NBA ROUND-UP: Brooklyn Nets defeat the Chicago Bulls while Giannis spoils LeBron’s ceremony
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Spencer Dinwiddie scored 25 points in his first game since returning to Brooklyn, and the Nets beat Chicago hours after trading superstar Kevin Durant to Phoenix.
Joe Harris had 18 points and Yuta Watanabe chipped in 14 points in 22 minutes off the bench. Dorian Finney-Smith, who came with Dallas’ Dinwiddie in the Kyrie Irving trade, had nine points and nine rebounds in his Nets debut.
It was Dinwiddie’s first game in a Nets uniform since Dec. 27, 2020. He spent five seasons with the team, coming back with 18 second-half points.
“The last four or five days have been strange for me,” Dinwiddie said.
“If I were to revisit one place, out of the three I’ve been to, it would definitely be here, hands down.”
New Nets recruit Dorian Finney-Smith celebrates with Spencer Dinwiddie (center) and Cam Thomas
Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn praised his team’s calm and ability to execute in victory.
“We just found a way,” Vaughn said after the game. ‘Let our boys not panic. I think we did a very good job of concentrating on the game plan. It’s great to see us really engaged, especially late in the game.”
Zach LaVine scored 38 points and DeMar DeRozan had 14 for Chicago, which lost its second straight game and fell to 10-18 on the road.
MILWAUKEE DOLLARS 115-106 LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Giannis Antetokounmpo sullied the ceremony for LeBron James and the LA Lakers with a commanding performance on the road.
Antetokounmpo had 38 points and 10 rebounds, and the Milwaukee Bucks rallied in the second half for their ninth straight victory, 115-106 over the James-less Lakers on Thursday night.
James sat up to rest his sore left ankle and foot. two nights after he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s career scoring leader.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 38 points and 10 rebounds as the Bucks posted their ninth straight game
The Bucks still trailed by 11 in a tepid first half and never pulled away from an opponent with just nine players in uniform, but Antetokounmpo racked up 23 points in the second half.
Khris Middleton scored 22 points and Jrue Holiday added 18 for the Bucks, who matched their longest winning streak since their 9-0 start to the season. Milwaukee is poised for the final stretch to the postseason after adding veteran Jae Crowder to its talented core at the trade deadline.
Dennis Schröder had 25 points and 12 assists in a standout performance as a point guard for the Lakers, who had only four reserves after their flurry of trades over the past two days.
LeBron James took the court before the game during a ceremony for his historic achievement
ATLANTA FALCONS 116-107 PHOENIX SUNS
Trae Young scored 25 of his 36 points in the second half as Atlanta beat Phoenix, which was awaiting the arrival of newly acquired Kevin Durant.
Josh Okogie had 25 points and Deandre Ayton added 23 points for Phoenix, which ended its three-game winning streak.
The Suns had just nine players available after trading Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridges as part of a package for Durant, the 13-time All-Star, before Thursday’s trade deadline.
Durant didn’t join his new team for the game, but anticipation for his arrival is growing.
Trae Young produced a signature 36-point performance in a win over the Phoenix Suns
ORLANDO MAGIC 115-104 DENVER NUGGETS
Bench players Cole Anthony and Bol Bol each scored 17 points to lead the Orlando Magic to a 115-104 win over the Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.
Wendell Carter Jr. led seven Magic scorers in double figures with 19 points, and the Orlando bench outscored the Nuggets’ reserves 56-10. Orlando is ranked 13th in the Eastern Conference with a 23-33 record.
Aaron Gordon had 37 points and a season-high 14 rebounds to lead the Nuggets. Nikola Jokic had 29 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, and combined with Gordon to score Denver’s 29 points in the third quarter.
Orlando thrill machine Bol Bol was instrumental with 17 points in impressive win over DEN