Torrey Craig loses a tooth as Bucks defeat Suns to become first team to clinch a playoff berth

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 36 points, Brook Lopez added 21 and the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks clinched a playoff spot by beating the Phoenix Suns 116-104 on Tuesday to become the first team to 50 wins this season. .

The Bucks posted their 21st win in 23 games and are the first team to clinch a postseason berth. The Suns have lost three in a row.

The Suns trailed by nine points at halftime, but cut the deficit to 85-84 heading into the fourth after Devin Booker hit a midrange jumper at the third-quarter buzzer.

Cam Payne hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Suns up 90-87, their first lead of the second half. The game stayed close for the next few minutes, but the Bucks took the lead for good when Pat Connaughton hit a corner 3-pointer for a 100-97 lead with 6:30 remaining.

Antetokounmpo had 11 rebounds and eight assists. López shot 10 of 14 from the field and added 10 rebounds. The Bucks closed out the game on a 24-9 run.

Torrey Craig holds a tooth in her hands as she feels where it fell out of her mouth

Booker led the Suns with 30 points on 13-of-27 shooting. Deandre Ayton had 19 points and eight rebounds despite playing just 26 minutes due to foul trouble.

The Bucks led 57-48 at halftime. Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 20 points, while Booker and Ayton had 10 for the Suns. Phoenix shot just 39.2% from the field in the first half.

Suns forward Torrey Craig lost a tooth in the third quarter after receiving an involuntary elbow from Antetokounmpo. She lay on the ground for a few seconds before finding his tooth on the ground, she picked it up and carried it to the bench.

He returned to the game in the fourth quarter.

RAPTOR 125, NUGGETS 110

Fred VanVleet scored 36 points, OG Anunoby had 24 and the Toronto Raptors used a franchise-record 49-point first quarter to beat Denver 125-110 on Tuesday night, handing the losing Nuggets their fourth straight loss. most of the season.

Nikola Jokic scored 28 points, Michael Porter Jr. had 23 and Aaron Gordon had 18 for the Western Conference-leading Nuggets, who haven’t won since a March 6 home win over the Raptors.

VanVleet shot 13 of 22 and made a season-high eight of his 12 attempts from distance as Toronto extended its home winning streak to five.

Jakob Poeltl had 12 points and 11 rebounds, Pascal Siakam scored 12 points and Gary Trent Jr. had 11 for the Raptors.

Jamal Murray shot 5 of 18 and scored 14 points and Bruce Brown added 12, but the Nuggets lost the opener of a season-high five-game road trip.

Toronto Raptors OG Anunoby (3) dunks against Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (50)

LAKERS 123, PELICANS 108

Anthony Davis had 35 points and 17 rebounds, Malik Beasley hit seven 3-pointers in the first half and Los Angeles built a 36-point lead in the second quarter in its victory over New Orleans.

Beasley finished with 24 points for the Lakers, who shot 18-of-39 from 3-point range, including 15-of-27 before halftime. D’Angelo Russell added 17 points to help Los Angeles (34-35) move a game ahead of New Orleans (33-36) in the Western Conference standings.

Brandon Ingram returned to the New Orleans lineup after missing two games with a sprained right ankle, but his 22 points weren’t enough.

Herbert Jones and Trey Murphy III each scored 20 for the Pelicans, who trailed 75-40 at halftime.

Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) shoots at a Pelicans double team

SPURS 132, MAGIC 114

Jeremy Sochan had 29 points and 10 rebounds and San Antonio had a franchise-high 22 3-pointers and a season-high 39 assists to beat Orlando.

San Antonio center Zach Collins added 25 points, six rebounds and five assists. The Spurs are 6-27 in 2023, but have now won four of seven.

Orlando rookie Paolo Banchero had 27 points and Wendell Carter Jr. added 16 points. The Magic have lost five of their last seven games in their fight for a spot in the postseason play-in tournament.

Sochan returned from a one-game absence, but the Spurs were without Keldon Johnson, Malaki Branham, Tre Jones, Rome Langford. The Spurs responded with their best shooting game of the season, shooting 57% of their field goals and shooting 22-for-41 from 3-point range.

Magic’s Paolo Banchero tangles with San Antonio Spurs’ Jeremy Sochan (10) and Zach Collins

THUNDER 121, NETWORKS 107

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points, Josh Giddey had 15 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists and Oklahoma City beat Brooklyn for its sixth win in seven games.

Lu Dort matched his season-high with 24 points and added nine rebounds for Oklahoma City, which rallied from a 14-point first-half deficit thanks largely to a sizzling third quarter, during which Dort hit five 3-pointers.

Mikal Bridges scored 34 points and Cam Johnson added 23 for Brooklyn, which had won five of its last six games, with four of those victories on the road.

Thunder Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots while Brooklyn Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith

MAGOS 117, PISTONS 97

Bradley Beal scored 36 points and Washington snapped its three-game losing streak with a win over Detroit.

Playing without Kyle Kuzma, the Wizards still built a 22-point first-quarter lead, and while they’ve struggled to hold that kind of lead this season, the last-place Pistons posed little of a threat.

Washington (32-37) moved percentage points ahead of Chicago (31-36) for the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference.

Killian Hayes scored 20 points to lead Detroit, which had snapped an 11-game skid by beating Indiana on Monday.

Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) drives around Detroit Pistons guard Rodney McGruder

KNIGHTS 120, HORNETS 104

Evan Mobley had 26 points and Cleveland scored 35 points on Charlotte turnovers and beat the Hornets for the second time in three days.

Cedi Osman scored 24 points off the bench and Caris LeVert added 22 points and seven assists for the Cavaliers, who played without All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell (sprained finger) and center Jarrett Allen (bruised eye). Darius Garland chipped in 19 points.

Kelly Oubre Jr. had 28 points and Terry Rozier added 22 points and 10 assists for the Hornets, who have lost three in a row and fell to 11-27 at home.

Cleveland Cavaliers Darius Garland looks to pass against Charlotte Hornets Dennis Smith Jr.

KNICKS 123, TRAIL BLAZERS 107

Immanuel Quickley scores 26 points and the New York Knicks rallied in the third quarter to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 123-107 on Tuesday night.

Julius Randle added 24 points for the Knicks, who were still playing without injured guard Jalen Brunson.

Quickley scored 14 of his points in the third quarter as the Knicks outscored the Blazers 42-26 to take a 91-81 lead going into the fourth period.

Immanuel Quickley #5 of the New York Knicks goes to the basket against the Trail Blazers