The Milwaukee Bucks will receive a huge boost for Monday's Game 4 against the Miami Heat as two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo returns from a two-game injury absence.

Antetokounmpo missed Game 2 and Game 3 after suffering a hard fall early in Game 1, resulting in a back contusion.

After dropping the series opener, the Bucks responded with an emphatic Game 2 victory at home to tie things up, before the Heat jumped ahead 2-1 with their Game 3 triumph in Miami.

Antetokounmpo finished the regular season top-five in both scoring (31.1 points per game) and rebounding (11.8 rebounds per game), and his return will be an enormous boost for the Bucks, who posted the best record in the league at 58-24.

Speaking before Monday's game, Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer declared his star "ready to go".

"We'll keep our eyes on him like we do really all our guys, but there's been nothing put on him from medical or anything like that," he said.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra responded to the news by saying it will be a significantly tougher test with Antetokounmpo in the line-up, but he wants the Bucks at full strength.

"You can do all the prep behind the scenes but [Antetokounmpo] is going to bring it at a different level of physicality and force than what we can cover in a practice," he said.

"We have great respect for him and what he can do... when you get in the playoffs, you want everybody available."

The Miami Heat will wait on scan results on a worrying knee injury to Victor Oladipo that soured Saturday's 121-99 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 3 of their first round series.

Oladipo went down on a drive to the bucket following a foul from Bobby Portis with 3:56 remaining in the fourth quarter, immediately clutching his left knee with an ominous look on his face.

The injury-cursed Heat guard was eventually assisted off the court by Miami's coaching staff, including head coach Erik Spoelstra, with the home court crowd cheering him out.

"We'll just have to see," Spoelstra said. "I feel like throwing up right now, but I don't know what the prognosis is. I want to stay positive on this, and we'll just see what happens."

Oladipo was restricted to only eight games in the 2021-22 season due to injury and only 33 during the 2020-21 campaign across three teams.

The injury soured a win that saw the Eastern Conference eight seed go 2-1 up with home court advantage for Game 4 against the top-seeded Bucks.

"It was a great win, but when you see a player go down like that and particularly a player like Vic, who has gone through so much in the last three years - I don't know what it is right now, so I don't want to jump the gun on anything," Spoelstra said. "But that's definitely not a good feeling to see."

The Bucks-Heat series has been riddled with injuries, with Giannis Antetokounmpo (bruised lower back) and Tyler Herro (broken hand) both unavailable for Game 3.

The Heat's injury concerns got worse with top scorer Jimmy Butler taking a hard fall in the third quarter and exiting the game with a bruised glute after 30 points in 28 minutes.

"He went back to the locker room and said, 'Hey, just give me a couple minutes, I'll be ready to go,'" Spoelstra said.

"I was going to insert him back into the game if it broke 15, but the second unit all night long gave us a tremendous boost."

The Bucks missed MVP candidate Antetokounmpo, shooting 44.7 per cent from the field and gifting 18 turnovers, while Miami scored 46 points in the paint compared to Milwaukee's 36.

"We'll continue to monitor him through the day tomorrow, through the day the next day," Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters pre-game about Antetokounmpo's status.

"He's not in a place where he can go, so we'll just continue to monitor and work with him and hope for the best."

Anthony Davis bounced back while LeBron James scored 25 points as the Los Angeles Lakers claimed a 2-1 first-round series lead with a 111-101 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.

Ja Morant returned from a hand injury for the Grizzlies, scoring a game-high 45 points, including 22 in a row for his team in the fourth quarter at Crypto.com Arena.

But the damage was done early, as the Grizzlies shot three-of-25 in the first quarter as the Lakers raced to a 35-9 lead.

Dillon Brooks was ejected for a flagrant 2 foul early in the third quarter following a hit to James' midsection, following tension between the pair after the former's comments after Game 2.

James put that aside to score 25 points on 10-of-20 shooting with nine rebounds, while Davis scored a team-high 31 points with 17 rebounds and three blocks.

The Grizzlies scored the final 10 points of the second quarter to close to 53-37 at half-time but were not helped by Brooks' ejection with 11:43 left in the third.

The Lakers kept Memphis at arm's length for most of the game, although Morant's remarkable fourth-quarter scoring run offered hope, getting within 10 points after a three-pointer with 2:54 left.

Jaren Jackson Jr lost the battle against Davis, contributing 13 points with five rebounds while Desmond Bane was kept to 18 points on three-of-seven three-point shooting. Morant made six-of-10 three-pointers, with 13 assists and nine rebounds.

