NBA roundup: LaMelo Ball scores 50 in Hornets’ loss to Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks survived a career-best 50-point night from LaMelo Ball to beat the visiting Charlotte Hornets 125-119 and extend their winning streak to four straight.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for Milwaukee, while Damian Lillard scored 31 points.

Ball, who also had 10 assists, got off to a slow start, going 1-of-8 from the floor in the first quarter before blossoming after halftime. He topped his previous career best with 38 points. Brandon Miller had 32 points and 11 rebounds.

Miller and Ball combined to score all 34 of Charlotte’s points in the fourth quarter as the Hornets nearly erased a 20-point deficit.

Jazz 121, Knicks 106

Lauri Markkanen scored 34 points to help Utah snap a four-game losing streak with a matinee win over New York in Salt Lake City.

Markkanen made 11 of 15 field goals, including 5-for-8 from 3-point range, and grabbed nine rebounds. Collin Sexton added 25 points with six 3-pointers and John Collins totaled 20 points and 13 rebounds.

OG Anunoby scored 27 points to pace the Knicks, who had won four straight games. Jalen Brunson contributed 23 points and eight assists, and Karl-Anthony Towns had 16 points, 16 rebounds and five assists for New York.

Grizzlies 142, Bulls 131

Scotty Pippen Jr. scored a career-high 30 points as Memphis collected a wire-to-wire victory over host Chicago.

Pippen added 10 assists, while Jaylen Wells added a career-high 26 points for the Grizzlies, who won their second straight. Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 23 points.

Zach LaVine led Chicago with 29 points, followed by Nikola Vucevic’s 26. Matas Buzelis scored 14 and Josh Giddey added 12 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for the Bulls, who have lost four of six.

Magic 111, Pistons 100

A 15-0 run in the fourth quarter propelled Orlando past visiting Detroit for its eighth win in the past nine games.

Franz Wagner scored 30 points for the Magic, marking the 11th time in 12 games that he led the team. He also reached 30 points for the fourth time in five games and added nine rebounds and eight assists.

Jaden Ivey led the Pistons with 19 points as Detroit tried to fill the void it lost with Cade Cunningham sidelined by an ankle injury. Malik Beasley added 18 points and Marcus Sasser finished with 13 off the bench.

Trail Blazers 104, Rockets 98

Anfernee Simons hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 28.7 seconds left and Portland claimed the second game of a back-to-back set with host Houston.

Simons finished with a team-high 25 points to help Portland survive a wild fourth quarter that included six ties and four lead changes. Simons answered a layup by Amen Thompson with one of his own to tie the game 96-96 with 1:03 left.

Alpine Sengun posted 22 points, while Thompson added 19 points and seven rebounds off the bench for the Rockets. But the starting court of Fred VanVleet and Jalen Green shot a combined 7 for 27, including 1 of 15 from behind the arc, while Dillon Brooks and Tari Eason combined for 17 points on 5-for-18 shooting after combining for 50 points on Friday.

Nuggets 127, Lakers 102

Nikola Jokic had 34 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists to lead visiting Denver over Los Angeles.

Michael Porter Jr. scored 13 of his 24 points in the third quarter, helping the Nuggets outscore Los Angeles 37-15 to take a 94-78 advantage into the fourth. Porter also grabbed 11 rebounds.

Austin Reaves scored 19 points, LeBron James had 18 points, seven assists and six rebounds and Anthony Davis finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who have lost two straight after a six-game winning streak.

Spurs 104, Warriors 94

Victor Wembanyama scored 25 points and rookie Stephon Castle added 19, including six during a decisive late run, as San Antonio rallied in the fourth quarter to beat visiting Golden State.

Andrew Wiggins finished with 20 points and Stephen Curry added 14 to lead Golden State, who were playing the second game of a road back-to-back and looked the worse for wear, especially in the final quarter when they were outscored by 20 points.

Harrison Barnes added 22 points for San Antonio, which was without Devin Vassell (knee) and Keldon Johnson (hamstring).

–Field-level media