By ASSOCIATED PRESS
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points and 11 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks extended their winning streak to six games with a 136-111 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night, April 10.
Kevin Porter Jr. had 20 points and seven assists, Kyle Kuzma and Gary Trent Jr. each scored 17 points, Bobby Portis added 14 and Ryan Rollins finished with 12 for the Bucks.
Milwaukee moves on to an important two-game, regular-season ending series against the Detroit Pistons on Friday and Sunday.
Lester Quinones scored 21 points and Jamal Cain and Keion Brooks Jr. each had 20 as the Pelicans dropped their fifth straight game. Antonio Reeves scored 16 while Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Karlo Matkovic contributed 15 points and 10 rebounds apiece.
Pelicans: New Orleans was competitive well into the third quarter, despite having just eight available players. The Pelicans had 11 players listed as out on the injury report.
Bucks: With Indiana’s win over Cleveland, the Pacers clinched the No. 4 seed in the East, meaning Milwaukee will start the playoffs on the road. The Bucks will have to win one of two upcoming games against Detroit to claim the No. 5 seed.
Meanwhile, Cade Cunningham had 36 points and eight assists, lifting the Detroit Pistons to a 115-106 win over the New York Knicks in a possible preview of a first-round matchup in the NBA playoffs.
New York was without starters OG Anunoby (thumb) and Josh Hart (knee) due to injuries and failed to clinch the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.
All-Star guard Jalen Brunson briefly left the game late in the third quarter after rolling his left ankle but returned to finish with 15 points, missing 10 of 15 shots.
The Knicks led for much of the game, but sixth-place Detroit outscored them by nine in the fourth quarter.
Jalen Duren had 18 points and 13 rebounds, making all nine shots. Tobias Harris scored 17 points and rookie Ron Holland had 13.
New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Precious Achiuwa took advantage of opportunities on a short-handed team and scored 18 points.
In New York, Zaccharie Risacher scored a season-high 38 points as the Atlanta Hawks routed the Brooklyn Nets, 133-109.
The No. 1 pick in the draft shot 15 for 20 from the field, including 6 for 11 from 3-point range.
Trae Young added 24 points and 12 assists for the Hawks, who shot 57%. Dyson Daniels had 10 points, nine assists, nine rebounds and three steals to raise his NBA-leading total to 226.
In Indianapolis, Tyrese Haliburton scored eight of his 23 points during a key scoring run in the fourth quarter and Aaron Nesmith added 22 points to help the Indiana Pacers rally past the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers, 114-112.
Indiana won its sixth straight and secured a top-four seed and the home-court advantage in a playoff series for the first time since 2014. The Pacers are also one win away from their first 50-win season since 2013-14.
Haliburton added 10 assists, eight rebounds and three blocks while making four 3-pointers. Myles Turner had 13 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.