Heat upset Bucks but left with injury worries

The Miami Heat claimed a 2-1 series lead with a 121-99 victory over the Eastern Conference top seed Milwaukee Bucks who were without Giannis Antetokounmpo due to a bruised lower back again.

But the excitement for the Heat was quelled by a worrying knee injury suffered late by Victor Oladipo, while Jimmy Butler battled a sore glute.

Butler top scored for Miami with 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting in 28 minutes. Duncan Robinson, on his 29th birthday, added 20 points on five-of-six three-point shooting.

Milwaukee shot at 44.7 per cent from the field, giving up 18 turnovers. Khris Middleton top scored with 23 points and six assists but was guilty for five turnovers.

Nets swept again, Suns go 3-1 up

The Brooklyn Nets suffered a first-round series sweep for the second straight year after the Philadelphia 76ers triumphed 96-88 in Game 4 despite the absence of Joel Embiid.

Tobias Harris scored a game-high 25 points with 12 rebounds, while James Harden had 17 points on four-of-18 shooting with eight rebounds and 11 assists. Embiid was out due to sprained right knee.

Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie managed a team-high 20 points and Nic Claxton had 19 points with 12 rebounds and four blocks.

The Phoenix Suns took a 3-1 lead in their series against the Los Angeles Clippers with a 112-100 win headlined by Kevin Durant's 31 points, 11 rebounds and six assists and Devin Booker's 30 points.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was ruled out again for the Milwaukee Bucks ahead of Saturday's Game 3 in their NBA first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat, reports said.

Battling a bruised lower back, which he suffered in the series opener, the two-time NBA MVP had to miss the second game and remains on the injured list.

The Bucks had listed Antetokounmpo as doubtful on Tuesday after an X-ray and MRI scan both came back clean, and the problem has not gone away.

The Greek forward averaged 31.1 points and 11.8 rebounds per game during the regular season, sitting in the NBA's top five for both categories.

Without Antetokounmpo, the Bucks drew level in the seven-game series by winning 138-122 on Wednesday.

The Milwaukee Bucks found a way to victory without Giannis Antetokounmpo by draining 25 three-pointers in their 138-122 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 2 on Wednesday.

The Bucks squared up their first-round playoff series, scoring 81 first-half points and tying the NBA record for three-point baskets in a postseason game. Milwaukee led 118-85 at three-quarter time, even without Antetokounmpo due to lower back bruising.

Brook Lopez top scored for the Bucks with 25 points on 12-of-17 shooting, but Pat Connaughton shot six-of-10 from beyond the arc for 22 points to led Milwaukee's long-range assault, with Joe Inglis making five-of-six from three-point range.

Jrue Holiday scored four triples in his 24 points with 11 assists, while Grayson Allen made four-of-eight from three-point range in a 16-point haul.

The Bucks shot at 51 per cent from three-point range as a team, having only managed 11-of-45 from beyond the arc in Game 1.

Jimmy Butler managed 25 points on eight-of-12 shooting from the field, but the Heat missed Tyler Herro out with a broken right hand, with his replacement Duncan Robinson scoring 14 points.

The series moves to Miami at 1-1 with Games 3 and 4 on Saturday and Monday.

Nuggets hold off Wolves for gritty win

The Denver Nuggets withstood an almighty Minnesota Timberwolves' rally to go 2-0 up in their first-round playoff series with a 122-113 victory.

The Nuggets led by as many as 21 points in the second quarter, shooting at 61 per cent in the first half, before the Timberwolves stormed back into the game, fuelled by a 14-0 run, taking the lead with 2:31 left in the third on a Kyle Anderson dunk.

Anthony Edwards was outstanding with 41 points on 14-of-23 shooting with six-of-10 three-pointers, but the Timberwolves ran out of gas.

Jamal Murray top scored for Denver with 40 points on 13-of-22 shooting with five assists, while Nikola Jokic had 27 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

Grizz triumph despite Ja absence

The Memphis Grizzlies overcame the absence of All-Star Ja Morant to right hand soreness to square their series with the Los Angeles Lakers with a 103-93 victory.

The Grizzlies raced to a 30-19 quarter-time lead and never looked back as Xavier Tillman scored a career-high 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting with 13 rebounds and three assists.

Recently crowned Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr had 18 points with nine rebounds, one steal and three blocks, while Desmond Bane added 17 points.

