Jimmy Butler III scored a game-high 24 points, Brandin Podziemski returned from an injury to hit two key late 3-pointers, and the Golden State Warriors, playing without Stephen Curry, defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 104-93 on Tuesday night.
With Curry resting his 36-year-old back and knees, the Warriors bounced back from a home loss to the Denver Nuggets the previous night. This win marked their 15th in 18 games since acquiring Butler from the Miami Heat. Draymond Green contributed with a game-high 10 rebounds, four assists, four blocks, two steals, and three points.
Kyle Kuzma led the Bucks with 22 points, but they couldn’t overcome off-shooting nights from Giannis Antetokounmpo (5-for-16, 20 points) and Damian Lillard (6-for-18, 16 points). Antetokounmpo, who scored half of his points by going 10-for-15 at the free-throw line, led the Bucks in rebounds (9), assists (7), steals (3), and blocks (2).
After watching a 17-point lead shrink in the third quarter, the Warriors regained control by scoring the final eight points of the period. Buddy Hield made a 26-foot 3-pointer, Jonathan Kuminga added two free throws, and Butler, fouled on a 3-point attempt with 1.5 seconds left, nailed three free throws to give the Warriors a 78-76 lead.
Clippers 132, Cavaliers 119
Ivica Zubac scored 28 points and grabbed 20 rebounds, and Kawhi Leonard added 33 points to help the Los Angeles Clippers extend their winning streak to four games with a victory over Cleveland in Inglewood, Calif.
James Harden contributed 22 points and nine assists, and Bogdan Bogdanovic had 20 points while shooting 8-for-8 from the field. Zubac’s 20-20 performance was his third of the season and came on his 28th birthday. The Clippers (39-30) improved their home winning streak to seven games.
Max Strus led the Cavaliers with a season-high 24 points, and Donovan Mitchell added 18 points and 11 assists. Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and De’Andre Hunter each scored 17 points for Cleveland (56-12), which now shares the best record in the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Stephen Curry (NBA)Hawks 134, Hornets 102
Trae Young scored 31 points, and Atlanta took charge early, shooting well from 3-point range in a dominant win over host Charlotte.
Dyson Daniels shot 10-for-12 from the field, finishing with 22 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. Zaccharie Risacher added 21 points and eight boards, as the Hawks made 22 of 45 3-pointers (48.9%) and shot 53.8% overall. Onyeka Okongwu contributed 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Seth Curry and DaQuan Jeffries each scored 19 points for the Hornets, who committed 17 turnovers. Marcus Garrett had 12 points, while Damion Baugh, Jusuf Nurkic, Wendell Moore Jr., and Nick Smith Jr. each scored 11 points.
Celtics 104, Nets 96
Rookie Baylor Scheierman came off the bench to score a career-high 20 points, and Kristaps Porzingis finished with a team-high 25 to help short-handed Boston defeat visiting Brooklyn.
Scheierman made 7 of 8 shots, including 6 of 7 from 3-point range. Porzingis collected a game-high 13 rebounds and blocked three shots. Derrick White (18 points), Jrue Holiday (12), and Payton Pritchard (10) also scored in double figures for the Celtics, who were missing Jayson Tatum (knee) and Jaylen Brown (knee).
D’Angelo Russell led the Nets with 18 points. Williams scored 15, Keon Johnson added 13, and Cameron Johnson and Trendon Watford each had 11 points.
