DETROIT (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 20 of his 29 points in the first quarter, returning to the lineup after a five-game absence to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 150-130 win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday night.
The two-time MVP was joined by three-time All-Star Khris Middleton, putting the Bucks’ prolific duo in the same lineup for the first time in more than a month.
Antetokounmpo had been out with a sore left knee. Middleton, who hadn’t played since Dec. 15 due to a sore right knee, had eight points and four assists.
The Bucks scored 49 points in the first quarter, two shy of the NBA record, and led Detroit by 25 after Antetokounmpo made all six of his shots in eight-plus minutes.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 33 points and rookie Jalen Duren had a season-high 23 points and 14 rebounds for the Pistons, who have won an Eastern Conference-low 12 games and are ahead of only Houston in the league-wide standings.
MAGIC 113, CELTICS 98
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Paolo Banchero scored 23 points, Jonathan Isaac played in an NBA game for the first time in 2 1/2 years and Orlando broke Boston’s nine-game winning streak.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown scored 26 points apiece for the Celtics, who managed just three points after Tatum’s 3-pointer cut Orlando’s lead to 97-95 with 6:20 remaining.
Wendell Carter Jr. had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Magic. Cole Anthony came off the bench with 18 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Isaac missed 211 games since tearing his ACL in the NBA’s restart at Walt Disney World on Aug. 2, 2020. He finished with 10 points, three rebounds and two steals, playing about 9 1/2 minutes.
KINGS 133, GRIZZLIES 100
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Trey Lyles scored a season-high 24 points, Harrison Barnes had 15 of his 20 in Sacramento’s record-tying first quarter and the Kings beat short-handed Memphis.
The Kings tied the NBA record with 12 3-pointers in the first quarter — in just 13 attempts — and scored 47 points. But Sacramento didn’t put away the game until outscoring Memphis 33-10 in the fourth quarter.
Lyles was 6 for 8 from 3-point range for the Kings (27-19), who have won seven of their last eight games.
Domantas Sabonis finished with 14 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his sixth triple-double of the season. Keegan Murray also finished with 20 points and De’Aaron Fox had 17 points and 10 assists.
Desmond Bane scored 21 points for the Memphis (31-16), which played without Ja Morant and Steven Adams. The Grizzlies…
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