Lakers star LeBron James scored a game-high 28 points on 12-of-23 shooting with 12 rebounds and three assists, while Anthony Davis was kept to 13 points (four-of-14) with eight rebounds and five blocks.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has been ruled out of Game 2 of the Milwaukee Bucks' first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat due to a bruised lower back.

Antetokounmpo exited the Game 1 loss with a lower back contusion after landing heavily when driving to the basket and charging into Heat's Kevin Love. He initially tried to play on but was ruled out at half-time.

The Bucks had listed the MVP candidate as doubtful on Tuesday after an X-ray and MRI scan both came back clean, later updating that to questionable.

Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer confirmed prior to Wednesday's Game 2 that Antetokounmpo would be unavailable.

"[We were] hopeful that he would play and also aware that he might not," Budenholzer told reporters. "The guys are ready. The group's focused and in a good place."

Antetokounmpo's status will be critical for the Bucks during the series, but Budenholzer remained optimistic that he will return soon.

"He's continued to improve, but organizationally and talking and working with him and the sports performance group, the decision was made," Budenholzer said.

"He's out. The guys that are ready and the guys that are available are good to go. We'll continue to monitor him and expect for him to improve and still continue to be optimistic that soon he'll be ready to play."

The Greek forward averaged 31.1 points and 11.8 rebounds per game during the regular season, sitting in the NBA's top five for both categories.

Giannis Antetokounmpo failed to practice on Tuesday and was listed as doubtful for Game 2 of the Milwaukee Bucks' first round playoffs series against the Miami Heat.

MVP candidate Antetokounmpo suffered a lower back contusion in Sunday's 130-117 Game 1 defeat after falling on the floor awkwardly as Miami's Kevin Love slid in front of him to take a charge in the first quarter.

Antetokounmpo initially tried to play on but was ruled out at half-time, however a subsequent X-ray and MRI scan came back clean.

Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said on Monday he was "mostly optimistic" about Antetokounmpo's availability with Milwaukee desperate to square the ledger on their home court.

"There's an optimism," Budenholzer told reporters on Tuesday. "Time is a little bit on our side, but that equation will flip. But yeah, I would say we're optimistic."

It had been anticipated the two-time MVP would require a period of rest in the lead-up to Wednesday's game at Fiserv Forum. Antetokounmpo may still get some practice in given Game 2 is a 9pm local time tipoff.

The Greek forward averaged 31.1 points and 11.8 rebounds per game during the regular season, sitting in the NBA's top five for both categories.

Giannis Antetokounmpo's MRI came back clean, leaving Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer "mostly optimistic" over his availability for Game 2 on Wednesday.

Antetokounmpo exited Sunday's 130-117 loss to the Miami Heat in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series after landing heavily on his back in the first quarter.

A post-game X-ray came up clear, and Monday's MRI has given his team hope the two-time MVP can return for Game 2 in Milwaukee on Wednesday, with Budenholzer thankful for the two days of rest between games.

"He's still sore, but I think progress," Budenholzer said. "He's getting some treatment, and we'll just continue to monitor him for the next day or two.

"[We're] probably fortunate there's two days between games.

"I think still mostly positive, mostly optimistic. But we'll see how he feels over the next day or two."

Nikola Jokic recorded a double-double while Jamal Murray top scored as the Denver Nuggets re-discovered their form with a dominant 109-80 blowout of the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.

The Western Conference top seed Nuggets had gone 7-8 in their final 15 regular-season games, but snapped back into form in Game 1 of their first round playoffs series at Ball Arena.

Denver pulled away with a 32-14 third quarter, highlighted by five three-pointers.

Murray top scored with 24 points, making four-of-10 from three-point range, with eight rebounds and eight assists, while Michael Porter Jr also made four triples in his 18 points with 11 rebounds.

Porter Jr's game was capped by a hammer jam late in the first half as the Nuggets started to pull clear.

Jokic scored 13 points on six-of-12 shooting with 14 rebounds, including five offensive rebounds, and six assists.

Despite his modest stats, the Serbian center was influential in the first half with a no-look pass for Bruce Brown's three-pointer along with a classy spin to glide past Rudy Gobert in the lane.

The Timberwolves were no match for the top seed with Karl-Anthony Towns, who was the 2016 NBA Rookie of the Year in Jokic's rookie season, struggling for 11 points on five-of-15 shooting.

