NBA wrap: Bucks cruises without Giannis, Heat edges past Pacers

With Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined, Khris Middleton led the Milwaukee Bucks to a comfortable 112-86 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

Published : Dec 28, 2019 15:24 IST

Milwaukee Bucks' Khris Middleton
Milwaukee Bucks' Khris Middleton
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Milwaukee Bucks' Khris Middleton

The Milwaukee Bucks cruised without star Giannis Antetokounmpo in the NBA, while the Miami Heat recorded an impressive win on Friday.

Antetokounmpo was sidelined with back soreness, but the Bucks was untroubled in a 112-86 thrashing of the Atlanta Hawks. Khris Middleton starred with 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while Ersan Ilyasova had a double-double of 18 points and 17 rebounds. Milwaukee improved to 28-5 as it bounced back from its loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Miami is third in the Eastern Conference and edged the Indiana Pacers 113-112. Bam Adebayo's double-double of 18 points and 15 rebounds led the Heat as Jimmy Butler contributed despite struggling from the field. Butler finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and six assists, but went three-of-11.

Celtics roll on as Adams guides Thunder

The Boston Celtics posted its fifth straight win by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 129-117. Jaylen Brown (34 points) and Jayson Tatum (30) were the stars for Boston.

RELATED| NBA wrap: Mavericks edges Spurs; Thunder loses to Memphis

Steven Adams' 14 points, 12 rebounds and three assists helped the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 104-102 overtime win against the Charlotte Hornets.

The Golden State Warriors made it four straight wins as D'Angelo Russell's 31 points guided it past the Phoenix Suns 105-96.

76ers' road woes remain

The Philadelphia 76ers is 16-2 at home but slipped to 7-9 on the road after crashing to a surprise 98-97 loss to the Orlando Magic.

Friday's results

Boston Celtics 129-117 Cleveland Cavaliers
Oklahoma City Thunder 104-102 Charlotte Hornets
Orlando Magic 98-97 Philadelphia 76ers
Milwaukee Bucks 112-86 Atlanta Hawks
Miami Heat 113-112 Indiana Pacers
Golden State Warriors 105-96 Phoenix Suns

Raptors at Celtics

After back-to-back losses, the Toronto Raptors (21-10) faces a test against the Celtics (22-7) at TD Garden on Saturday.

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