Local Sports

Bulls Topple Grizzlies

Otto Porter Jr. scored a career-high 37 points on 16-for-20 shooting, Robin Lopez added season-high 25 points, and the Chicago Bulls beat the Memphis Grizzlies 122-110 on Wednesday night.

 

Lauri Markkanen added 21 points as Chicago ended a franchise-record 11-game home losing streak with their first win at the United Center since beating Orlando on Dec. 21.

 

Porter scored at ease, getting the Bulls' first six points in the third quarter and capping it off with a dunk off a pass from Zach LaVine. Porter later set up LaVine for a three-point play to give the Bulls a 80-66 lead with 7:21 left in the quarter.

 

Porter was acquired a day before the deadline in a trade with Washington, where Joh Wall and Bradley Beal were the primary options. 

 

He was 3 for 5 from 3-point range in his third career 30-point game.

 

Bradley got Memphis to 109-101 with 4:48 left, but the Bulls answered with a 10-0 run. Markkanen made a 3 to give the Bulls a 118-101 lead with 2:33 left.

 

The Bulls also won for just the fourth time in 22 games.

 

Avery Bradley scored 15 points for the Grizzlies, who lost for the second straight night.

 

Mike Conley was back in the Grizzlies' lineup after missing Tuesday's 108-107 loss to the Spurs with an illness. He finished with 12 points.

 

Porter shot 8 for 9 from the field and 3 for 3 from 3-point range for 21 points in the first half.

 

The Bulls travel to Orlando after the All-Star break to face the Magic on Feb. 22.

 

>>League Leading Roll Down Pacers

 

Giannis Antetokounmpo rallied the Bucks from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit, recorded his fifth triple-double of the season and led Milwaukee past Indiana 106-97. He finished with 33 points, 19 rebounds and 11 assists to keep the Bucks atop the Eastern Conference heading into the All-Star break.

Antetokounmpo opened the game by making five of the Bucks' nine first-quarter baskets, assisting on the other four. And after Milwaukee fell into an 86-76 hole early in the fourth, he bailed them out by scoring 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting with six rebounds and three assists over the final 11 1/2 minutes.

 

Every moment the Bucks needed a big play, Antetokounmpo made it.

 

His driving layup out of a timeout with 9:17 to go ended Indiana's 7-0 run. His dunk with 5:06 remaining gave Milwaukee a 93-92 lead. His 10-foot turnaround jumper at the 3:51 mark tied it at 95, and his nifty pass to a wide-open Ersan Ilyasova for a tiebreaking layup with 2:36 left gave Milwaukee the lead for good.

 

Antetokounmpo closed out the first half with a flourish - his 13th game with at least 25 points, 15 rebounds and five assists to break a tie with Shaquille O'Neal for the most in a single-season since 1976-77.

 

Malcolm Brogdon scored 17 points and Khris Middleton added 15.

 

Antetokounmpo followed his 5-of-7 start by missing six of his next seven shots as the Pacers charged back from 26-18 first-quarter deficit and a 55-47 halftime deficit to take the lead midway through the third quarter. They extended the margin to 10 on Tyreke Evans' 3-pointer with 9:37 left.

 

But then the Bucks' best player steadied himself and his teammates, helping Milwaukee outscore the Pacers 30-11 the rest of the way.

 

Bojan Bogdanovic led the Pacers with 20 points as Indiana's six-game winning streak ended.

 

The Bucks return from the All-Star break by hosting Boston on Feb. 21.

 

The Pacers close out a six-game homestand against New Orleans on Feb. 22.

Townhall Top of the Hour News

Local Weather - Sponsored By:

CLINTON WEATHER

Local News

DeWittDN on Facebook