NBA roundup: Bucks rally vs. Heat, claim East's top seed

Antetokounmpo, who picked up his fifth foul with 10:48 left in the fourth,
added a game-high 12 rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes. Middleton had a
team-high eight assists and six rebounds in 34 minutes.

Milwaukee (55-14), which has the best record in the NBA, overcame a 17-point
halftime deficit to snap a two-game losing streak and clinch the top seed in
the Eastern Conference.

With Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic out injured, the Heat (43-26) were led by
Duncan Robinson's 21 points. All-Star center Bam Adebayo, slowed by foul
trouble, was held to six points, five rebounds and six assists in 21 minutes.

Portland Trail Blazers 125 - Denver Nuggets 115

Damian Lillard recorded 45 points and 12 assists and matched his career high
of 11 3-point baskets to lead Portland to a victory over Denver.

Gary Trent Jr. added 27 points and matched his career best of seven 3-pointers
as the Trail Blazers moved within a half-game of the eighth-place Memphis
Grizzlies in the Western Conference playoff derby.

Michael Porter Jr. registered 27 points and 12 rebounds, and Jerami Grant
scored 18 points for the Nuggets. Denver played without starting guards Jamal
Murray (hamstring) and Gary Harris (hip) and starting small forward Will
Barton (knee) for the fourth straight game. Coach Mike Malone sat most of his
starters other than Porter down the stretch.

Houston Rockets 113 - Los Angeles Lakers 97

James Harden paired 39 points with 12 assists, and Houston claimed the season
series against Los Angeles.

Harden added eight rebounds and three steals to his ledger in carrying the
load with All-Star Russell Westbrook (right quad contusion) sidelined. Ben
McLemore (20 points) and Jeff Green (15 points) helped with a combined
8-for-20 3-point shooting. The Rockets hit 21 of 57 attempts from deep.

The Lakers played without LeBron James (sore right groin) and continued their
offensive struggles. Anthony Davis posted 17 points and 12 rebounds but also
committed seven turnovers, while Kyle Kuzma led the Lakers, who shot 2 of 19
on 3-pointers, with 21 points.

Phoenix Suns 114 - Indiana Pacers 99

A run of 21 unanswered points spanning the third and fourth quarters powered
Phoenix to a win over Indiana in seeding-round competition.

The Suns moved to a perfect 4-0 since the restart from the COVID-19 hiatus,
and did so trailing for less than three total minutes against a Pacers team
that came into the matchup also undefeated through three games in the
Orlando-area bubble.

Cameron Payne led the Phoenix reserves in igniting the decisive run, scoring
12 of his 15 points over that stretch. Dario Saric added another 16 points off
the bench, as the Suns' 34-16 scoring advantage from the backups made the
difference. Indiana's Malcolm Brogdon led all scorers with 25 points and
helped buoy a fourth-quarter rally.

Sacramento Kings 140 - New Orleans Pelicans 125

Bogdan Bogdanovic scored a career-best 35 points as Sacramento got its first
victory of the NBA restart, defeating New Orleans.

De'Aaron Fox added 30 points and 10 assists, Harrison Barnes scored 22,
Nemanja Bjelica had 11 and Cory Joseph 10 as the Kings ended a three-game
losing streak in the restart.

Zion Williamson scored 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting in 22 minutes, and
Brandon Ingram also had 24 for the Pelicans, who dropped to 1-3 in the
restart.

Los Angeles Clippers 126 - Dallas Mavericks 111

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George combined for two hoops in a nine-point,
tiebreaking flurry midway through the fourth quarter, propelling Los Angeles
to a victory over Dallas.

Leonard finished with a team-high 29 points, and George had 24 for the
Clippers, who earned just their second win in four games in the central
Florida bubble.

Kristaps Porzingis had 30 points and nine rebounds, and Luka Doncic scored 29
points for the Mavericks, who took their third loss in four games.

--Field Level Media