NBA: Milwaukee Bucks Cruise Past Slumping Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers Thump Charlotte Hornets
Milwaukee Bucks defeated Detroit Pistons 146-114 as Philadelphia 76ers beat Charlotte Hornets 135-82 in the NBA.
Eastern Conference contenders Milwaukee and Philadelphia posted blowout NBA wins on Saturday, with the Bucks handing the hapless Detroit Pistons their 23rd straight defeat, 146-114.
Damian Lillard scored 33 points, Bobby Portis added 31 off the bench and Giannis Antetokounmpo chipped in 22 points with eight rebounds and six assists as the Bucks coasted to victory despite the absence of Khris Middleton and ailing Malik Beasley.
related stories
Milwaukee out-scored the Pistons 43-20 in the first quarter, and Detroit didn’t get the deficit below 18 points the rest of the way.
“I thought our entire team had the right approach coming into this game," Bucks coach Adrian Griffin said. “You can never judge a team on their record. I think they’ve got a lot of talent on that (Detroit) team.
“I love our approach of coming in and taking care of business early," Griffin added after watching the Bucks put up 81 points in the first half.
Cade Cunningham scored 25 points and Bojan Bogdanovic added 24 for Detroit, but the misery continued for a Pistons team on a franchise-record losing run.
They are now closing in on the longest single-season losing streak in league history of 26 straight defeats — a dubious mark shared by the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and the 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers.
The current 76ers, fueled by 42 points and 15 rebounds from reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid, crushed the Hornets 135-82 in Charlotte.
It was the largest margin of victory in the league this season, topping Boston’s 51-point win over Indiana last month.
It was also the largest margin of defeat in Hornets history, surpassing a 50-point loss to Milwaukee in January of 2000.
Embiid notched his 10th straight game with 30 points and 10 rebounds despite sitting out the entire fourth quarter along with the rest of the Sixers starters.
Tyrese Maxey added 21 points for Philadelphia, who earned a sixth straight win.
The Hornets, who were without starters LaMelo Ball, Gordon Hayward and Mark Williams, saw Terry Rozier exit in the third period after taking an elbow to the face.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - AFP)- Location :
- First Published: