About Last Night

About Last Night: Giannis sparks Bucks’ rout of Warriors

Celtics erase 22-point deficit in OT victory; Thunder continue rolling without Westbrook

Already missing Draymond Green (right toe sprain), Stephen Curry left with an injury and the Warriors were unable to recover in a 134-111 loss to the Bucks that snapped their eight-game winning streak.

Curry was having a tough night (10 points on 5-for-14 shooting) before straining his left adductor, but it was the absence of Green’s physical defense that allowed Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks to pull away in the second quarter.

Jordan Bell, Kevon Looney and Kevin Durant had no luck stopping Antetokounmpo, and Green could only watch from the bench, mouth agape.

Antetokounmpo had 19 points, seven rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block by halftime as the Bucks led 64-51 at the break. He finished with 24 points and nine rebounds in just 26 minutes.

“We’re never as good without Draymond,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before the game.

Kerr was right.

In handing Golden State its first home loss of the season, the Bucks (9-2) validated their fast start and in the process made the Warriors (10-2) look a little vulerable.

Celtics pull off epic comeback

Coming off consecutive road losses, the Celtics came out flat in Phoenix. At one point, Boston missed 13 straight shots as the Suns built a 32-13 lead in the first quarter.

Brad Stevens scrambled to make changes in the second half, starting Marcus Smart ahead of Jayson Tatum, who sat for the first nine minutes of the third quarter. The move energized the Celtics, who cut the Suns’ lead from 20 points at the half, to 15 by the end of the third quarter, to a point with 7.3 seconds left.

Then this happened:

With the Suns fixated on Kyrie Irving, who scored 18 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter, the All-Star point guard split two defenders with a crisp pass to Morris, who forced overtime with a 3-pointer.

It was all Boston in overtime, as the Celtics outscored the Suns 16-9 to win 116-109.

Celtics fans rejoiced, including Hall of Famer Bill Russell, who was clearly watching the TNT broadcast.

Thunder keep rolling

Paul George stuffed the stat sheet with 20 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and six steals, and the Thunder beat the Rockets 98-80 without Russell Westbrook for their seventh straight victory.

Westbrook missed his second straight game with a sprained left ankle. He was spotted walking into Chesapeake Energy Arena without a limp and what can only be described as a Cliff Huxtable sweater.

Oklahoma City’s winning streak also includes victories over the Suns, Clippers, Hornets, Wizards, Pelicans and Cavs. While that might not be a murderer’s row, the Thunder have won their last seven games by an average of 12.1 points.

As usual, defense has been key for the Thunder, who lead the league in steals and turnovers. The 80 points is the lowest total for the Rockets since Feb. 6, 2018 and the lowest since Mike D’Antoni took over.

Stat of the night

The Warriors allowed 134 points, most at Oracle in regulation since March 15, 2009 vs. the Suns (154 points).

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