Giannis’ late dunk powers Bucks past Hornets; thunder rout warriors

Giannis-2-1024x683 Giannis’ late dunk powers Bucks past Hornets; thunder rout warriors
WIDE-BANNER-SIGN-UP-BONUS-PLAYRESPONSIBLY-1024x192 Giannis’ late dunk powers Bucks past Hornets; thunder rout warriors

Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered a dramatic finish on Friday, hammering home a game-winning dunk with 4.7 seconds left to lift the Milwaukee Bucks to a 122-121 victory over the Charlotte Hornets and etch his name deeper into NBA history.

Milwaukee trailed by as many as 16 points on their home court, but Antetokounmpo took control late, scoring 12 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter. The closing moments were frenetic, featuring five lead changes in the final 45.7 seconds before Giannis’ decisive slam sealed the win.

The two-time NBA Most Valuable Player also posted 10 rebounds and five assists, recording his 158th regular-season game with at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. That performance moved him past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson for the most such games in league history.

“It’s an incredible accomplishment,” Antetokounmpo said. “I don’t want to come here and just do my job and go back home. I just want to keep evolving, keep learning.”

The victory improved the Bucks to 15-20 in a season that has been marked by inconsistency, including an eight-game absence for Antetokounmpo due to injury in December. Still, Milwaukee has won three of its last four games.

“We’re not there yet, but we’re trending in the right direction,” Antetokounmpo said.

Elsewhere, the Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the Golden State Warriors 131-94 in a matchup that saw Golden State without Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler. Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 30 points, while Chet Holmgren added 15 points, 15 rebounds and four blocked shots. The win made Oklahoma City the first team this season to reach 30 victories, improving to an NBA-best 30-5.

In Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points and Darius Garland chipped in 18 as the Cavaliers rallied past the injury-ravaged Denver Nuggets 113-108. Denver was without four starters, including three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who continues to recover from a hyperextended left knee.

The Nuggets led 97-88 entering the fourth quarter and were still ahead 105-101 with 4:43 remaining before Cleveland surged ahead with a 10-0 run, capped by a go-ahead three-pointer from Garland. The Cavaliers outscored Denver 25-11 in the final period to secure their third straight win. Jamal Murray led Denver with 34 points but managed only six after halftime.

“I feel like the first three quarters, we just really weren’t ourselves,” Mitchell said. “The key is to be the team we know we can be defensively, and everything else takes care of itself.”

In Indianapolis, the San Antonio Spurs earned a 123-113 win over the Indiana Pacers despite being without French star Victor Wembanyama, who stayed home after hyperextending his left knee earlier in the week. De’Aaron Fox led the Spurs with 24 points and seven rebounds. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said Wembanyama could return Saturday against Portland.

Pascal Siakam scored 23 points for the Pacers, who trailed throughout the second half and suffered their 11th consecutive loss.

In New York, Jalen Johnson recorded his seventh triple-double of the season to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 111-99 victory over the Knicks. Johnson finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Onyeka Okongwu scored 23 points each.

Jalen Brunson paced New York with 24 points, but the Knicks were booed by a frustrated Madison Square Garden crowd as they struggled without Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson.

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