Bucks Extend Streak
The Milwaukee Bucks won their 12th consecutive game, beating the Chicago Bulls 112-100. The Bucks head into the All-Star break with the second-best record in the NBA at 41-17, just a half game behind the Boston Celtics for the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
It wasn’t all good news for the Bucks, as superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo left the game in the second quarter with an apparent wrist injury. Before leaving the game, Antetokounmpo passed Paul Pressey to become the franchise’s all-time leader in assists:
3,274 — Giannis Antetokounmpo
3,272 — Paul Presey
2,689 — Sidney Moncrief
Antetokounmpo is also the franchise’s career leader in minutes, free throws made, free throws attempted, blocks, points, and triple-doubles.
Bucks center Brook Lopez had a big game, scoring a game-high 33 points on 13-18 shooting from the field. Lopez also recorded team highs in rebounds (7, tied) and blocks (4) and did not commit a turnover.
Teammate Jevon Carter had 22 points, six rebounds, and six assists, shooting 9-13 from the field with four 3-pointers made. It’s the first time Carter has recorded a 20-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist game.
The Bulls’ Nikola Vucevic scored a team-high 22 points and grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds in the loss. Vucevic has recorded 10 double-doubles in his last 11 games, averaging 20.2 PPG and 13.3 RPG over that span.
After a 15-9 stretch that brought them to within one game of .500, the Bulls have dropped six consecutive games and are once again seven games below the break-even point.
Clippers Pick up Road Win
Kawhi Leonard scored 16 second-half points as the LA Clippers picked up a big road win over the Phoenix Suns 116-107. Leonard was held scoreless in the first half, missing all eight of his shots from the field.
The Clippers head into the All-Star break having won 10 of their last 14 games, improving from one game below .500 to five games above .500 over that span. They stand in fourth place in the Western Conference standings, a half game ahead of the Suns.
Paul George and Terrence Mann led the Clippers with 26 points apiece. George also contributed six rebounds and five assists, while Mann made 10 of his 12 attempts from the field (83.3%).
Josh Okogie scored a team-high 24 points in the loss. Okogie made nine of his 16 shots from the field, including a career-high six 3-pointers. He also recorded five rebounds and three steals.
Suns center Deandre Ayton scored 18 points on 8-13 shooting from the field (61.5%). Ayton has scored at least 15 points with a field goal percentage of 60% in each of his last six games, tying Amar’e Stoudemire (Nov. 13–22, 2004) for the longest such streak in franchise history.
Teammate Devin Booker scored 19 points and dished out nine assists, but shot poorly from the field (6-16, 37.5%). He also committed five turnovers and five personal fouls.
Wizards Rally, Defeat Wolves
The Washington Wizards rallied from a 20-point first-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-106. The Wizards outscored the Timberwolves 38-19 in the fourth quarter, turning an 11-point deficit into an eight-point win.
Bradley Beal scored 15 of his game-high 35 points in the final 5:14 of the game. Beal shot 14-28 from the field with four 3-pointers made, adding six rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
Beal has scored at least 30 points in four of his last six games after reaching that mark just four times in his first 30 games of the season. He’s averaging 28.3 PPG with shooting percentages of 55/41/89 over that span.
The Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards scored a team-high 34 points in the loss, but shot just 10-26 from the field (42.3%). Edwards also contributed five rebounds and three steals, and missed just one of his 10 free throws.
Teammate Rudy Gobert scored 17 points, snagged a game-high 19 rebounds, and blocked three shots.
Random question - does Mikal Bridges consecutive games streak stand, even though he missed a suns game and a nets game after the trade? Does the fact he was made unavailable bc of the pending trade make the streak still stand?