Former NBA Draft top overall pick Anthony Edwards only managed 18 points with five assists, while veteran point guard Mike Conley had eight points, four rebounds and three assists.

Clutch Kawhi leads Clippers past Suns

Kawhi Leonard came up clutch with two late three-pointers among his 38 points while Russell Westbrook made a critical block as the Los Angeles Clippers won 115-110 over the Phoenix Suns.

The Clippers put together three straight three-pointers in three plays in the final three minutes, including two from Leonard before kicking out a pass to Eric Gordon to make it 109-103 with 1:33 left.

With Suns cut it back to one point but Westbrook blocked Devin Booker with before making two free-throws to seal the win. Westbrook shot three-of-19 but never stopped, finishing with 10 rebounds including five in offense and eight assists.

Leonard went 13-of-24 from the field with three triples along with five rebounds and five assists, while Gordon added 19 with Paul George still out injured. Kevin Durant top scored for Phoenix with 27 points and 11 assists while Booker had 26 points and Chris Paul added 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

Lakers down Grizzlies, Heat shock Bucks

The Los Angeles Lakers claimed an early road win 128-112 over the Memphis Grizzlies with Ja Morant suffering a fourth-quarter hand injury to throw their first round series wide open.

Rui Hachimura scored a playoff career-best 29 points with 21 in the second half as the Lakers rallied back from a 65-59 half-time deficit, pulling clear late after Morant exited with 5:48 remaining at 105-101.

Morant was kept to 18 points with six rebounds, while Jaren Jackson Jr had 31 points with five rebounds and two blocks.

LeBron James had 21 points and 11 rebounds with two steals and three blocks, while Anthony Davis contributed 22 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocks. Lakers guard Austin Reaves added 23 points.

Eastern Conference eight seed Miami Heat pulled off an upset 130-117 road win over the Milwaukee Bucks who lost Giannis Antetokounmpo to a lower back contusion before half-time. The Heat lost Tyler Herro to a broken hand but Jimmy Butler stepped up with 35 points and 11 assists.

Giannis Antetokounmpo's X-ray on his lower back contusion came up clear but Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said they will monitor him ahead of Game 2.

Antetokounmpo exited Sunday's 130-117 loss to the Miami Heat in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series after landing heavily on his back with 4:13 left in the first quarter.

The Greek forward was slow to get back up and attempted to play through the issue, but was hobbled and re-exited with 9:56 left in the second quarter, with the Bucks proceeding to rule him out for the game.

"He has a back contusion, there was an X-ray that was clear here," Budenholzer told reporters after the game. "So we'll monitor him and see how he wakes up. See how he feels the rest of tonight and tomorrow."

Budenholzer would not be drawn on the outlook for Antetokounmpo for the rest of the series, but was buoyed by his ability to overcome wrist and knee injuries this season.

"We have to wait and see what the doctors say, most importantly what Giannis says," he said.

"We've been blessed with him being incredibly resilient and quick to heal. You've just got to take it day by day, see how he's doing and how he feels."

Budenholzer clarified that the decision to rule Antetokounmpo out of the game, after initially trying to play on, came given his limited mobility in the second quarter.

"He just wasn't moving [well]," Budenholzer said. "Didn't look comfortable or confident, so it felt like the right thing."

Bucks guard Jrue Holiday remained bullish about the Eastern Conference top seed's prospects in the series, even if MVP candidate Antetokounmpo is unavailable for any or all games.

"We don't want him to be hurt, but it's still next man up mentality," Holiday said. "We have enough talent on this team to cover for him until he comes back, so again, I just don't want to see him hurt because I know what it feels like, especially Game 1 of the playoffs."

Jimmy Butler top scored for the Heat, who overcame the first-half loss of Tyler Herro with a broken right hand.

Butler scored 35 points on 15-of-27 shooting along with 11 assists, while center Bam Adebayo had 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

"He's just a brilliant competitor," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "He does it on both ends of the court. He has an innate feel for what's necessary during the course of a game.

"We needed obviously some offensive punch, some triggers, something to settle us all down, particularly when we found out Tyler was out. Jimmy was able to do it in a lot of different ways."

Heat veteran Kevin Love hailed Butler as the best closer in the league.

"It's unbelievable what he's able to do out there," Love said. "He's our leader. He sets the tone for us. I'm taking him pretty much over anybody in the league when it comes down to closing out a game."

Giannis Antetokounmpo has been ruled out of the remainder of the Milwaukee Bucks' Game 1 against the Miami Heat after suffering a lower back confusion as the result of a heavy fall.

