JEFF TEAGUE

Milwaukee Bucks guard Donte DiVincenzo had a Christmas return on his mind as he made his comeback from an ankle injury that kept him from joining his teammates for much of their championship run last season.

There’s an excellent chance the Milwaukee Bucks will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their lone NBA title by winning it all again.

Milwaukee guard Donte DiVincenzo’s season is over.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 36 points and the Milwaukee Bucks used a fourth-quarter rally to beat the Brooklyn Nets for the second time in three days, winning 124-118.

Boston Celtics' Kemba Walker (8) shoots against New York Knicks' Mitchell Robinson (23) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)BOSTON – Julius Randle scored 20 points with 12 rebounds and RJ Barrett had 19 and 11 on Sunday to help the New York Knicks snap a five-game losing streak and beat the Boston Celtics 105-75. All-Star point guard Kemba Walker made his season debut after missing the first 11 games with a left knee injury but left in the third quarter after hurting his ribs. Robinson needed help getting up and limped off the court, but he returned in the second quarter. Celtics: The 35 points was the Celtics' lowest-scoring half of the season.

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) drives to the basket as Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)MIAMI – Payton Pritchard wasn't there last season when the Boston Celtics lost to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals. Pritchard's putback with two-tenths of a second left capped a wild finish, and the Celtics beat the Heat 107-105 in the first matchup this season of last year's East finalists. Jimmy Butler had 26 points for Miami, which got 16 points from Duncan Robinson, 15 points from Bam Adebayo and 14 from Goran Dragic. The Heat cut the lead to eight by halftime, part of what became a 39-17 run that saw Miami lead by five in the third quarter.

Brooklyn Nets' Kyrie Irving (11) loses control of the ball against Boston Celtics' Marcus Smart (36) and Jayson Tatum (0) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 25, 2020, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)BOSTON – Kyrie Irving scored 37 points with eight assists in his return to Boston and Kevin Durant added 29 for Brooklyn on Friday to lead the Nets to a 123-95 victory over the Celtics. Jaylen Brown scored 27 with eight rebounds for the Celtics and Jayson Tatum had 20 points and eight boards. Durant scored 16 points in the third quarter, when the Nets outscored Boston 35-23 to turn a three-point deficit into an 86-77 lead. He scored nine straight Brooklyn points at the beginning of the third when the Nets took the lead for good.

“Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to be in that position,” said Tatum, who scored 30 points. But there’s so many good things happening, including Giannis going to the free-throw line with the game on the line. TIP-INSBucks: During the game, the Bucks exercised their fourth-year team option on guard Donte DiVincenzo for the 2021-22 season. Celtics: Newcomers Jeff Teague scored 19 points in 25 minutes, and Tristan Thompson had 12 points and eight rebounds. It will be Kyrie Irving’s first regular-season game in Boston since leaving the Celtics.