The top two teams in the Eastern Conference went at it on Saturday night, and it was the Toronto Raptors who overcame an embarrassing loss on Thursday night to beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 123-116, at the Fiserv Forum. The win for the Raptors gives them a half-game lead on the Bucks, as they return to the top of the East for the second time this season. Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam scored 30 points apiece, with Siakam's point total being a career-high for him. Leonard added five steals on the defensive end, as his team was overcoming a loss to his former team, the San Antonio Spurs, in his controversial return to the AT&T Center.
Serge Ibaka contributed 25 points and nine rebounds, while Fred VanVleet had a season-high 21 points, helping the Raptors snap a three-game losing streak against the Bucks. The 29-12 Raptors did trail by double digits in the first quarter on Saturday, but used a 35-point third quarter to jump ahead after halftime. They opened the second half on a 26-12 run to push away a bit, and then held off a 14-4 Bucks' run in the fourth quarter to hang on for the win on the road.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 43 points to lead the Bucks, who fell to 27-11 on the season, as he added 18 rebounds in the double-double effort. Both of those numbers were just one shy of his career-high mark, but the Bucks saw their five-game winning streak come to an end. Malcolm Brogdon scored 15 points, while Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe recorded 14 points apiece in the loss. Milwaukee will host the Utah Jazz on Monday, while the Raptors will host the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night.
The hottest team and player in the Western Conference were shut down for one night on Saturday, as the Portland Trail Blazers got the best of the Houston Rockets, 110-101, at the Moda Center. Portland, who was coming off a close loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night, got 25 points and 15 rebounds from Jusuf Nurkic in their 23rd victory. Their win snaps the Rockets' six-game winning streak, while also stopping James Harden's 40-point streak at five in a row.
Harden finished with 38 points, and missed a driving layup in the final seconds to keep him two points shy of the 40-point mark in the loss. He shot 13-of-35 from the floor, including 5-for-17 from three-point range, all while getting held to just nine points in the first half. That slow half helped the Blazers jump ahead by as many as 16 points, as they held off a fourth quarter rally attempt once Harden got hot. The loss for Houston drops them to the sixth spot in the West, evened up with the Los Angeles Clippers, while the Blazers are tied with the San Antonio Spurs right ahead of them.
C.J. McCollum finished with 24 points, while Damian Lillard had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Blazers, who have now won three of their past four, following a tough stretch that dropped them from the top of the conference. They were able to hold Harden under 40, but the bearded star still recorded his 11th triple-double of the season on the night. Portland was the last team to hold Harden under 30 points in a game, doing so on December 11th, where they gave up 29 to him in a 111-104 loss in Houston. The Rockets will be back in Houston on Monday to host the Denver Nuggets, while the Blazers will host the New York Knicks that same night.
Serge Ibaka contributed 25 points and nine rebounds, while Fred VanVleet had a season-high 21 points, helping the Raptors snap a three-game losing streak against the Bucks. The 29-12 Raptors did trail by double digits in the first quarter on Saturday, but used a 35-point third quarter to jump ahead after halftime. They opened the second half on a 26-12 run to push away a bit, and then held off a 14-4 Bucks' run in the fourth quarter to hang on for the win on the road.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 43 points to lead the Bucks, who fell to 27-11 on the season, as he added 18 rebounds in the double-double effort. Both of those numbers were just one shy of his career-high mark, but the Bucks saw their five-game winning streak come to an end. Malcolm Brogdon scored 15 points, while Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe recorded 14 points apiece in the loss. Milwaukee will host the Utah Jazz on Monday, while the Raptors will host the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night.
The hottest team and player in the Western Conference were shut down for one night on Saturday, as the Portland Trail Blazers got the best of the Houston Rockets, 110-101, at the Moda Center. Portland, who was coming off a close loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night, got 25 points and 15 rebounds from Jusuf Nurkic in their 23rd victory. Their win snaps the Rockets' six-game winning streak, while also stopping James Harden's 40-point streak at five in a row.
Harden finished with 38 points, and missed a driving layup in the final seconds to keep him two points shy of the 40-point mark in the loss. He shot 13-of-35 from the floor, including 5-for-17 from three-point range, all while getting held to just nine points in the first half. That slow half helped the Blazers jump ahead by as many as 16 points, as they held off a fourth quarter rally attempt once Harden got hot. The loss for Houston drops them to the sixth spot in the West, evened up with the Los Angeles Clippers, while the Blazers are tied with the San Antonio Spurs right ahead of them.
C.J. McCollum finished with 24 points, while Damian Lillard had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Blazers, who have now won three of their past four, following a tough stretch that dropped them from the top of the conference. They were able to hold Harden under 40, but the bearded star still recorded his 11th triple-double of the season on the night. Portland was the last team to hold Harden under 30 points in a game, doing so on December 11th, where they gave up 29 to him in a 111-104 loss in Houston. The Rockets will be back in Houston on Monday to host the Denver Nuggets, while the Blazers will host the New York Knicks that same night.
