(REUTERS, AFP) - Giannis Antetokounmpo matched his NBA season best of 47 points on splendid 18-of-21 shooting to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a convincing 127-109 road victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday (April 2) night.
He also collected 12 rebounds and three blocked shots while recording his third 40-point effort and 32nd double-double of the season. The Bucks defeated the Trail Blazers for the fifth straight time by an average of 23.6 points and have also won nine of the past 10 meetings.
Jrue Holiday added 22 points and 10 assists and Khris Middleton contributed 20 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals as Milwaukee improved to 2-1 on a six-game road trip.
Damian Lillard made five three-pointers while scoring 32 points for Portland, who had their four-game winning streak snapped. C.J. McCollum notched 18 points and seven assists, Robert Covington also had 18 points on six three-pointers and Norman Powell had 12 points.
The Trail Blazers, sixth in the Western Conference with a 29-19 record, shot 36.4 per cent and were 21 of 54 from three-point range while falling for just the third time in the past 10 games.
The Bucks (31-17), who are third in the East, held a 58-24 edge in points in the paint while shooting 54.4 per cent from the field, including 12 of 39 from behind the arc.
Meanwhile, Pascal Siakam celebrated his 27th birthday by scoring a season-high 36 points as the Toronto Raptors won their most lopsided game in franchise history with a 130-77 rout of the Golden State Warriors.
The Raptors won by 53 points and led at one point by 61 as they handed the short-handed Warriors their third worst loss ever and the sixth defeat in their last seven contests.
"You saw it," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "We just got destroyed. Not a whole lot to be said. Humiliating for everybody involved."
The Raptors have been having problems of their own, winning for just the second time in the past 15 games and snapping a four-game losing streak.
"Losing is not fun, and anything that lifts us out of that is good," said Siakam.
With Stephen Curry and Draymond Green sitting out, the hapless Warriors looked out of sorts. Curry was ruled out hours before tip-off with a bruised tailbone and Green was scratched with a sprained finger.
Curry missed five games earlier before returning for the last two games. "I just think the game went south on us quickly and we got demoralised," Kerr said.
Carlisle tests positive
In New York, Luka Doncic scored 13 of his game-high 26 points in the fourth quarter as the Dallas Mavericks beat the New York Knicks 99-86.
The Mavericks were without head coach Rick Carlisle who had tested positive for Covid-19 earlier on Friday despite receiving the vaccine shot in January. He was scheduled to coach in his 1,500th game on Friday. Assistant coach Jamahl Mosley filled in for him.
In Boston, Jayson Tatum scored 26 points, Jaylen Brown added 22 with 11 rebounds and the Boston Celtics beat the Houston Rockets 118-102.
Elsewhere, Kyle Kuzma dominated the host Sacramento Kings to the tune of a season-best and game-high 30 points in 36 minutes, propelling the Los Angeles Lakers to a 115-94 victory.
Dennis Schroder contributed 17 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope chipped in with 13 points and 10 rebounds, helping the Lakers (31-18) win for the third time in their last four games after losing four in a row.
Harrison Barnes had a team-high 26 points, equalling his fourth-most this season, for the Kings, who had beaten the Lakers in their last trip to Sacramento, 123-120, just before the All-Star break.
