Los Angeles: Giannis Antetokounmpo ignited the Milwaukee Bucks over Oklahoma City in a showdown of NBA contenders on Sunday, while James Harden lost his first meeting with Philadelphia since being traded by the 76ers.
Antetokounmpo scored 30 points and grabbed a season-high 19 rebounds to lead Milwaukee over visiting Oklahoma 118-93.
Khris Middleton posted his second career triple-double — and first since 2018 — with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Bucks, whose defensive effort held the Thunder to a season-low scoring output on 37.1 percent shooting.
“It was cool,” Middleton said of his rare feet. “My teammates were knocking down a lot of shots. It was a good win against a good team. But we have to build on that for the rest of the season.”
Oklahoma City fell to 49-21, falling a half-game behind Denver for the Western Conference lead and a half-game ahead of third-place Minnesota.
Milwaukee improved to 46-25, three games ahead of Cleveland for second in the Eastern Conference.
Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored just 12 points, his second worst game of the season. It marked a 29-game streak of at least 20 points per game for the NBA’s second-leading scorer, just ahead of Antetokounmpo.
“They were firing on all cylinders,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They have guys who have won a lot in this league. We had a chance to see where we were against it. It didn’t go our way, how we wanted to perform, but we learned a lot of lessons.”
The Bucks outscored the Thunder 34-17 in the third quarter to pull away for good and opened the fourth with a 10-3 run to seal Oklahoma City’s fate.
“It was our most connected game,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “We were so physical. It showed. We took what was there offensively instead of forcing it.”
Harden, who forced a trade from Philadelphia to the Los Angeles Clippers last November, lost in the first meeting between the NBA clubs since the deal.
Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey each scored 24 points to lead the 76ers’ 121-107 road victory.
The Sixers, still without injured 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid, came out on top early and stopped a late push for the win.
Harden had 12 points, going 0-of-6 from 3-point range, but the 34-year-old guard — a former MVP and three-time NBA scoring champion — dished out a game-high 14 assists.
Harden was unhappy not to be traded in the offseason and was moved in a seven-player deal days into the campaign.
Kawhi Leonard and reserve Norman Powell scored 20 points to lead the Clippers.
The 76ers improved to 39-32, one game behind Indiana for the sixth and final playoff spot in the East outside of the play-in games.
The Clippers fell to 44-26, just a half game behind New Orleans for fourth place in the West.
New Orleans had 36 points from Zion Williamson, matching his season high, and 23 from C.J. McCollum in a 114-101 win in Detroit, sending the worst Pistons (12-59) to their sixth straight loss.
Williamson made 13 of 14 shots from the floor and 10 of 14 from the free throw line while adding seven rebounds and six assists to dominate.
Anthony Edwards scored 23 points in Minnesota, including three free throws in the final 12 seconds, to seal the Timberwolves’ 114-110 victory over visiting Golden State.
The T-Wolves swept the Warriors for the first season since 1997-98.
Stephen Curry led Golden State with 31 points.
Anthony Davis scored 36 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, while LeBron James added 26 points and 10 assists to power the Los Angeles Lakers over visiting Indiana 150-145.
Spencer Dinwiddie added 26 points and Austin Reaves had 25 for the Lakers in a season-high scoring performance, while Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 36 points.
In Miami, Bam Adebayo had 15 points and 16 rebounds, while Jimmy Butler added 15 points and reserve Haywood Highsmith contributed 18 points as the Heat beat visiting Cleveland 121-84.
