MANILA, Philippines – The top two teams in the East continued to dominate the conference following wins by the Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers against separate opponents as the NBA season continued on Wednesday (Thursday, Manila time).
The Bucks, who are currently second in the East, made easy work of the Indiana Pacers in a wire-to-wire victory.
At the peak of their dominance, the Bucks led the Pacers by as much as 40 points early in the fourth quarter.
Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with a triple-double with 21 points, 10 assists and 14 rebounds to pace the Bucks.
Apart from the reigning MVP, six other Bucks scored in double figures in the lopsided win.
Domantas Sabonis had a 33-point outing for the Pacers in the losing effort.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers stayed on top of the East standings after a 118-111 win over the Charlotte Hornets for their fourth straight win.
Joel Embiid dropped 34 points to lead the Sixers while Tobias Harris chipping in 26 points of his own.
For their part, the Dallas Mavericks finally put an end to their six-game losing streak after beating the Atlanta Hawks, 122-116.
The Mavs pulled away in the fourth salvo and led the Hawks by as much as 14.
Though the Hawks tried to stage a fight back led by Trae Young in the final two minutes of the game, the Mavs were able to hold them off.
Luka Doncic paced Dallas with 27 points for the breakthrough win while Kristaps Porzingis added 22.