Giannis Antetokounmpo remained sidelined for the Milwaukee Bucks' game against the Indiana Pacers on Monday.

The Greek star missed back-to-back defeats to the Miami Heat due to a sore left knee and was unable to return against the Pacers.

Milwaukee face the Toronto Raptors on Thursday, but it remains to be seen if the 28-year-old forward – who participated in the warm-up before the Pacers game – will be back in action.

Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said of the two-time NBA MVP's injury: "We continue to think it's kind of the stuff that he and us have dealt with, for me it's each year that I've been here.

"We don't think it's anything more than that. Him being healthy, taking care of him is always our priority. We're probably always going to err on the side of caution. We know how important he is to us."

He added: "We'll see how he responds, see how he's feeling tomorrow,"

Antetokounmpo averages 31 points, 11.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game this season.

With a victory against the Indiana Pacers safely secured, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant was able to gush over his stunning dunk during the contest.

The move, with just over four minutes left in the third quarter at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, saw Morant cut in from the right before leaping over Jalen Smith and slamming in a spectacular dunk that had his team-mates and even opposition fans left in visible awe.

The Grizzlies went on to win 130-112 to make it nine victories in a row, and Morant – who ended with 23 points, 10 assists and three rebounds – agreed the dunk was the best of his career so far.

"Yeah, easy," he said. "It's what everybody has been waiting for. I finally made it."

Kevin Durant and Kevin Garnett were among those to react on Twitter to Morant's effort, with the latter exclaiming: "When we look back on Ja's in game dunk highlights when it's all said and done it's gonna be up there with some of the greatest ever."

Desmond Bane, who top-scored for the visitors with 25 points, also acknowledged the effort of his team-mate, saying: "I ain't seen nothing like that one. That's probably going to go down as dunk of the year."

Memphis' win streak has taken them to 29-13 as they fight with the Denver Nuggets for superiority in the Western Conference, though coach Taylor Jenkins acknowledged his team is "not playing perfect basketball."

He was, though, happy to see the Grizzlies "finding different ways to win," adding: "Whether we're playing with a lead or playing from behind. Each game has presented a different challenge for us and our guys have stayed the course.''

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle was clearly impressed by their performance, saying: "[The Grizzlies may] very well may be the best team on the planet right now.''

Ja Morant scored 23 points including an incredible one-handed dunk of the year candidate to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to their ninth straight win, 130-112 over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.

Morant drove forward, reached back with his right arm and launched a massive dunk with 4:20 remaining in the third quarter over Jalen Smith to open up a 20-point lead.

The Grizzlies guard finished the game with 23 points on seven-of-17 shooting from the field, with 10 assists and three rebounds.

Morant is averaging 28.7 points per game during the Grizzlies' nine-game win streak.

Desmond Bane was solid as always, going five-of-11 from three-point range in his team-high 25 points.

The victory means Memphis are tied with the Denver Nuggets at 29-13 for the best record in the Western Conference. The win was the Grizzlies' fourth straight on the road.

The Pacers, missing Tyrese Haliburton, were led by Chris Duarte with 25 points despite a hand concern.

Embiid seals Sixers victory over Jazz

Joel Embiid's jumper with 5.7 seconds remaining clinched a 118-117 victory for the Philadelphia 76ers over the Utah Jazz.

Embiid finished the game with 31 points on nine-of-18 shooting from the field with two three-pointers, seven rebounds and two blocks, while James Harden added 30 points and 11 assists.

Utah trailed for most of the game but hit the lead at 115-114 with 33 seconds left, with Jordan Clarkson scoring 38 points with nine rebounds.

Doncic kept to season low as Blazers fire

Luka Doncic was kept to a season-low 15 points as Damian Lillard led the Portland Trail Blazers to a 136-119 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Doncic was benched with seven minutes to go by Mavs head coach Jason Kidd, in a game where the Blazers snapped a five-game losing run, having led 71-56 at half-time.

Lillard was exceptional with 36 points on 11-of-20 shooting with four three-pointers and 10 assists, while center Jusuf Nurkic added 22 points and 11 rebounds.

The New York Knicks have now won six of their past seven games after Jalen Brunson excelled in a 112-108 victory against the Washington Wizards on Friday.

Brunson, who is averaging career-highs in points (21.9) and assists (6.4) since signing with the Knicks in the offseason, was once again his side's best player.

He scored a team-high 34 points on 12-of-24 shooting with eight rebounds and eight assists, continuing the red-hot form that has seen him average 33.2 points, 5.6 assists and 5.2 rebounds on 52 per cent shooting since the new year began.

Another player in scintillating form since the start of January is Knicks forward Julius Randle, and he is now averaging 24.8 points and 14.4 rebounds this month after putting up 23 points (eight-of-19 shooting) and 16 rebounds.

The Knicks overcame a terrific performance from Wizards wing Kyle Kuzma, who scored a season-high 40 points on 14-of-27 shooting with seven rebounds and seven assists.

New York are now 24-19, and sit sixth in the Eastern Conference.

No Jokic, no problem for the Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets showed they can survive without reigning back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic as they defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 115-103.

It was just the third contest Jokic has missed out of 41 total opportunities, but while on the sidelines nursing a wrist injury he watched Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr pick up the slack.

Murray scored a team-high 24 points on eight-of-17 shooting with eight rebounds and four assists, while Porter had 22 points (nine-of-17) with four rebounds and three assists.

The highlight of the game came courtesy of Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, who dunked on the head of Zeke Nnaji on his way to 24 points (10-of-21) and nine rebounds.

Hawks bigs deliver the win

Despite having two All-Stars in their backcourt, the Atlanta Hawks frontcourt came to the rescue in a 113-111 triumph over the Indiana Pacers.

Third-year center Onyeka Okongwu was tremendous with 18 points (nine-of-12 shooting), a career-high 20 rebounds, four assists, four blocks and two steals. 

His interior partner, John Collins, was less impactful for the first three quarters, and while he only finished with seven points, he scored the game-winning tip-in with less than a second remaining on the clock.

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton will miss at least a fortnight after suffering a left elbow sprain and mild left knee bone contusion.

The Pacers confirmed the injuries on Thursday, having left Wednesday's 119-113 loss to the New York Knicks on crutches after falling awkwardly in the third quarter.

"He underwent an MRI this afternoon on his elbow and knee in Indianapolis and the team is awaiting additional opinion on the results of those scans," the Pacers announced.

"Haliburton will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks and updates will be provided as appropriate."

The 22-year-old has been enjoying an All-Star level season, leading the league in assists with 10.2 per game. He is also averaging 20.2 points per game while flirting with 50/40/90 efficiency, currently shooting 48 per cent from the field, 39.9 per cent from deep and 88 per cent from the free throw line.

Joel Embiid has been ruled out by the Philadelphia 76ers for the game against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday with "foot soreness".

Embiid had landed awkwardly in the fourth quarter of the Sixers' 120-111 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday.

The 28-year-old center was assessed by the Sixers team doctors on Wednesday and was ruled out despite initially being listed as questionable.

Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said there were no long-term issues and that Embiid was day-to-day moving forward.

"He didn't talk about a lot of soreness right afterwards," Rivers told reporters prior to Wednesday's game.

"Then, later that night, he said his foot was bothering him and was sore, and then more the next day."

Embiid was the Eastern Conference player of the month for December after averaging 35.4 points on 54.5 per cent shooting from the field for the month.

Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle gushed over his two top players after Myles Turner and Tyrese Haliburton helped extend their winning streak to three games.

The Pacers ended the year on a high as they beat the Los Angeles Clippers 131-130 on the road in the opening game on New Year's Eve.

It continued an impressive run of scoring form, putting up 129 points in a victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, before notching 135 points to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday.

Against the Clippers, Turner proved nearly unstoppable. The man who has led the league in blocks per game on three separate occasions was an offensive force, scoring a team-high 34 points on 11-of-17 shooting, hitting all 10 of his free throws.

He also hit a pair of three-pointers, dished three assists and snatched two steals, and while it was all Turner for the first three quarters, it was the Haliburton show late.

Haliburton reached the fourth quarter with just six points to his name, before exploding for 18 in the final period alone, finishing with 24 points (eight-of-13 shooting), 10 assists, seven rebounds and four steals.

In his postgame media appearance, Carlisle spoke about how exciting it is to watch his young stars excel in a playoff type of atmosphere.

"Myles Turner was spectacular in this game," he said. "He didn't get many rebounds, but he neutralised the boards – he kept their big guy off the boards.

"He was clutch all night, he punished them on the inside when they went small, he made big free throws, big and-ones – he played huge in this game.

"Tyrese’s fourth quarter was a monster. 18 [points] in the fourth, made just about every play you could imagine. Really just breathtaking stuff to watch. 

