DETROIT (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 20 of his 29 points in the first quarter, returning to the lineup after a five-game absence to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 150-130 win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday night.
The two-time MVP was joined by three-time All-Star Khris Middleton, putting the Bucks' prolific duo in the same lineup for the first time in more than a month.
Antetokounmpo had been out with a sore left knee. Middleton, who hadn't played since Dec. 15 due to a sore right knee, had eight points and four assists.
The Bucks scored 49 points in the first quarter, two shy of the NBA record, and led Detroit by 25 after Antetokounmpo made all six of his shots in eight-plus minutes.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 33 points and rookie Jalen Duren had a season-high 23 points and 14 rebounds for the Pistons, who have won an Eastern Conference-low 12 games and are ahead of only Houston in the league-wide standings.
MAGIC 113, CELTICS 98
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Paolo Banchero scored 23 points, Jonathan Isaac played in an NBA game for the first time in 2 1/2 years and Orlando broke Boston's nine-game winning streak.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown scored 26 points apiece for the Celtics, who managed just three points after Tatum's 3-pointer cut Orlando's lead to 97-95 with 6:20 remaining.
Wendell Carter Jr. had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Magic. Cole Anthony came off the bench with 18 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Isaac missed 211 games since tearing his ACL in the NBA's restart at Walt Disney World on Aug. 2, 2020. He finished with 10 points, three rebounds and two steals, playing about 9 1/2 minutes.
ROCKETS 119, TIMBERWOLVES 114
HOUSTON (AP) — Jalen Green scored a career-high 42 points and the Houston held on to beat Minnesota and snap a 13-game losing streak.
Green, the second overall pick in the 2021 draft, had 21 points by halftime and kept up his strong play in the second half to lead the Rockets to their first victory since Dec. 26 at Chicago. They ended their longest skid of the season and also a 10-game home losing streak, winning at home for the first time since Dec. 13 against Phoenix.
Anthony Edwards had 31 points and D'Angelo Russell tied a season high with 30 for the Timberwolves, who had won two straight.
BULLS 111, HAWKS 100
Bucks rout Pistons 150-130 as Giannis, Middleton return
CHICAGO (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 26 points in his 1,000th career game, Nikola Vucevic added 14 points and 17 rebounds and Chicago beat Atlanta.
The Bulls returned to Chicago after 126-108 win over the Pistons in Paris on Thursday.
Trae Young had 21 points and 13 assists, while Dejounte Murray added 20 points for the Hawks, who have lost two straight after winning five in a row.
