Giannis returns, leads Bucks charge vs Kings
LOS ANGELES – Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from injury with a vengeance on Monday (Tuesday, Manila time), scoring 46 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a come-from-behind 133-124 victory over the in-form Sacramento Kings.
A tense duel in Sacramento ended with tempers flaring as the Bucks' Brook Lopez and Sacramento's Trey Lyles clashed angrily in the closing seconds, sparking a mass melee and the ejection of both players.
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Antetokounmpo finished with 12 rebounds and four assists in addition to his 46 points as the Bucks found their scoring touch in the third and fourth quarters to pile up 80 second-half points.
Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Antetokounmpo had missed the Bucks' last three games, including Saturday's defeat to the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco.
But his return to the line-up couldn't have been timelier against a Sacramento team who have emerged as the surprise package of the Western Conference, where they sit in third place behind Denver and Memphis.
Antetokounmpo was backed by 31 points from Khris Middleton and 23 points from Lopez as the Bucks overturned a 15-point deficit to claim victory.
De'Aaron Fox led Sacramento's scoring with 35 points from 13-of-23 shooting.
The win cemented Milwaukee's grip on top spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Bucks improved to 49-19 and have opened up a 2.5 game lead over second-placed Boston, surprisingly beaten by lowly Houston earlier on Monday.
In other games, Klay Thompson flirted with breaking his single-game three-point shooting record as Golden State claimed another heavyweight scalp with a 123-112 win over the Phoenix Suns at the Chase Center.
Thompson finished with 38 points, 33 of them scored in a remarkable first half that included eight three-pointers.
Thompson's touch deserted him in a scoreless third quarter however, meaning he was unable to challenge his record of 14 threes in a game set in 2018.
"There's gonna be lulls — I wish I could score 33 points every half but I'm much more satisfied with the win," Thompson said.
Steph Curry finished with 23 points and Jordan Poole 20 for the Warriors, who improved to 36-33 and are fifth in the Western Conference standings.
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