Milwaukee Bucks fall to OKC Thunder 127-116 in regular season finale

MILWAUKEE — Russell Westbrook got his 34th triple-double of the season and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Milwaukee Bucks' backups 127-116 Wednesday night to lock up the sixth seed in the Western Conference playoffs.Oklahoma City played without injured Paul George, but Westbrook, Jerami Grant and Dennis Schroder led a hot-shooting effort from 3-point range.Westbrook had 15 points, 17 assists and 11 rebounds.

Giannis Antetokounmpo leads Bucks to 60th win, 115-107 over Atlanta Hawks

MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points and Khris Middleton added 21 to send Milwaukee to a methodical 115-107 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night, giving the Bucks 60 wins in a season for the first time since 1981.The Bucks, who have clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference, led from the outset as the Hawks rested leading scorers John Collins and Trae Young.Milwaukee led 85-72 entering the final period, but Atlanta pulled to 101-98 on a drive by DeAndre' Bembry with 3:28 left.Middleton countered with consecutive 3-pointers and Antetokounmpo connected from beyond the arc to put Milwaukee up 110-98.Alex Len had a career-high 33 points for Atlanta, including six 3-pointers.None of the Bucks' starters played more than 27 minutes and 11 of 12 available players each logged at least 19 minutes.Milwaukee led 28-21 after one quarter and pushed it to 46-30 before the Hawks trimmed it to 54-45 at halftime.Vince Carter hit two free throws to cap a 10-point run that pulled Atlanta to 78-71, but the Bucks pushed the lead to 85-72 entering the fourth.Milwaukee, which lost in the first round of the playoffs each of the last two seasons, has not advanced past the opening round since making the Eastern Conference finals in 2001.The 1980-81 Bucks team that finished 60-22 under coach Don Nelson included Sidney Moncrief, Marques Johnson, Junior Bridgeman and Bob Lanier.Tip-insHawks: Young (19.1 points per game), who had started all 80 games, and John Collins (19.5 ppg) did not play due to load management. "We figured today would be a good day to sit them and finish the season on a high note at home," coach Lloyd Pierce said. "That's really important for us as a team and with what we've been through this year."Bucks: Antetokounmpo, who did not play in Saturday's 133-128 loss to the Nets because of left calf soreness, was questionable for this one.

Milwaukee Bucks fall 133-128 to Brooklyn Nets

MILWAUKEE -- D'Angelo Russell had 25 points and 10 assists, and the Brooklyn Nets beat the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks 133-128 on Saturday to improve their positioning in the Eastern Conference playoff race.Brooklyn (40-40) made 19 3-pointers and placed eight players in double figures.

Antetokounmpo to miss Nets game with calf injury

MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss Saturday's game against the Brooklyn Nets because of an injured left calf.The Bucks have clinched the best record in the NBA and the top seeding in the Eastern Conference.

Bucks clinch top seed in the East with win over 76ers

PHILADELPHIA — Giannis Antetokounmpo outdueled fellow MVP candidate Joel Embiid, finishing with 45 points and 13 rebounds and leading Milwaukee to a 128-122 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night as the Bucks clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.Khris Middleton added 22 points and George Hill had 20 for the Bucks, who locked up home-court advantage with three regular-season games remaining.Embiid returned from a three-game absence and had 34 points, 13 rebounds, 13 assists and three blocks.JJ Redick scored 29 points and Mike Scott, starting for injured Jimmy Butler, had 22 points for the 76ers, who are two games in front of Boston in the race for the No. 3 seed in the East with three games left.The 76ers led by seven points in the fourth quarter when Embiid's 3-pointer with 8:14 left made it 102-95.

Giannis Antetokounmpo returns to lead Bucks past Nets, 131-121

NEW YORK — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points and 11 rebounds in his return to the lineup, Eric Bledsoe added 29 points and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Brooklyn Nets 131-121 on Monday night.Reserve guard George Hill chipped in 22 points while Brook Lopez and Sterling Brown each scored 14 for the Bucks, who played without All-Star forward Khris Middleton because of soreness in his left groin.Milwaukee was unable to clinch the best record in the Eastern Conference because Toronto won earlier Monday.D'Angelo Russell had 28 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets, who remained seventh in the East after losses by Detroit and Miami.

Attorney: NBA star Kristaps Porzingis is accused of rape

NEW YORK — An attorney for Kristaps Porzingis acknowledges that a woman has accused the NBA star of rape, but says the Dallas Mavericks forward "unequivocally" denies the allegation.Lawyer Roland Riopelle (RYE'-oh-pell) said Saturday that the claim against the player was part of an extortion attempt that is being investigated by the FBI.Citing unidentified law enforcement officials, the New York Post and other news organizations reported earlier that a woman went to police Thursday and said Porzingis raped her in his Manhattan apartment last year while he was playing for the Knicks.NYPD officials declined to comment.Riopelle says Porzingis reported to federal law enforcement in December that the accuser was making "extortionate demands."The attorney says the NBA was also notified.Porzingis, a 23-year-old native of Latvia, was traded to the Mavericks in January.

Bledsoe scores 23 to lead Bucks past Rockets, 108-94

MILWAUKEE — Eric Bledsoe scored 23 points, including 16 in a decisive third quarter, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Houston Rockets 108-94 on Tuesday night.Giannis Antetokounmpo had 19 points and 14 rebounds for Milwaukee, which improved to an NBA-best 56-19.James Harden scored 23 and Chris Paul 19 for Houston, which lost for just the third time in 17 games.

Hobbled Giannis Antetokounmpo lifts Bucks past Cavs 127-105

MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo showed few signs he was bothered by an ailing right ankle, getting 26 points and 10 rebounds to lift to Milwaukee Bucks over the Cleveland Cavaliers 127-105 on Sunday, March 24.Antetokounmpo was listed as questionable after missing two of the three previous games with an ankle sprain.

Antetokounmpo scores 27, Bucks beat Heat 116-87

MILWAUKEE -- Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 27 points, had eight rebounds and seven assists after missing two games with a sprained right ankle and helped the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks to a 116-87 victory over the Miami Heat on Friday night.The Bucks (54-19) clinched their first Central Division title since 2000-2001 Thursday night when the Golden State Warriors beat the Indiana Pacers 112-89.The win came with a brief scare for the Bucks: Antetokounmpo went down in a mix of players after stealing a pass from Goran Dragic early in the second quarter.

With Giannis out, Sexton's 25 leads Cavs over bruised Bucks

CLEVELAND — Collin Sexton has left a sluggish, sometimes painful start to his pro career, behind him.He's taking off, and he might just take the Cavaliers with him.Sexton scored 25 points and became the first NBA rookie to score at least 23 in seven straight games since 1998 as Cleveland delayed Milwaukee from clinching the Central Division on Wednesday night with a 107-102 win over the bruised Bucks, who were without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.Sexton made a 3-pointer with 1:42 left and dropped a driving layup one minute later as the Cavs held on for one of their signature wins in an otherwise dismal season.Sexton's development has been one of the bright spots for the Cavs, who have undergone a coaching change and been riddled with injuries.