The top two teams in the NBA staked their winning runs on Monday, while an injury-riddled squad tried to break out of its slump. Take a look at what happened:
Cavs Overwhelm Bucks Behind Balanced Attack
Eight players scored at least 9 points for the Cleveland Cavaliers (54-10) as they rolled to their 14th straight win with a 112-110 triumph over the Milwaukee Bucks (36-27) at Fiserv Forum.
Max Strus paced the Cavs with 17 points on five treys, Donovan Mitchell fired 15 points and had 6 dimes, and Darius Garland and Evan Mobley put up 13 apiece. Dean Wade, Ty Jerome, and Sam Merrill came off the Cleveland bench to add 9 points each as the Cavs’ firepower proved to be too much for the Bucks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a game-high 30 points and collected 9 boards to lead Milwaukee. Damian Lillard added 22 points but was just 1-for-7 from downtown.
Up next:
Cavs vs. Brooklyn Nets on March 12
Bucks vs. Indiana Pacers on March 12
Thunder Roll Past Nuggets as SGA Fires 40
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continued his torrid scoring pace to power the Oklahoma City Thunder (53-11) to a 127-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets (41-23) at Paycom Center.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a game-high 40 points—the 23rd time he has scored at least that many this season—on top of 8 rebounds and 5 assists. He went 15-for-32 from the field and made all eight of his free throws. Jalen Williams added 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists.
Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. each scored 24 points and combined for 28 rebounds for the Nuggets, who were trailing by just three, 86-83, entering the fourth. But they were outscored 41-20 in the final 12 minutes.
Up next:
Rematch on March 11
Suns Frustrate Injury-Ravaged Mavs
Devin Booker and Kevin Durant combined for 45 points to lead the Phoenix Suns (30-34) past the injury-ravaged Dallas Mavericks (32-33), 126-115, at American Airlines Center.
Booker had 24 points and 6 assists, while Durant finished with 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists. Bradley Beal added 19 markers on an efficient 7-for-10 clip. Naji Marshall led the way for Dallas with 34 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 steals as he has taken over the role of main playmaker. Klay Thompson chipped in 26 points but was just 8-for-20 overall.
The Mavs suited up only nine players against the Suns. At one point, the Dallas bench had only two players ready to sub in.
Up next:
Suns vs. Memphis Grizzlies on March 11
Mavs vs. San Antonio Spurs on March 11
