road team winning the first six games.

Kawhi Leonard scored 36 points, Paul George added 29 and the Los Angeles Clippers spoiled Luka Doncic’s home playoff debut, beating the Dallas Mavericks 118-108 to get back in the first-round playoff series.

Chris Paul scored 28 points, Devin Booker added 21 and the Phoenix Suns beat the Los Angeles Clippers 109-101 in a matchup of two of the Western Conference’s top teams.

Los Angeles Clippers guard Paul George (13) attempts a layup as Dallas Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber (42) defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 15, 2021, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade)DALLAS – Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers answered a couple of low moments in their season — and kept rolling on the second night of back-to-backs. Leonard scored 22 points, Marcus Morris Sr. added 14 in a rare start and the Clippers beat the Dallas Mavericks 109-99 on Monday. The Clippers won for the second time in six games while Dallas lost for just the second time in its past seven. Paul George scored 15 as seven Clippers finished in double figures.

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo dunks during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the LA Clippers Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)MILWAUKEE – Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks showed they can still rally in the fourth quarter to win games with their defense. Antetokounmpo scored 36 points and sparked a game-closing 9-0 run as the Bucks rallied to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 105-100 on Sunday for their fifth consecutive victory. The Bucks generally haven’t performed quite as well on defense this season but stifled the Clippers down the stretch. Bucks: Antetokounmpo has scored at least 35 points in four straight games, making him the first Bucks player to accomplish that feat since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar from Jan. 6-14, 1973.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Theo Maledon (11) defends against Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)LOS ANGELES – Kawhi Leonard scored 34 points and the Los Angeles Clippers beat Oklahoma City 108-101 on Sunday for their seventh consecutive victory and second straight over the Thunder. Serge Ibaka added 17 points. At 13-4, the Clippers are tied with the Lakers for the best record in the NBA. Oklahoma City has lost three in a row and five of six.

Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon (7) shoots against Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)LOS ANGELES – Marcus Morris scored a season-high 20 points to lead seven players in double figures, and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Indiana Pacers 129-96 on Sunday night for their first four-game winning streak of the season. “Guys are buying in and enjoying playing the game.”Doug McDermott led the Pacers with 23 points, making five 3-pointers. It was their fourth straight game with at least 15 3-pointers made, tying the longest such streak in franchise history. ... Williams missed his second straight game with a left hip injury.

(AP Photo/Ralph Freso)PHOENIX – Paul George scored 39 points and the Los Angeles Clippers held on to beat the Phoenix Suns 112-107 on Sunday night after nearly blowing a 31-point lead in a matchup of two of the Western Conference's top early season teams. At 5-2, the Clippers are tied with the Suns and Los Angeles Lakers for the West lead. George was 7 of 10 from 3-point range and Los Angeles was 17 of 29 overall. Chris Paul, who played six seasons for the Clippers, had 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Los Angeles opened the second quarter with 15 straight points to make it 50-24.

Josh Richardson added 21 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. had 18 points for the Mavs, who kept up their dominance in the second half, too. Paul George led the Kawhi Leonard-less Clippers with 15 points before sitting out the second half. Serge Ibaka added 13 points and nine rebounds over three quarters of the team's first loss. He scored as many points (13) as the Clippers in the first quarter. They swept the Mavs last season, winning all three meetings as the visiting team, including a first-round playoff victory.

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard is helped off the court after suffering an injury during the second half of the team's NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets on Friday, Dec. 25, 2020, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)LOS ANGELES – Kawhi Leonard won’t play for the Los Angeles Clippers against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. Leonard was bleeding heavily when he left the court in the fourth quarter. Leonard was replaced in Sunday’s lineup by Luke Kennard for the Clippers' home opener at Staples Center. ___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard is helped off the court after suffering an injury during the second half of the team's NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets on Friday, Dec. 25, 2020, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)DENVER – Kawhi Leonard had 21 points before taking an elbow to the face in the fourth quarter, Paul George scored 23 points and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Denver Nuggets 121-108 on Friday night. The Nuggets used an 11-0 run into early in the fourth, and two 3-pointers by Murray sliced a 98-74 deficit to 106-95 with 7:35 left. “They made a run, we lost Kawhi so we could have lost our composure, lost our game, but we took a good timeout,” Nicolas Batum said. Green, who played for the Clippers last season, has yet to play in the regular season after signing with Denver in the short offseason.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, right, is defended by Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)LOS ANGELES – After the Los Angeles Lakers got their championship rings, the Los Angeles Clippers gave a performance that showed this retooled team is determined to contend for its own jewelry several months from now. Paul George scored 26 of his 33 points in the second half, Kawhi Leonard added 26 points and the Los Angeles Clippers rallied past the Los Angeles Lakers on the NBA champions’ ring ceremony night for a 116-109 victory Tuesday. The Clippers beat the Lakers in the season opener for the second straight year while winning coach Tyronn Lue’s debut. Schröder also was impressive in his Lakers debut, with 14 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.

The Toronto Raptors will start their 2020-21 regular season in Florida after the Canadian government said they can't play games in the country due to Covid-19. "Ultimately, the current public health situation facing Canadians, combined with the urgent need to determine where we will play means that we will begin our 2020-21 season in Tampa, Florida." Amalie Arena, home to the National Hockey League's Tampa Bay Lightning franchise, will serve as the likely site to host Raptors games. Tampa Bay will also host the National Football League's Super Bowl LV on Feb. 7 at Raymond James Stadium. And as an organization, we remain committed to doing all we can to promote and demonstrate public health measures to help combat the spread of COVID-19 in Canada."

