MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 37 points and the Milwaukee Bucks relied on a team-record shooting performance to snap a four-game skid by winning 133-123 over the slumping and short-handed Phoenix Suns. The Bucks shot 68.9% (51 of 73) from the floor to set a franchise record for field-goal percentage. The previous record was 66.7% on Dec. 15, 1985, against Sacramento. The Suns lost their fourth straight. They were playing without Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Royce O’Neale. Devin Booker had 39 points and 11 assists to lead Phoenix. Ryan Rollins scored 23 and Brook Lopez had 22 for Milwaukee.
DENVER (AP) — Nickeil Alexander-Walker hit two of three free throws with 0.1 seconds remaining and the Minnesota Timberwolves overcame a career-best 61-point performance from Nikola Jokic to outlast the Denver Nuggets 140-139 in double overtime. The final play concluded a wild sequence as Russell Westbrook stole the ball on one end in the closing seconds, missed a layup and then fouled Alexander-Walker. The Timberwolves guard made two and missed the third one on purpose. Jokic’s 61 points were the most by a player in the NBA this season. Anthony Edwards finished with 34 points for Minnesota.
NEW YORK (AP) — Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart has been suspended for two games by the NBA and four other players from the Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves drew one-game suspensions for the roles in an on-court altercation between the teams earlier this week. The league says Stewart got two games “based in part on his repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts.” The NBA handed the one-game bans to Detroit’s Ron Holland II and Marcus Sasser along with Minnesota’s Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Eric Haase and Christian Yelich hit solo home runs to back a strong start by Chad Patrick and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Kansas City Royals 5-0 for their first win of the season. Patrick gave the Brewers something they hadn’t had thus far — three scoreless innings to begin the game. Milwaukee surrendered 24 runs in the first three innings of its first four games. Haase homered from the ninth spot in the order to put the Brewers up 1-0 in the third. Brice Turang and Jackson Chourio followed with singles and Turang scored on a force-out at second on Yelich’s grounder to make it 2-0. Patrick gave up three hits and three walks with five strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.
Series finale this afternoon. Pregame at 11:35am. First pitch at 12:10pm on AM1240 & 96.5FM.
CHICAGO (AP) — Jose Miranda hit a tiebreaking two-run single in Minnesota’s five-run sixth inning, and the Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 8-3 for their first win of the season. Ryan Jeffers and Ty France each had two hits for Minnesota, and Harrison Bader added a three-run homer in the ninth. The Twins trailed 3-0 before rallying with two outs in the sixth. White Sox right-hander Shane Smith allowed two hits and two runs in 5 2/3 innings in his major league debut.