NBA: Bucks set NBA record for 3s with 29 in romp over Heat

The Milwaukee Bucks made an NBA-record 29 3-pointers in their 144-97 romp over the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat on Tuesday night.

Milwaukee shot 29 for 51 from beyond the arc, two nights after going 7 for 38 in a loss to New York.

The Bucks used 13 players and 12 made at least one 3 — two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was the only one who didn’t. Khris Middleton had four 3s and scored 25 points, Jrue Holiday made six during his 24-point effort and Donte DiVincenzo was 5 for 6 from deep to finish with 17 points.

Antetokounmpo had only nine points.

The record-breaking shot was made by Sam Merrill, who got the 28th 3-pointer with 6:07 remaining, giving the Bucks a 131-86 lead.

The previous record for 3s in a game was 27, set by Houston against Phoenix on April 7, 2019.

Tyler Herro scored 23 points for the Heat. Jimmy Butler missed the game with a sprained right ankle.

It was the biggest road win in Bucks history, and it matched the second-worst loss in Heat history.

76ers 100, Raptors 93

Joel Embiid had 29 points, 16 rebounds and one scare when he briefly left the game with an injury, leading Philadelphia past winless Toronto.

Embiid had Philadelphia holding its breath when the big man left with some sort of leg injury. He went down early in the third quarter and grabbed the back of his lower right leg as he stood up. Embiid, who missed Sunday’s loss against Cleveland with back stiffness, walked gingerly to the locker room.

The All-Star center returned a few minutes later and checked back in the game with the Sixers down 11. He sank 14 of 16 free throws — as many makes as Toronto attempted (12 of 14) to keep the 76ers in this one.

Tobias Harris had 26 points and 11 rebounds to help Embiid on a night the Sixers shot only 38% from the floor.

Kyle Lowry scored 24 points for the Raptors. Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby each had 20.

Celtics 116, Pacers 111

Jayson Tatum scored 27 points and Boston rallied from 17 down in the third quarter to beat Indiana.

Jaylen Brown had 20 points for the Celtics, who outscored the Pacers 33-18 in the final period.

Indiana led 88-71 in the third and was still ahead by 11 entering the fourth, when Tatum scored 14 points and the Celtics surged to a 109-100 lead.

Victor Oladipo, who sat out the previous game, scored 20 of his 24 points through three quarters for the Pacers.

Bulls 115, Wizards 107

Zach LaVine scored 23 points, including nine straight in the third quarter, and Coby White added 18 to lead Chicago past winless Washington for its first victory of the season.

The Bulls improved to 1-4 while the Wizards fell to 0-4, their worst start since beginning the 2012-13 season with 12 straight losses.

Russell Westbrook, who sat out Sunday’s game, had his third straight triple-double with 21 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists for Washington.

Bradley Beal scored 29 points and Davis Bertans added 20 for the Wizards, who shot just 10 for 37 (27%) from 3-point range.

Knicks 95, Cavaliers 86

Julius Randle had 28 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his first triple-double in two years, leading New York over Cleveland.

Randle, who scored 18 in the first half as the Knicks built a 16-point lead, completed his seventh career triple-double with an assist on Elfrid Payton’s 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. It was the power forward’s first triple-double since Nov. 19, 2018, with New Orleans.

Reggie Bullock scored 17 points and Payton had 14 points, eight boards and seven assists for the Knicks (2-2), who won their second in a row.

Andre Drummond notched his fourth double-double for the Cavaliers (3-1) with 18 points, 17 rebounds and a season-high six blocked shots.

Warriors 116, Pistons 106

Stephen Curry scored 31 points and Andrew Wiggins added 27 to lift Golden State over winless Detroit.

The injury-plagued Warriors have won two in a row after dropping their first two games by a combined 65 points. The decisive stretch Tuesday came with Curry on the bench. Rookie big man James Wiseman had a dunk and Wiggins followed with a 3-pointer to cap a 12-0 run that put Golden State up 98-89 in the fourth quarter.

Jerami Grant led the Pistons with 27 points.

The Warriors are without stars Klay Thompson (right Achilles tendon) and Draymond Green (right foot), but now Detroit has injury problems of its own. Blake Griffin ended up in the concussion protocol and did not play in the second half, and rookie guard Killian Hayes left with a sprained right ankle.

Magic 118, Thunder 107

Nikola Vucevic had a season-high 28 points and 10 rebounds as unbeaten Orlando topped Oklahoma City.

The Magic, who are 4-0 for the first time in the franchise’s 31-season history, are one of only two undefeated teams in the NBA, along with Atlanta. They started 3-0 just three previous times before this season.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for Oklahoma City, which lost its second home game in two nights after winning its opener at Charlotte. The Thunder had won their last five games (and 15 of 18) against the Magic.

Dwayne Bacon went 9 of 10 from the field and scored 18 points to go with eight rebounds for Orlando, which surpassed the 110-point mark for the fourth straight game. After the Thunder tied the score at 87 early in the fourth quarter, Bacon scored six points in a 10-4 spurt that gave Orlando the lead for good.

Suns 111, Pelicans 86

Jae Crowder scored a season-high 21 points, Cameron Johnson added 18 and Phoenix rolled to a lopsided win over New Orleans.

The game was billed as an intriguing matchup between two of the NBA’s rising teams but the Suns broke it open by outscoring the Pelicans 35-15 in the second quarter to take a 66-44 advantage into the break.

Six players scored in double figures for the Suns as they improved to 3-1. Deandre Ayton had 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Zion Williamson led the Pelicans (2-2) with 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting, but New Orleans went 3 of 24 from 3-point range while Phoenix made 19 3s.

Kings 125, Nuggets 115

Tyrese Haliburton scored eight of his 13 points in the fourth quarter as Sacramento pulled away to beat Denver, spoiling a record-setting night for Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic.

The 12th pick in this year’s draft, Haliburton made several sleek plays and gave the Kings a needed lift down the stretch. Sacramento’s rookie guard hit two of his three 3-pointers in the final 9{ minutes and added a steal and fast-break layup during an 11-0 run that put the Kings ahead 120-108.

De’Aaron Fox had 24 points and 10 assists for Sacramento. Richaun Holmes scored 20 and Buddy Hield added 12 points and seven rebounds.

Jokic had 26 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds to set a Nuggets record with his 44th career triple-double. The NBA leader in assists going into the game, Jokic broke the previous mark he shared with Fat Lever.

Monte Morris had a career-high 24 points starting in place of Jamal Murray for Denver. Michael Porter Jr. finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds.