DETROIT — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 12 rebounds, and the Milwaukee Bucks held on for a 107-104 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Monday night when Blake Griffin missed a last-second 3-pointer.
Griffin actually missed two 3s in the final 14 seconds. The Detroit star already had a triple-double after three quarters, but it was a quiet fourth for him. Griffin finished with 19 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, but he also had 10 turnovers.
The Pistons rallied from a 15-point, third-quarter deficit and took an 89-86 lead in the fourth when Stanley Johnson connected from 3-point range. Milwaukee was up 100-99 when Eric Bledsoe of the Bucks missed three straight free throws – but Antetokounmpo briefly took over after that.
Antetokounmpo put Milwaukee up by three with a dunk, then added a three-point play and a driving layup to make it 107-100.
The Pistons rallied and had the ball with a chance to tie. Griffin missed from beyond the arc, and after Jose Calderon came up with an offensive rebound, Griffin missed again.
SUNS 128, KNICKS 110: Devin Booker tied his season high with 38 points, T.J. Warren scored 17 of his 26 during Phoenix’s 41-point third quarter and the Suns won in New York for their third straight victory.
Phoenix outscored New York 41-17 in the third and went on to win three consecutive games for the first time since March 2-5, 2017. The Suns won only four times in their first 28 games, but are 3 for 3 since.
Deandre Ayton finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Suns in an impressive start to a five-game road trip, their longest of the season. Last-place Phoenix improved to 2-13 away from home.
Booker just returned Saturday from a six-game absence with a left hamstring strain and scored 28 points against Minnesota. He was even better with a game under his belt, hurting the Knicks not only with his perimeter shooting but also going 14 of 15 from the free-throw line and grabbing seven rebounds.
Emmanuel Mudiay had 32 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Knicks, who lost for the seventh time in eight games.
Rookie forward Kevin Knox scored 17.
TIMBERWOLVES 132, KINGS 105: Karl-Anthony Towns had 14 points and 14 assists in just 21 minutes, Andrew Wiggins scored 17 and host Minnesota got a big boost from its bench in a win against road-weary Sacramento.
Derrick Rose added 13 points and a season-high 11 assists while starting for injured point guard Jeff Teague. Minnesota led by 36 in the first half against Sacramento, which was coming off a 120-113 victory at Dallas a night earlier.
The Timberwolves returned home following an 0-4 trip, including a 141-130 loss at Sacramento.
Buddy Hield scored 21 points for the Kings but didn’t play in the second half. Sacramento coach Dave Joerger didn’t play any of his starters after halftime.
NOTES
PACERS: Indiana hired Kelly Krauskopf as its new assistant general manager, making her the first woman in league history to hold the title.
Krauskopf has a long history with the franchise.
She spent 19 seasons as the top executive of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever and helped oversee Indiana’s new NBA2K league team. She also served as the WNBA’s first director of basketball operations, as an assistant commissioner for the Southwest Conference and on USA Basketball’s women’s senior national team committee.
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