"The building was absolutely alive. Today was another opportunity to play a playoff-caliber game during the regular season. [The Clippers] were loaded up, they had all their guys, and they really came to play. We had to put together a monster game to beat them – and we did."

When asked about Haliburton and his growth into a true team leader since arriving in a trade from the Sacramento Kings, Carlisle compared him to another young playmaker he has coached – Luka Doncic.

"[Haliburton] is a basketball savant-type guy," he said. "People like him, people like Doncic, people like Reggie Miller, they sense when their time is coming.

"He's resourceful, and he finds ways to help our team get the ball in the basket. Sometimes it's not him – sometimes he makes the play that leads to the bucket, or the pass that leads to the pass.

"But his will to win is spectacular for a young player, and he really is grasping everything that there is to grasp about the opportunity that he has here, and the responsibility that he has here.

"It's amazing to watch him continue to grow, grow and grow every single game."

Haliburton himself spoke of the challenge of facing a team that dominated the interior last time they met, and pointed out why Turner is such a mismatch problem for teams who like to play small.

"Last time we played these guys [Ivica] Zubac had a great game – almost 30 and 30," he said. "So as a competitor, and as a competitive team, we wanted to respond the right way.

"We attacked him early, we felt like we were getting after him… he's a tough guy to keep off the glass, but we were able to do that successfully.

"We made them play small, which is to our advantage, because we still feel we can run with a big on the floor because 'MT' runs so well.

"We felt like we dictated pace tonight, and usually when we dictate pace, we win games."

It is the fifth win from the Pacers' past six outings, improving their record to 20-17 to occupy the six seed in the Eastern Conference, while the Clippers (21-17) are sixth in the West.

Luka Doncic maintained his dynamite form with another triple-double as the Dallas Mavericks improved to 20-16 with a 129-114 victory over the Houston Rockets on Thursday.

Doncic, who scored a franchise-best and season-high 60 points two nights earlier, recorded his eighth triple double of the season, finishing with 35 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists.

The Slovenian guard led the Mavs to their fifth straight win, notching up a second straight triple-double for the second time this season. Doncic's collective 95 points across the past two games is an NBA-record in consecutive triple-doubles.

Doncic shot 11-of-21 from the field, including four-of-nine from beyond the arc, making nine-of-12 free-throws.

Ex-Rockets forward Christian Wood offered good support with 21 points, including five-of-eight three-pointers, six rebounds and four blocks, along with Dwight Powell, who added a season-high 19 points with six rebounds and two blocks off the bench.

The Rockets, who are 10-25 and have lost seven of their past eight games, had few answers as they fell behind 65-51 at half-time with a Doncic 35-foot buzzer beater, with Jalen Green top scoring with 23 points.

Celtics avenge Clippers' blowout

The Boston Celtics avenged their heavy loss to the Los Angeles Clippers three weeks ago with a 116-110 victory led by 29 points each from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

The NBA-best Celtics (26-10) had suffered their worst loss of the season at the hands of the Clippers earlier this month, losing 113-93, starting off a run where they lost five of six games.

Tatum had 11 rebounds to go with his 29 points, shooting 10-of-26 from the field, while Kawhi Leonard scored 26 points with eight rebounds for the Clippers.

Hield makes history in Pacers' win

Buddy Hield made history with the fastest three-pointer recorded since play-by-play began in 1996-97 as the Indiana Pacers downed the Cleveland Cavaliers 135-126.

Hield, who leads the league in three-pointers made this season, swished a shot just three seconds into the game. The Pacers made 19-of-31 from beyond the arc for the game, rallying from a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit.

Tyrese Haliburton top scored with 29 points, including six-of-eight three-point shooting, while Hield made six triples in his 25 points. Donovan Mitchell had 28 points and six assists for the Cavs.

Boston Celtics interim head coach Joe Mazzulla insists he is not concerned about his side's form despite slumping to their fifth loss from six games in Wednesday's 117-112 loss to the Indiana Pacers.

The Celtics were blown away 71-43 in the first half against the Pacers, eventually falling to their third straight loss despite a second-half rally led by Jayson Tatum with 41 points.

"I'm really not concerned about that, in the sense that I think it's the first half that we really got outplayed from an effort standpoint," Mazzulla told reporters.

"It would be more concerning if we didn’t play a completely different style in the second half. We just have a choice to make, what team do we want to be? The team from the first half or the team from the second half?"

