Knicks advance to NBA Cup knockout round after Brunson’s 37-point performance

NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 37 points and the New York Knicks advanced to the knockout round of the NBA Cup, beating the Milwaukee Bucks 118-109 on Friday night in Giannis Antetokounmpo’s return from a groin injury.

Miles McBride added 19 points, including two 3-pointers in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter to put the Knicks ahead by 13. New York went 3-1 to win East Group C.

Josh Hart had 19 points and 15 rebounds in his third game back in the starting lineup. Mikal Bridges scored 14 points as the Knicks shot 44%.

Antetokounmpo finished with 30 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists in 28 minutes after missing four games.

Kyle Kuzma added 20 points as Milwaukee lost its seventh straight overall and was eliminated from the tournament with a 2-2 record in group play. A.J. Green finished with 18 points for the Bucks, who shot 52.1% and made 18 3-pointers.

PACERS 119, WIZARDS 86

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Pascal Siakam had 24 points and 11 rebounds and IndianaPacers beat Washington in an NBA Cup game between two of the league’s worst teams.

Bennedict Mathurin added 20 points, and T.J. McConnell had 14 points and eight assists to help Indiana end a three-game losing streak and improve to 3-16. Washington dropped to 2-16 to replace the Pacers in last place.

Injury-ravaged Indiana has plummeted without Tyrese Haliburton, the star guard who tore his right Achilles in the Pacers’ Game 7 loss to Oklahoma City in the NBA Finals.

Alex Sarr had 24 points and eight rebounds for Washington. The Wizards ended a 14-game losing streak Tuesday night with a 132-113 home victory over Atlanta in NBA Cup play.

Siakam had 17 points, six rebounds and two steals in the first half to help Indiana to a 64-52 lead. The Pacers led 94-83 after three quarters.

Both teams were 1-3 in NBA Cup play.

76ERS 115, NETS 103

NEW YORK (AP) — Tyrese Maxey scored 22 points, Jared McCain had 20 off the bench and Philadelphia beat Brooklyn in an NBA Cup game.

Quentin Grimes added 19 points, and Paul George had 14 to help the short-handed 76ers snap a two-game losing streak.

The 76ers played without starting center Joel Embiid (right knee management) and VJ Edgecombe (left calf tightness), and then lost backup center Andre Drummond (sprained right knee) midway through the second quarter.

Drummond attempted to block Tyrese Martin’s floater and then tried to grab the rebound with his left hand, but fell on the court and immediately reached for his knee.

Egor Demin scored a career-high 23 points, and Tyrese Martin had 16 for Brooklyn. The Nets have lost three consecutive games and fell to 0-9 at home this season. They are the only team without a home win this season, with their last one at Barclays Center on April 8 against New Orleans.

HAWKS 130, CAVALIERS 123

ATLANTA (AP) — Jalen Johnson had 29 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists to lead Atlanta to a win over Cleveland Cavaliers in an NBA Cup game.

Atlanta eliminated Cleveland from the in-season tournament, meaning neither team advances to the quarterfinal round.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 28 points, including a clutch late 3-pointer, helping Atlanta go on an 7-0 run in less than 30 seconds to create separation.

Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 42 points. It was Mitchell’s sixth game out of the last eight scoring at least 30 points and the second-highest point total of the season.

Atlanta’s Zaccharie Riscaher hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:09 remaining to break a 123-all tie, and Alexander-Walker hit a pull-up 3-pointer with 47.7 seconds left after Mitchell misfired on a potential game-tying shot.

MAGIC 112, PISTONS 109

DETROIT (AP) — Desmond Bane scored 37 points and grabbed two crucial offensive rebounds as Orlando defeated Detroit to win its NBA Cup group.

Orlando went 4-0 in East Group B and advanced to the knockout round. The Magic overcame a triple-double by the Pistons’ Cade Cunningham, who finished with 39 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.

Franz Wagner added 21 points for Orlando.

Tobias Harris had 18 points for the Pistons, who have lost two straight after a 13-game winning streak. Jalen Duren had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Detroit went 2-2 in NBA Cup play and did not advance.

Bane’s three-point play with 2:11 left gave Orlando a 108-106 lead, and Wagner added a layup to make it a four-point game. Tobias Harris hit a 3-pointer and Detroit got a stop, but Cunningham committed his eighth turnover with 1:03 left.

Wagner missed two 3-pointers on the ensuing possession, but Bane grabbed both rebounds. Wagner missed again as the shot clock expired, but Wendell Carter Jr. got another offensive rebound.

Jalen Suggs made two free throws with 6.3 seconds left, making it 112-109, and the Magic fouled Cunningham with 4.7 seconds left.

He missed the first free throw, then intentionally missed the second and got his own rebound. He got the ball to Duncan Robinson, whose tying 3-point attempt was blocked by Anthony Black.

HORNETS 123, BULLS 116

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Brandon Miller scored 27 points, Miles Bridges had 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists and Charlotte beat Chicago to snap a seven-game losing streak.

Collin Sexton added 21 points off the bench for the Hornets, who held the Bulls to 8 of 36 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. LaMelo Ball had 16 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.

Josh Giddey nearly missed another triple-double, finishing with 25 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for Chicago. Coby White added 25 points and Nikola Vucevic had 13 points and 14 rebounds .

It was the final NBA Cup group game for both teams, although both had been eliminated from the tournament coming into the night.

SPURS 139, NUGGETS 136

DENVER (AP) — Devin Vassell scored a season-high 33 points on the strength of 7-of-9 shooting from 3-point range and San Antonio advanced to the NBA Cup quarterfinals with a win over Denver.

Julian Champagnie added a season-best 25 points to help the Spurs roar back from an 18-point third-quarter deficit and hand the Nuggets, winners of six straight on the road, their third consecutive defeat at home.

The Spurs made 30 of 32 free throws and scored 30 points off 17 Nuggets turnovers.

Jamal Murray led Denver with 37 points, Cam Johnson added 28 and Nikola Jokic 21. Murray became the fifth player in franchise history to top 10,000 points for his career.

JAZZ 128, KINGS 119

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Keyonte George scored 31 points and Lauri Markkanen added 28 to help Utah snap a four-game skid with a victory over Sacramento.

Brice Sensabaugh had 20 points for the Jazz, who finished 1-3 in NBA Cup group play.

Russell Westbrook, the NBA leader in triple-doubles, had the 206th of his career with 16 points, a season-high 14 assists and 12 rebounds for Sacramento, which went winless in four NBA Cup games. Zach LaVine led the Kings with 34 points, and Keegan Murray had 23 points and nine rebounds.

Trailing by 11 at halftime, Sacramento trimmed the deficit to 67-65 on a 3-pointer from Murray but got no closer.

George hit back-to-back 3-pointers and followed with a floater to help Utah regain a double-digit lead. The Jazz closed the third quarter on a 10-0 run, capped by Jusuf Nurkic’s layup for a 90-73 lead.

THUNDER 123, SUNS 119

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) —