Bucks edge Raptors in battle of top Eastern teams

LOS ANGELES, USA – The Milwaukee Bucks bounced back from a disappointing defeat with a big win in Toronto on Sunday, December 9 (Monday, December 10, Philippine time) by edging the Raptors, 104-99, in a battle of the NBA’s top Eastern Conference teams.

The Raptors still own the best record in the league at 21-7, but they suffered a second straight defeat after falling 106-105 to the Brooklyn Nets on Friday.

Malcolm Brogdon’s back-to-back three-pointers with 1:07 remaining first tied the score then put the Bucks up 100-97, a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Brogdon scored 18 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 19 and matched his season-high with 19 rebounds for Milwaukee, which fell to the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors on Friday.

Brook Lopez also scored 19 for Milwaukee, who became the first team to beat the Raptors twice this season.

The @Bucks come away victorious in Toronto behind 19 PTS apiece from Giannis & Brook Lopez! #FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/Ui1wSS53OQ

— NBA (@NBA) December 10, 2018

“We came off a tough loss to the Warriors, we knew we needed this one going into this back-to-back,” Brogdon said. The Bucks, who improved to 17-8, host Cleveland on Monday.

He said shaking off the loss to Golden State wasn’t difficult.

“We’re a really good team this year,” he said. “We have a lot of confidence in ourselves. We’re resilient. We’ve got a coach that has confidence in us every night win or lose.”

Toronto has dropped two straight for the second time this season and has lost 3 of its last 3.

Serge Ibaka scored 22 points and Kawhi Leonard had 20 for the Raptors. But Kyle Lowry went scoreless for the first time this season, missing all 5 of his shots.

He did produce 7 assists, and Toronto coach Nick Nurse said the Raptors didn’t play badly offensively.

“We did a lot of things well enough to win the game, but we just didn’t score,” said Nurse, who admitted to concern over missed shots at the rim and missed open looks from the perimeter.

“That’s more the question,” he said of solving those shooting woes. “Can we get a little confidence back, get a little pep in our step?”

Holiday fuels Pelicans 

Jrue Holiday and Julius Randle combined for 65 points to lead the New Orleans Pelicans past the Detroit Pistons, 116-108.

Holiday and Randle rose to the occasion after star teammate Anthony Davis was hobbled by a sore hip after a clash with Detroit’s Blake Griffin in the 1st quarter.

Davis returned to the game in the 3rd period but finished with just 6 points on 2222-of-7 shooting with 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 blocks.

“He was probably 50 percent,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. “But just having him out there – defensively I thought he did a great job for us.”

Holiday filled the void with 37 points, one shy of his career high. He tied a career-best with 6 three-pointers. He pulled down 5 rebounds, handed out 5 assists and came up with 3 steals.

Jrue Holiday drops a season-high 37 PTS (6 3PM) in the @PelicansNBA win in Detroit! #DoItBig pic.twitter.com/ioDAzUte8i

— NBA (@NBA) December 10, 2018

Randle added 28 points with 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

“Everybody stepped up and played well when we needed them to,” Gentry said. “Obviously, Jrue did a fantastic job controlling the game.”

The Pelicans led by as many as 16 points but the Pistons whittled that lead to two with 10:53 remaining. Detroit couldn’t manage to tie things up, and New Orleans pulled away to improve to 14-14 for the season.

Gentry said it was too soon to say whether Davis would play Monday at Boston.

“We’re not going to press the issue less than 30 games into the season,” he said. – Rappler.com