Bucks beat Heat 106-103, stay undefeated in NBA Cup

MIAMI (AP) — Damian Lillard scored 37 points and handed out 12 assists, and the Milwaukee Bucks wasted a 22-point second-half lead before beating the Miami Heat 106-103 in an NBA Cup game on Tuesday night.

Brook Lopez scored 13 points and Bobby Portis had 11 for the Bucks, who have won five in a row and moved back to the .500 mark — 9-9 — for the first time since they were 1-1.

The Bucks (3-0 in Cup play) also moved a half-game ahead of Detroit (2-0) in the East Group B standings.

Jimmy Butler scored 23 points for Miami, which got 18 from Tyler Herro, 17 from Terry Rozier and 16 from Bam Adebayo. The Heat tied the game at 96-96 on a layup by Butler and got within one point on three later occasions, but never led.

The Heat — who were outscored 60-30 from 3-point range — fell to 1-2 in Cup play.

The Bucks played without Giannis Antetokounmpo, a late pregame scratch because of swelling in his left knee.

BULLS 127, WIZARDS 108

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nikola Vucevic scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as Chicago eased to a victory over struggling Washington.

Coby White scored 21 points and Zach Lavine had 18 for the Bulls, who pulled into a three-way tie at 2-1 with Boston and Atlanta and a half-game in front of Cleveland in East Group C.

Chicago allowed its second-fewest points and secured its largest margin of victory this season. The Bulls took the lead for good in the second quarter and kept it in double digits throughout the second half.

Kyle Kuzma scored 23 points for Washington, which lost its 12th straight and fell to 0-3 in the group and were eliminated from quarterfinal contention.

Rookie Alex Sarr tied a career high with 20 points and sank four 3-pointers for the Wizards, who sat starting point guard Jordan Poole for a second game with left hip soreness.

ROCKETS 117, TIMBERWOLVES 111, OT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Alperen Sengun had 22 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, Fred VanVleet added 27 points and 11 assists, and Houston pulled out an overtime win against Minnesota Timberwolves.

Dillon Brooks added 22 points for Houston, which improved to 3-0 in the competition and clinched West Group A and a spot in the NBA Cup quarterfinals.

Anthony Edwards had 29 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota, which has lost three in a row. Julius Randle scored 21, while Naz Reid had 19 off the bench.

Rookie Rob Dillingham, the No. 8 pick in the draft out of Kentucky, had his best game of the season, helping to fill the void left by point guard Mike Conley, who missed his third straight game with a left great toe sprain. Dillingham had 12 points and season highs with seven assists and five rebounds.

SPURS 128, JAZZ 115

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Victor Wembanyama scored 34 points, rookie Stephon Castle matched a season high with 23 and San Antonio beat Utah.

The 7-foot-3 Wembanyama made six 3-pointers and shot 13 of 23 from the field. Julian Champagnie scored 15 points and made three 3s in the fourth quarter to help the Spurs pull away.

Utah’s Lauri Markkanen had to be helped from the court after banging knees with Wembanyama in the fourth quarter.

Keyonte George led Utah with 26 points and shot 6 of 12 from 3. Collin Sexton and John Collins each scored 20 for the Jazz, who were eliminated from the NBA Cup quarterfinals.

SUNS 127, LAKERS 100

PHOENIX (AP) — Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant each scored 23 points and Phoenix celebrated the healthy return of both players with a win over Los Angeles.

Devin Booker led the way with 26 points and had 10 assists as the Suns snapped a five-game losing streak.

Beal had missed the past five games while Durant had missed seven in a row — both players were sidelined by a strained left calf.

Beal made 10 of 15 shots, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range.

The Lakers were led by Anthony Davis, who scored 25 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. LeBron James added 18 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists. Los Angeles has lost three straight.

The Suns outscored the Lakers 36-18 in the third quarter, turning a tight game into a 98-78 advantage. Booker had 11 points during the run while Jusuf Nurkic had 10.