NBA roundup: Giannis Antetokounmpo returns but Bucks fall to Celtics

Giannis Antetokounmpo returned to the court after missing 15 games with a strained right calf, but his Milwaukee Bucks fell 108-81 to the visiting Boston Celtics on Monday night.

Payton Pritchard had a team-high 25 points and nine assists for the Celtics, who received 18 points and 16 rebounds, both career highs, from rookie Hugo Gonzalez. Derrick White added 18 points and nine assists for Boston, which made 20 of 50 3-point attempts.

The Celtics played without leading scorer Jaylen Brown (illness) and starting center Neemias Queta (rest). Brown is averaging 29.0 points per game, and Queta had 27 points and 17 rebounds in the Celtics’ Sunday win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Antetokounmpo, who played for the first time since Jan. 23, produced team-high totals of 19 points and 11 rebounds. He entered the game averaging 28.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists this season.

Nuggets 128, Jazz 125

Jamal Murray scored 45 points and dished out eight assists while leading Denver to a victory over host Utah.

Murray shot 8-for-13 from 3-point range to help Denver snap a two-game losing streak. Nikola Jokic tallied 22 points, 12 rebounds and five assists for the Nuggets, and Julian Strawther chipped in 15 points. Denver shot 54.1% from the field and made 16 of 39 3-point attempts (41%).

Keyonte George led Utah with 36 points and four steals while Kyle Filipowski chipped in 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Ace Bailey had 18 points and Svi Mykhailiuk added 15.

Rockets 123, Wizards 118

Alperen Sengun scored 32 points, Kevin Durant had 30 and visiting Houston took down Washington.

Houston never trailed after the second quarter in a game that turned combative in the second half. Bilal Coulibaly had a season-high 23 points and five 3-pointers to lead the Wizards, who have now lost five in a row. Sharife Cooper had 21 off the bench for Washington in 17 minutes.

Amen Thompson had 22 points and 12 rebounds for Houston and Reed Sheppard added 19 along with 10 assists. Houston outrebounded Washington 59-27, with Sengun posting a game-high 13, and had 62 points in the paint compared to the Wizards’ 40.

Clippers 114, Warriors 101

Kawhi Leonard squeezed a game-high 23 points into 29 minutes, five teammates chipped in with double-figure scoring and Los Angeles overcame a 17-point deficit to thump Golden State in San Francisco.

Coming off the bench in his Clippers debut, Darius Garland contributed 12 points. Bennedict Mathurin added 17 points while Kris Dunn scored 16 as Los Angeles won for the second night in a row.

Brandin Podziemski paced Golden State with 22 points, 20 of them in the first half. The Warriors, who have lost five of their past seven, were without Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler III, Kristaps Porzingis, Gary Payton II and Will Richard.

–Field Level Media