LOS ANGELES (AFP) — The Milwaukee Bucks erased a 26-point deficit to beat Portland, 108-102, on Sunday as Phoenix and Orlando stretched their National Basketball Association winning streaks to seven games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points and grabbed 16 rebounds for the Bucks. Damian Lillard added 31 in his first game against his former team and Milwaukee authored the biggest comeback victory of the season so far.
Lillard, who played 11 seasons in Portland until he was traded to Milwaukee in September, admitted it was “a weird feeling” to take the court against former teammates.
“But once we started playing I kind of got over it quick,” said Lillard, who added five rebounds and four assists.
“I’m just happy we were able to get the win.”
Portland, fueled by 22 points from Jerami Grant and 18 from Malcolm Brogdon, led 68-52 at halftime and pushed their advantage to 26 points early in the third period.
Lillard’s three-pointer tied it at 97-97 with less than three minutes remaining. It was tied at 102-102 when Antetokounmpo tipped in the go-ahead basket with 18.5 seconds left to play.
A big block from Antetokounmpo on Brogdon and four free-throws from Lillard sealed it.
“We’ve been in that situation a few times this season, where our character was tested, our togetherness was tested,” Lillard said.
“We showed true again.”
Phoenix guard Devin Booker starred in New York, drilling a go-ahead three-pointer with 1.7 seconds remaining as the Suns kept their streak going with a 116-113 victory over the Knicks.
Booker scored 28 points and handed out 11 assists for the Suns, who were without superstar Kevin Durant for a second straight game because of a sore right foot.
Jalen Brunson scored 35 points with six rebounds and eight assists for the Knicks, but his three-point attempt as time expired rimmed out.
In Orlando, Franz Wagner and Cole Anthony scored 30 points apiece to fuel the Magic’s 130-117 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
Paolo Banchero added 23 points and eight assists for the Magic, who outscored the Hornets, 74-60, in the paint and parlayed 18 Charlotte turnovers into 28 points.
Up 61-57 at halftime, the Magic didn’t trail in the second half. Anthony scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to help Orlando extend their lead to as many as 16.