Two-time NBA MVP Antetokounmpo sustained the injury on a drive to the bucket after Kevin Love tried to slide in and take a charge, causing an awkward twisting collision where Antetokounmpo landed flat on his back with 4:13 left in the first quarter.

Antetokounmpo was slow to get back up and attempted to play through the issue, before the Bucks confirmed he was out before half-time.

The Greek forward played for 11 minutes, scoring six points on two-of-four shooting, making two-of-four free-throws, with three rebounds and a turnover.

The Bucks, who have an 11-8 record without Antetokounmpo this season, trailed 68-55 at half-time at Fiserv Forum.

Antetokounmpo has averaged 31.1 points and 11.8 rebounds per game this season, sitting in the NBA's top five for both categories.

The Miami Heat are prepared for a war against the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks after defeating the Chicago Bulls 102-91 in Friday's play-in tournament.

Max Strus got Miami off to a great start with 23 points in the first half, draining six triples, before Jimmy Butler led a 15-1 run to close out the game and earn the Heat's fourth consecutive postseason appearance.

Strus and Butler finished with 31 points each, and while starting center Bam Adebayo scored just eight points on one-of-nine shooting, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra credited his big man with the result.

Adebayo grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds – eight more than any other player – while also chipping in four assists, a block and a steal.

"None of this is happening if Bam wasn't so electric defensively," Spoelstra said. "He really was traffic-copping everything that they were doing, he seemed to be in three places at once at all times.

"He had 17 rebounds, and I thought it was fitting that he got the block at the end. Chicago are a tough team, they really defend. It's not like you're going to generate a bunch of easy opportunities at the rim to be able to get into good rhythm as a basketball team.

"They're well-schooled, well-drilled, well-coached, and they're committed on that side of the floor, so we had to win this one in the mud."

Adebayo felt he was doing everything he could outside of scoring the ball to help his side win.

"The game isn't only depending on shots falling," he said. "I feel like I had a big impact on that game even though my shots weren't falling."

Looking forward to a matchup against two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the top-seeded Bucks, Butler acknowledged they have a tall task waiting in the wings.

"You're talking about an MVP in [Antetokounmpo], all the shooting, how together they are, they've been together for a while," Butler said. "It's going to be tough; it is. 

"Milwaukee have some great fans that are always showing up and showing out. So, we've got to play damn near perfect basketball, which we're capable of. 

"Play hard, stick together through the good, through the bad. We are one and I think we're going to be okay. Let this season go, let the play-in go. 0-0 and get to work."

Spoelstra added: "We have great respect for them, but we feel like we're Navy SEALs. Just drop us off, we'll parachute in, and let's go compete."

The Milwaukee Bucks clinched the Eastern Conference top seed with Wednesday's 105-92 win over the Chicago Bulls but lost Khris Middleton in the first quarter after re-aggravating a knee issue.

The Bucks were also without Giannis Antetokounmpo with right knee soreness, but Bobby Portis stepped up with 27 points and 13 rebounds and Brook Lopez added 26 points with Jrue Holiday contributing 20 points, eight rebounds and 15 assists.

Middleton has been restricted to 32 games this season, due to a combination of wrist and knee issues, and exited Wednesday's game having played only eight minutes with no points.

"It's right knee soreness," Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters about Middleton. "It's a re-aggravation of something that we've been working with him on all year."

The Bucks have two more regular season games before the playoffs but Budenholzer was unclear on whether Middleton would be available prior to the postseason.

"We'll learn more going forward," Budenholzer said. "So, I couldn't say tonight."

Budenholzer paid credit to his players to earning the Eastern Conference's top seed with an NBA-best record of 58-22.

"It's a credit to the players," Budenholzer said. "The players have really stepped up.

"They've embraced the challenge night-in and night-out in this league is hard. There is great opposition. I think we want to be our best night-in night-out.

"To have the best record is something that matters. It is important. Now we get to take a breath, I have no idea what we'll do Friday and Sunday. We'll take a breath. The guys have earned it."

The Bucks take on the Memphis Grizzlies and the Toronto Raptors in their final two regular season games on Friday and Sunday.

Kyrie Irving led the Dallas Mavericks' second-half rally from a 13 point third-quarter deficit to boost their play-in hopes with a 123-119 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.

Irving scored 25 of his 31 points in the second half as the Mavs claimed an important win to improve to 38-42, having trailed 71-60 at half-time at American Airlines Center.

