NBA Cup: Antetokounmpo Stars As Bucks Defeat Pacers

Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his second triple-double of the season as the Milwaukee Bucks led wire-to-wire to beat the visiting Indiana Pacers.

The NBA’s two-time Most Valuable Player claimed 37 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists as the Bucks won 129-117 on Friday to improve to a 2-0 record in the NBA Cup.

Damian Lillard added 24 points and 13 assists for his third straight double-double, and the result means Milwaukee have won five of their last six since opening the season with a 2-8 record.

They had six players in double figures for points, with Antetokounmpo, 29, recording his 47th career triple-double.

Jaylen Brown had 31 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Boston Celtics to a 108-96 win at the stubborn Washington Wizards.

Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday added 16 points each for last season’s NBA champions, who have won three straight overall and are 2-1 in the NBA Cup.

James Harden had 22 points and nine assists as the Los Angeles Clippers extended their winning streak to four games with a 104-88 victory against the visiting Sacramento Kings.

The Clippers were without leading scorer Norman Powell because of a hamstring strain and are now 1-1 in the in-season tournament, which concludes next month with the semi-finals and championship game being played in Las Vegas.

Jared McCain declared to the crowd that he is “the rookie of the year” after scoring a three-pointer in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 113-98 win over the visiting Brooklyn Nets.

The 20-year-old, who was the 16th overall draft pick in June, scored 30 points as the Sixers halted a five-game losing streak, despite playing without Joel Embiid and Paul George.

McCain posted his seventh consecutive game scoring 20-plus points, joining Embiid, Allen Iverson, Jerry Stackhouse and Lee Shaffer as the only rookies in franchise history to accomplish that feat,