Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo both score 38 points for clubs

Nigeria-born Greek superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 38 points and the Milwaukee Bucks capitalized on a 23-2 run in the first eight-plus minutes of the third quarter to rally past the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-102 on Friday night.

The Bucks came back from a 16-point deficit and snapped Cleveland’s four-game winning streak by outscoring the Cavaliers 35-10 in the third period.

The Cavaliers hadn’t scored below 15 points in any quarter this season before Friday.

Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points and Darius Garland added 20 for Cleveland. After combining to shoot 14 of 26 and score 38 points in the first half, they went 4 of 16 for 11 points over the final two periods.

Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen played only 12 minutes and scored one point before leaving with a hip injury. The 6-foot-11 center picked up a pair of fouls in the first two minutes of the game and took a hard fall on the second fould.

The Cavaliers hadn’t lost since their last visit to Milwaukee, a 113-98 Bucks victory on Nov. 16.

Jevon Carter scored 18 points and Bobby Portis had 14 for the Bucks. Antetokounmpo added nine rebounds and six assists to go along with his game-high scoring.

After trailing 63-52 at halftime, the Bucks turned the game around in the third quarter.

Jrue Holiday, who committed three fouls in the first 1½ quarters, scored his first points of the game in the opening minute of the third. He followed that up with a 3-pointer.

Carter then found Antetokounmpo for a dunk on an alley-oop, though Antetokounmpo missed a free throw that would have given him a three-point play. Mitchell scored to extend Cleveland’s lead to 65-59, but a Brook Lopez 3-pointer and an Antetokounmpo dunk cut the lead to one.

Lopez then blocked a shot that led to an Antetokounmpo 3-pointer, giving the Bucks their first lead of the night with 7:19 left in the third. Antetokounmpo added another dunk 30 seconds later and Jevon Carter made a 3-pointer to keep the run going.

The Cavaliers trailed 75-65 by the time the spurt finally ended on a pair of Isaac Okoro free throws with 3:51 left in the third.

Milwaukee eventually led by as many as 22 points.

Elsewhere, another Nigeria born star Bam Adebayo scored a season-high 38 points and the Miami Heat beat the Washington Wizards 110-107 Friday night.

Caleb Martin added 20 points and Kyle Lowry finished with 13 points while Tyler Herro had 11 points and 10 assists for the Heat, who won their second straight at home against Washington after their 113-105 victory Wednesday.

Adebayo’s two free throws with 1:37 remaining put Miami ahead 105-104 lead then extended the advantage on a short jumper with 38 seconds left.

The Wizards cut the deficit on Bradley Beal’s dunk with 19 seconds before Martin’s two free throws seven seconds later gave Miami its final margin.

Beal’s game-tying 3-point attempt with one second left bounced off the rim. Beal and Kyle Kuzma finished with 28 points Kristaps Porzingis added 18 points for the Wizards.

Heat leading scorer Jimmy Butler (right knee soreness) missed his fifth straight game because of right knee soreness while shooters Max Strus (right shoulder impingement) and Duncan Robinson (left ankle sprain) also sat out.

The Heat rallied from a 12-point deficit late in the first quarter and cut it to 59-56 at halftime.