The win sees the Mavs draw level with the 10th-placed Oklahoma City Thunder in the fourth and final play-in tournament spot in the West with two games to play. OKC have the tiebreaker edge.

Dallas play the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs in their final two games, while the Thunder take on the Utah Jazz and the Memphis Grizzlies.

Mavs point guard Irving shot 12-of-23 from the field with six-of-10 from beyond the arc along with four rebounds, eight assists and two steals.

Luka Doncic was outstanding on Dallas' backcourt too, with 29 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while Tim Hardaway Jr scored 24 points including five triples.

Irving led Dallas' third-quarter 12-0 run, flipping the game on its head, ending their own three-game losing skid.

De'Aaron Fox scored 28 points with eight assists for the Kings, with Domantas Sabonis recording a triple-double with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. All five Kings starter scored double-digit points.

Sacramento also had a season-high 22 offensive rebounds, recording 30-14 second chance points.

Clippers claim crunch win over Lakers

The Los Angeles Clippers claimed a critical 125-118 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in the race to avoid the play-in tournament, while extending their recent winning run in the Battle of LA to 11-0.

Norman Powell scored a team-high 27 points off the bench, while Kawhi Leonard added 25 points and seven rebounds. The Lakers, playing the second game of a back-to-back, had LeBron James score 33 points with eight rebounds and seven assists.

The Clippers snapped their two-game losing run and ended the Lakers' four-game winning streak, improving to a 42-38 record to sit fifth ahead of the Golden State Warriors (42-38).

The Lakers are 41-39 in seventh alongside the New Orleans Pelicans (41-39), who won 138-131 over the Memphis Grizzlies despite Jaren Jackson Jr's 40 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.

Bucks and Celtics clinch No.1 and No.2 seeds

The Milwaukee Bucks were without Giannis Antetokounmpo and lost Khris Middleton midgame both due to knee soreness but triumphed 105-92 over the Chicago Bulls to secure the East's number one seed.

The Bucks flexed their muscle without the star duo with Bobby Portis scoring 27 points with 13 rebounds, Brook Lopez adding 26 points and seven rebounds and Jrue Holiday contributing 20 points with eight rebounds and 15 assists.

Milwaukee have locked in top spot with a 58-22 record, while the Boston Celtics won 97-93 over the Toronto Raptors to confirm the East's number two seed with a 55-25 record.

Malcolm Brogdon came off the bench to score 29 points from 35 minutes, while Jaylen Brown managed 25 points and 11 rebounds with Jayson Tatum out with a bruised left hip.

Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday argued Giannis Antetokounmpo should be this season's MVP and has blamed voter fatigue for why he is not the favourite.

The MVP race appears a battle of two, between Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid, but Antetokounmpo reminded everyone of his quality with his 31st 30-point double-double in Sunday's 117-104 win over the Sixers.

The win boosted the Bucks' (56-22) chances of finishing in the one seed in the Eastern Conference, pulling two games clear of the Boston Celtics (54-24) in the two spot with four games to play.

In a match-up against Embiid, Antetokounmpo finished with 33 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and three blocks and is averaging 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists this season. Embiid had 29 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

The Greek forward is fifth overall for points per game, led by Embiid (33.0), while he is third for rebounds, behind Domantas Sabonis (12.4) and Jokic (11.9).

Holiday argued that because 2019 and 2020 NBA MVP Antetokounmpo has been elite for a long period of time, voters take his quality for granted.

"[Giannis] has been MVP too much," Holiday told reporters when asked about the MVP race. "He's been doing this too much, I feel like people get bored of it.

"It's kind of like the Bron effect. LeBron has done it so many times that people think that it's normal now. And it's not.

"He makes it look so easy. The first couple years that he got it, it's like wow, nobody can do [that] and it's still, to this day, nobody can do what he does.

"He's on the number one team, not just in the East, but in the league."

Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer echoed Holiday's sentiment, believing that Antetokounmpo is this season's rightful MVP, arguing "he does everything".

"We certainly feel like Giannis is the MVP," Budenholzer said. "Best player, best record, what he does on both ends of the court, the rebounding, the blocked shots, the defense, guarding on the perimeter.

"He does everything: play-makes, attacks, gets to the free throw line. We feel like he's in the conversation and he should be the guy."

Antetokounmpo's 31.1 points per game this season is a career best and comes at 55 per cent shooting across 62 games.

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