The result means Boston slip to a 22-10 record overall, sitting second in the Eastern Conference behind the Milwaukee Bucks (22-9), who also lost on Wednesday to the third-placed Cleveland Cavaliers (22-11).

"I don't really get concerned," Mazzulla said. "We are where we are. You have to rely on who our guys as people and the process of what we're trying to build.

"We're not playing well. Up until this point we have competed defensively and it was an offensive issue. In moments like this it's important to trust your guys. Because they've been through a lot, they've had moments like this, they've had bounce back.

"We're going through a hard stage but that's part of the NBA. It's also hard when you play the way you did at the beginning of the year and at such a high standard. We need to learn to set that standard as a habit."

The Celtics closed several times in the final quarter but Mazzulla rued their start, particularly the first quarter where the Pacers piled on 42 points.

"We just didn't play with a great sense of urgency, didn't play with awareness and didn't play with a sense of details," Mazzulla said.

Donovan Mitchell scored 34 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers claimed an impressive 105-90 road win over Luka Doncic's Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.

The victory improved the emerging Cavs to an 18-11 record and third spot in the Eastern Conference, while the Mavs slipped to 14-14 and ninth in the west.

Mitchell was in an inspired mood against the side who bundled his former franchise, the Utah Jazz, out of last season's playoffs, shooting 13-of-20 from the field, going six-of-nine from three-point range.

The shooting guard scored 27 of his 34 points in the first half, the most he has had in a half this season. Mitchell had good support from Lamar Stevens with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Evan Mobley added 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Doncic shot nine-of-23 from the field in his 30 points, but gave up five turnovers for the Mavs, who trailed 60-41 at half-time at American Airlines Center, with the Cavs going on a 17-0 run at one point.

The Slovenian helped the Mavs rally within nine points in the fourth quarter before Mitchell hit a clutch three-pointer to thwart their momentum.

The victory ended the Cavs' recent road struggles, having lost eight of their past nine games away from their home court.

Mitchell's performance meant he has the fourth highest points per game average by a player in the first 25 games with a new team in NBA history at 29.2, behind only Wilt Chamberlain (35.4, Golden State Warriors), Elvin Hayes (30.4, Houston Rockets) and Adrian Dantley (29.7, Utah Jazz).

Curry injured as Warriors beaten on road

Stephen Curry scored 38 points but exited with a shoulder injury, while Draymond Green was ejected as the Golden State Warriors' road struggles continued with a 125-119 loss to the Indiana Pacers.

Amid a Warriors rally, after allowing 47 points in the second quarter, which tied the most by them in any quarter under head coach Steve Kerr, Curry clutched at his left shoulder in the third quarter and did not return, having previously shot five-of-10 three-pointers.

Green was tossed out in the final quarter after a second technical foul as Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers to victory with 29 points, with the team draining 16 three-pointers. Golden State are 2-13 on the road this season.

Lillard maintains rare three-point form

Damian Lillard sunk seven three-pointers as he scored 37 points before being benched late as the Portland Trail Blazers crushed the San Antonio Spurs 128-112.

The 32-year-old Blazers point guard is averaging 34.4 points per game in December, including hitting 11 triples in Monday's win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, amid a form upswing following injury.

Anfernee Simons added 23 points and Jerami Grant had 18, while Keldon Johnson top scored with 25 points and seven rebounds for the Spurs, who had won three in a row after ending an 11-game losing run.

Stephen Curry is in "good spirits" but will undergo an MRI on the left shoulder injury that forced him out of the Golden State Warriors' 125-119 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.

Curry sustained the injury with 2:04 left in the third quarter as he attempted to strip Jalen Smith of the ball, immediately clutching his shoulder but continuing to run down the court.

The Warriors called a timeout where Curry was assessed by training staff, later heading into the locker room and being ruled out in the fourth quarter.

"He's going to get an MRI tomorrow," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters. "He was ruled out midway through the fourth. Training staff told me he wasn’t going to play the rest of the night. We'll see how he is tomorrow."

On the pain Curry was feeling, Kerr added: "I didn’t ask about that. I trust their judgement and they said he's not going back in. I just checked in with him briefly but haven’t had a chance to go into detail."

Kerr said 34-year-old eight-time All-Star Curry seemed upbeat in their brief interaction.

 "Steph is always a guy with a great outlook on life so he was in good spirits," Kerr said. "We'll hope for the best."

