The Milwaukee Bucks’ streak of seven straight wins ended with a loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, while the Los Angeles Lakers were slaughtered by the Miami Heat.
The Bucks had won their last four games in the NBA and three in the NBA Cup, but failed to hold on to an early 10-point lead, losing 104-119 in Milwaukee.
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 31 points, while teammate Damian Lillard added 25, but Jalen Johnson and De’Andre Hunter responded with 23 and 20 points respectively as Atlanta recorded a fifth straight win.
Next up for the Bucks is a trip against the defending NBA champions, the Boston Celtics, while the Hawks will face the LA Lakers, who suffered their heaviest defeat of the season, losing 134-93 to the Miami Heat.
Miami guard Tyler Herro was the star with 31 points, 21 of them in the third quarter. He finished with nine of the Heat’s franchise-record 24 three-point shots, equalling the Heat’s own record of 24. After taking a 17-point lead at halftime, the Heat set a franchise record with 42 assists, dealing a new blow to a struggling Lakers team.
LeBron James and his teammates have lost six of their last eight games, a streak that included elimination from the NBA Cup. This defeat, two days after a 29-point loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, sees LA’s NBA record slip to 12 wins and 10 losses.
First-year Lakers coach JJ Redick described the performance as ‘embarrassing’ and criticised what he called a lack of grit and professionalism from his players.
Elsewhere, the NBA champion Boston Celtics beat the Detroit Pistons 130-120 despite the absence of Jayson Tatum, while the Orlando Magic bounced back from a heavy loss to the New York Knicks with a 106-102 victory over the injury-riddled 76ers in Philadelphia.
The LA Clippers lost to the Timberwolves for the second time in the space of five days (80-108), while the Brooklyn Nets defeated the Indiana Pacers 99-90.
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