Tatum scored 29 points, Jaylen Brown had 21 and the Celtics topped the Toronto Raptors 92-87 on Friday night in Game 7 of the East semifinal series. The Raptors were bidding to become the seventh franchise in NBA history to win four consecutive Game 7's. Boston pushed the lead to nine, Toronto scored the next eight, eventually took the lead before the Celtics claimed it back. Raptors: Toronto was eliminated 456 days after winning the preceding season’s title, obviously the longest such run for a team that didn’t win consecutive championships. 2 seed in the East will make the conference finals since the NBA went to the 16-team playoff format in 1984; this one will feature No.

Two days after winning Game 3 on OG Anunobys 3-pointer as time expired, the Raptors didnt need any big shots. Jayson Tatum had 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics. 7-UPWhen Lowry and Brown fouled each other, it caused some headaches for the public address announcer, who mixed up his No. When Brown fouled Lowry in the first quarter, he announced the foul was on Lowry, saying my bad after a moment of confusion. Lowry hacked Brown in the second and it was announced as a foul on the Celtics player.

(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. Facing the absolute brink, the Toronto Raptors suddenly have life. OG Anunoby caught a crosscourt inbounds pass from Kyle Lowry and hit a 3-pointer with no time remaining, and the Raptors beat the Boston Celtics 104-103 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series Thursday night. The Celtics took a two-point lead when Kemba Walker found Daniel Theis for a dunk with a half-second left. Theis score left Toronto needing a miracle. When Siakam took a seat for the rest of the half, Toronto trailed 38-37.

Boston topped Toronto 102-99 on Monday night, taking a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup. Youve got to win four.Smart scored 19 points, Walker had 17 and Jaylen Brown scored 16 for the Celtics. OG Anunoby had 20 points for Toronto, which got 19 from Fred VanVleet who missed a 28-footer as time expired. The Raptors scored only nine points in the next 10:39, and missed 23 of their final 28 shots overall. FIRST-HALF ANOMALIESThere were a pair of unexpected shooting notes from the first half: Toronto didnt take a free throw and Walker went 0 for 8 from the field.

Toronto has lost four games by more than 15 points this season three of them against Boston. The Celtics won by 22 on Aug. 7, 18 on Sunday and 16 on Christmas Day. Tatum hit a baseline jumper as time expired, and the lead was 88-73 going into the final 12 minutes. Raptors: Toronto trailed 39-23 after one quarter, the sixth-worst point differential in a span of 547 quarters including playoffs played by the Raptors going back to Jan. 16, 2019. The Raptors and Celtics knelt for that moment and the playings of The Star-Spangled Banner and O Canada that immediately followed.

And Celtics coach Brad Stevens is already making it clear if that happens, a blowout win over the Raptors now won't mean anything then. Jaylen Brown scored 20 points, Jayson Tatum added 18 and the Celtics never trailed on the way to an emphatic 122-100 win over the Raptors on Friday night. It was 91-57 entering the fourth, and the Raptors went with subs the rest of the way. Raptors: Toronto needs one win in its final four games for a fifth consecutive 50-win season. The Raptors missed nine of their first 10 shots on the way to a 12-2 early deficit, setting the tone.

Miami Heat's Goran Dragic (7) greets Toronto Raptors' Fred VanVleet (23) after an NBA basketball game Monday, Aug. 3, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, Pool)LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. Fred VanVleet scored a career-high 36 points and made seven 3-pointers, and the defending NBA champion Toronto Raptors added to their strong restart with a 107-103 victory over the Miami Heat on Monday. Jae Crowder hit a 3 and Dragic drew a charge on VanVleet to give the Heat a chance. Heat: The Heat made just 5 of 23 3-pointers in the first half, but trailed only by four. Heat: Play Celtics on Tuesday.

Three games are set to kick off Day 3 of the NBA pre-season scrimmages. Memphis Grizzles vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 3:30 p.m. ESTRookie Ja Morant and company of the Memphis Grizzles are looking to face Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers in the first match up of the day. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Boston Celtics, 5:00 p.m. ESTNBA veteran Chris Paul and his Oklahoma City Thunder team will face off a young Boston Celtics team with Jayson Tatum at the helm. The Thunder are bringing some young talent too with rising star Shai GilgeousAlexander and rookie Darius Bazley. Houston Rockets vs. Toronto Raptors, 7:30 p.m. ESTThe Houston Rockets will be taking off with James Harden and Russell Westbrook, who just recently arrived to the bubble, and taking on the Toronto Raptors.

FILE - In this a Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo reacts to his shot the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Philadelphia 76ers in Milwaukee. If Antetokounmpo can shoot like that in real games, maybe the Milwaukee Bucks can finish the job and win the title this season. The Bucks are too, bringing the NBAs best record into the resumption of the season next week at Walt Disney World. The Toronto Raptors exploited that last season, with versatile, big defenders such as Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam and Serge Ibaka who could keep Antetokounmpo from the rim and make him shoot outside. The Bucks believe this season they have enough to go all the way, even without getting to use the home-court advantage they likely would have earned.

Weve got to check them both tomorrow.Toronto still had enough firepower to handle the Pistons. TESTYAs is often the case so close to the Canadian border, there was a divided crowd of Pistons fans and Raptors supporters. There were four technical fouls handed out: Lowry, Siakam and Drummond received theirs in the second quarter, and Griffin got one in the third. DRY SPELLDetroit came into the game shooting 38.5% from beyond the arc, but the Pistons went just 6 of 35 on Wednesday. Pistons: F/C Christian Wood left the game with a left knee strain.