JORDAN NWORA

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 27 points and 16 rebounds and the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks recovered after blowing a 16-point lead to beat the Chicago Bulls 93-86 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Sunday.

Khris Middleton scored a season-high 44 points, Jrue Holiday had 17 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and the Milwaukee Bucks rallied to beat the short-handed Phoenix Suns 132-122 on Sunday.

Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday made sure the Milwaukee Bucks withstood Giannis Antetokounmpo’s foul trouble and got through arguably the toughest three-game stretch of their schedule unscathed. Middleton scored a season-high 44 points, Holiday had 24 and the Bucks rallied to beat the short-handed Phoenix Suns 132-122 on Sunday for their fourth consecutive victory. Holiday scored 17 points and Middleton had 16 in the fourth quarter to help the Bucks outscore the Suns 12-1 over the last three minutes.

Joel Embiid had 42 points, 14 rebounds and five assists and the Philadelphia 76ers regrouped after squandering a 15-point lead to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 123-120 on Thursday night.

Mike Budenholzer has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols and Giannis Antetokounpo is sidelined with an illness unrelated to COVID-19, leaving the Milwaukee Bucks without their coach and star player against Toronto.

The Milwaukee Bucks haven’t been quite themselves as they’ve opened their NBA title defense.

Tyler Herro scored 27 points in 24 minutes off the bench, Jimmy Butler added 21 and the Miami Heat opened their season with an easy 137-95 victory over the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 32 points and the Milwaukee Bucks opened the defense of their first title in half a century by beating the Brooklyn Nets 127-104 on Tuesday.

A person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press that the Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to acquire restricted free agent forward Lauri Markkanen from Chicago in a three-team trade.

Cam Thomas scored 36 points and the Brooklyn Nets beat the San Antonio Spurs 104-100 on Sunday in the NBA Summer.

Patty Mills scored 25 points and Australia opened its quest for a first Olympic medal in men’s basketball by beating Nigeria 84-67.

When the Dream Team era started in 1992, most of the NBA players in the Olympics represented the United States.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 24 points and moved into second place on the Milwaukee Bucks’ career scoring list in a 132-94 romp over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.

Toppin is the lone unanimous first-team choice to The Associated Press men's college basketball All-America team, Friday, March 20, 2020. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)The college basketball season came to an emphatic, dramatic end with the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament. He is Dayton's first first-team AP All-American. A preseason AP All-American, the 6-2 guard averaged 21 points per game, 17th nationally, with 4.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists. ___More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/MarchMadness and https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

(AP Photo/Ray Carlin)LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas is back on top of the college basketball world after knocking off Baylor in a matchup of Big 12 heavyweights, while the Bears dropped to No. Kansas was atop the poll for one week in December, when it seemed as if just about every school that ascended to No. “We're a silent team that can make a run late in March,” Jayhawks guard Devon Dotson said after the 64-61 victory Saturday. 3 after a loss to BYU, and Dayton leapfrogged San Diego State for No. “Florida State is just a team, they're all really big, really long and really athletic,” Cardinals star Jordan Nwora said.

5 Cardinals were dealt a stunning 64-58 loss by Georgia Tech on Wednesday night, snapping their 10-game winning streak. “It was an ugly game, a muddy game,” Mack said. Give credit to Jose Alvarado, who not only led Georgia Tech with 18 points but did a stellar defensive job on Nwora. “To make those two plays in that sequence, that was the game,” Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner said. Georgia Tech: Have a week off before heading to Wake Forest next Wednesday.

Bill Murray looks at the scoreboard during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game between Kentucky and Louisville in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019. 19 Kentucky needed against rival Louisville, intensity that put him on the brink of fouling out. Richards had 13 points, including seven in a row in overtime, and Kentucky scored the final eight points for a 78-70 victory over No. Quickley had 18 points for Kentucky, which shot 46% for its 11th win over Louisville in 13 meetings. Louisville shot just 40% and made just 3 of 9 in overtime.