The reigning NBA Finals MVP had 38 points on five-of-10 three-point shooting with seven rebounds and seven assists until the injury ended his game.

Golden State, who slumped to 2-13 on the road this season, had fought back from a 74-54 half-time deficit but could not overcome the Pacers without Curry.

"Just stunning," Kerr said about Curry's performance. "He basically put us on his shoulders for the minutes he was out there.

"He was generating so much offense, he was getting to the line, he was getting the ball to other people, he was absolutely brilliant.

"I thought the guys did a great job of fighting throughout the third quarter before he got hurt and then after."

Curry is averaging 29.6 points on 49.7 per cent field-goal shooting and 43.2 per cent three-point shooting with 6.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists this season.

Splash brothers Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 66 points as the Golden State Warriors claimed arguably their best win of the season, beating the Boston Celtics 123-107 on Saturday.

The Celtics had won eight of their past nine games, including a statement win over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, but the reigning champions shut down the NBA's number one offensive team while the splash brothers were on song.

Curry finished with 32 points including six-of-11 from beyond the arc, with four off the dribble, while Thompson scored a game-high 34 points with four triples. The Warriors are 14-0 all-time when Curry and Thompson both score 30-plus points.

It was a rare night of frustration for the NBA-leading Celtics, who fall to 21-6 overall, with Jayson Tatum kept to 18 points with seven rebounds, two assists and three steals. Jaylen Brown scored a team-high 31 points.

Curry and Thompson led the way, but center Kevon Looney pulled down 15 rebounds while Jordan Poole added 20 points.

The win means the Warriors are 12-2 at Chase Center this season and have won 11 of their past 17 games, improving to 14-13 overall.

Thomas stars as short-handed Nets claim shock win

The short-handed Brooklyn Nets recorded an admirable 136-133 victory over the Indiana Pacers, with Cam Thomas coming off the bench to score a career-high 33 points.

The Nets were without eight players, including All-Stars Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons, but Thomas stepped up along with Australian guard Patty Mills with 24 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Tyrese Haliburton scored 35 points for the Pacers, but Thomas and Mills were crucial in the fourth quarter, as the Nets made it three straight wins and six from their past seven games.

Jokic records triple-double in Nuggets victory

Nikola Jokic led the Denver Nuggets to a 115-110 win over the Utah Jazz with his fourth triple-double of the season and 80th of his NBA career.

Jokic finished with 31 points, 12 rebounds and 14 assists in a dominant display that helped the Nugs improve their record to 15-10.

Jamal Murray supported the reigning MVP well, with 30 points, four rebounds and five assists.

LeBron James acknowledged "everything went wrong" for the Los Angeles Lakers after their last-gasp 116-115 loss to the Indiana Pacers.

Andrew Nembhard hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer at the Crypto.com Arena to help his side secure victory after fighting back from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

Defeat marks a second in four matches for the Lakers, who bounced back from their loss to the Phoenix Suns last week with back-to-back wins over the San Antonio Spurs.

James, who posted 21 points in a tough outing, says he and his team-mates ultimately failed to shut the match down and ensure a hungry Pacers side could have no way back.

"[You have] just got to finish the game," he stated. "Everything has to go wrong in order for you to lose a game like that.

"Everything went wrong today. You tip your hat off to Indiana, they kept fighting, they kept pushing."

Coach Darvin Ham took full responsibility for his side's late collapse and questioned how he can fix his team's inability to chase offensive action over the closing stages.

"You get a lead like that and the free-throw line allows you to maintain your lead," he added. "I wish we'd been a lot more aggressive, [and] continued playing with pace.

"That falls on me. I take responsibility for that. Late in the game, [we were] just giving up offensive rebounds. That's been something that has plagued us the last couple of games."

The Lakers next welcome the Portland Trail Blazers on November 30, with the team mired in 13th place in the Western Conference.

Ivica Zubac was a man possessed in the Los Angeles Clippers' 114-100 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, recording a stat-line only ever emulated by the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

With star Clippers duo Kawhi Leonard (ankle) and Paul George (hamstring) both absent, Zubac carried his team on both ends, scoring a season-high 31 points on 14-of-17 shooting, while grabbing a career-high 29 rebounds and blocking three shots.

Abdul-Jabbar is the only other player to offically tally those numbers, although it is widely believed both Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain should also be on that list, having played before the NBA began recording blocks and steals in the 1973-74 season.

