ORLANDO, Fla. — Giannis Antetokounmpo nearly had a triple double with 19 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists, helping the NBA-best Milwaukee Bucks beat the Orlando Magic 112-95 on Saturday night.
The Bucks won for the 13th time in 14 games, improving the league’s best record to 45-7 and remaining on course to become just the third team to top 70 wins in a regular season.
Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, fell short in a bid to become the first player with at least 30 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in six consecutive games.
Brook Lopez led the Bucks with 23 points, including 5 for 5 on 3-point attempts. Khris Middleton had 21 points and 13 rebounds, and Eric Bledsoe finished with 18 points for the Bucks, who led by as many as 27 in the third quarter.
Nikola Vucevic led the Magic with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Terrence Ross had 20 points, Markelle Fultz scored 15 and Evan Fournier added 14 for Orlando, which continues to hold the eighth playoff position in the Eastern Conference despite losing eight of its last nine.
MAVERICKS 116, HORNETS 100: Seth Curry made his first 10 shots, including six 3-pointers, and finished with 26 points as Dallas won at Charlotte.
Willie Cauley-Stein added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks, who played without Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. Doncic missed his sixth straight game because of a right ankle sprain, while Porzingis rested a sore left knee.
KNICKS 95, PISTONS 92: Julius Randle scored 17 points, including a bank shot with 13.5 seconds left that helped visiting New York secure its fourth straight victory.
NOTES
CLIPPERS: Los Angeles waived former Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas, two days after acquiring him as part of a three-team trade.
The move had been expected since Thursday’s deal with the Wizards and Knicks.
HORNETS: The Hornets waived former No. 2 overall pick Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and 15-year veteran Marvin Williams.
The 6-foot-6 Kidd-Gilchrist was selected behind Kentucky teammate Anthony Davis in the 2012 draft, but he found himself out of Charlotte’s rotation this season under Coach James Borrego. He has played in only 12 games, averaging four points.
The 6-foot-8 Williams was drafted No. 2 overall in 2005 by the Atlanta Hawks after playing one season at North Carolina. He has played in 41 games this season, mostly in a reserve role, averaging 6.7 points in 19.7 minutes.
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