Zubac became the first Clipper ever with 25 points and 25 rebounds, and since the 1983-84 season, there have only been 24 instances of a player grabbing at least 29 rebounds in a game, joining Andre Drummond, Nikola Vucevic and Kevin Love as the only active players to accomplish the feat.

He grabbed 12 offensive rebounds with his 17 defensive rebounds, raising his average to 10.8 for the season – the ninth-best figure in the league. He is also top-10 in blocked shots, averaging a career-high 1.8 per game.

For the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton had 19 points and 11 assists to continue maintaining his career-high and league-leading average of 11.1 assists. He is two assists per game clear of second-placed Trae Young (9.1).

The win improves the Clippers' record to 12-9, leaving them fifth in the Western Conference standings.

Nets machine begins to click into gear

The Brooklyn Nets showed the signs of a potential contender as they pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers 111-97.

With offensive focal points Kevin Durant (31 points) and Kyrie Irving (22 points) combining to shoot 20-of-37 from the field (54 per cent), their perimeter-oriented style was thriving. 

Ben Simmons only attempted three shots and finished with two points, but he played exactly the role envisioned for him, posting team-highs in rebounds (12), assists (eight) and steals (three) to keep the ball moving and the offense functioning.

Seth Curry was spectacular off the bench, hitting 11-of-15 shots for a season-high 27 points, showing off his supreme chemistry with former Philadelphia 76ers teammate Simmons.

Golden State's big-three deliver

Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green turned back the clock as they had full control over the Golden State Warriors' 137-114 road win against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Curry continued his MVP-calibre season with 25 points (seven-of-17 shooting), 11 rebounds and eight assists, while his Splash Brother Klay Thompson contributed an efficient 21 points on eight-of-13 shooting, hitting five-of-eight from deep.

They were both set up by Green, who hit six of his seven shots for 19 points, while leading the game with 11 assists and two blocks.

The Warriors have now won five of their past six games to claw above .500 at 11-10.

Two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was once again the best player on the floor to lead his Milwaukee Bucks to a 117-102 victory against the breakout Cleveland Cavaliers.

Both teams entered the contest as a top-three seed in the Eastern Conference, and despite a 29-point effort from offseason trade acquisition Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs had no answer for the Bucks' future Hall-of-Famer.

Antetokounmpo scored a game-high 38 points on 13-of-20 shooting, hitting 10 of his 14 free throws while adding nine rebounds, six assists and two blocks. 

While usual running-mate Jrue Holiday was not at his sharpest, shooting four-of-13 for his nine points, it was veteran center Brook Lopez who turned out to be the Bucks' second star.

Lopez scored eight points without missing a field goal, hitting both of his three-point attempts, and he was a force defensively, blocking six shots for the second time this season, and it was the fifth time from his 17 games that he has blocked at least five shots.

His 2.6 blocks per game is a new career-high in his 15th season, and the second-best figure in the league, trailing only Myles Turner (2.8) of the Indiana Pacers. 

Along with Antetokounmpo, the pair are anchoring the best defense in the league, conceding 105.9 points per 100 possessions – almost two points per 100 possessions better than any other team.

With the win, the Bucks are now 13-5 and 10-2 at home, while the Cavaliers fall to 12-7, and remain the third seed.

Lakers make it four wins from five

The return of LeBron James has helped the Los Angeles Lakers win their fourth game from their past five outings, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 105-94.

After missing five games with an adductor injury, James was more than a little rusty as he committed nine turnovers for only the ninth time in his 1377-game career. However, he still chipped in 21 points on eight-of-17 shooting with eight rebounds and five assists.

Enjoying his best statistical start to a season since arriving with the Lakers, Anthony Davis scored a game-high 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting, grabbing 15 rebounds to increase his career-high average to 12.6, and he blocked three shots.

Pacers keep on winning

The Indiana Pacers are meant to be in a rebuilding year, but after their 128-117 win against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday they now own the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Myles Turner continued his career-best season with an efficient 23 points on nine-of-11 shooting, grabbing eight rebounds and blocking two shots, while pick-and-pop partner Tyrese Haliburton had 15 assists and four steals to go with his 21 points. Haliburton leads the league in assists at 10.9 per game, and is the only player averaging over 9.4.

Kevin Durant was not to blame for the Nets' loss, scoring a game-high 38 points (15-of-31) with eight rebounds and eight assists, while Ben Simmons scored 20 points on perfect eight-for-eight shooting.